The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1874-07-02
THE ANNUAL ADDRESS DELIVER
ED BY GEN. G. c.. GINTY OF
THE CHIPPEWA HERALD. {N#

[
Mr.. PRESIDENT. 1t was Richelieu who
remarked, "The pen is mightier than the
sword" 1t I succeed in entertaining
even for brief time, this associations after
the surfeit Of good things that is set
down for more eloquent writers this even
ing, I shall certainly conclude that the
| quill wherefrom This address flowed is
indeed migbter than the most faithi full
Damascus blade ever drawn by gallant
knight would have been more con-
tent &c have quietly rested with my
brother associates here would have pre-
/ ferred to have heard GEN Ellis, Uncle
Dan Richards, Charley Robinson, Sam
Ryan, Maj or Tenney, and the other vet
Grams Of the Wisconsin s,tell us some
thing of the early history of Wisconsin
Journalism, in which they were pioneers
even though that subject should bring
to the mind anew memories of one over
whose grave June grasses are waving,
bright and fresh, telling us of the we'll
spent lite Of one whom we all revered =
George Hyer-one of Wisconsin's printer
editors. e.uH
These annual gatherings should be
kept up with zeal They are productive
OF good. The press Of our state has very
much improved in tone since the custom
of meeting in social Intercourse, once a
year, has grown into law Il has done
away, in a considerable degree, with The
acerbities that incidently creep into a
Journalists life.
With the press, improvement is the or
der of the times. For the last twenty
years, newspapers have made rapid strides
forward, until now they are necessity
felt everywhere. Tho man be so poor
that he is denied the privilege of books,
he can purchase for few cents a sheet
every day or every week, that contains
beside all the current news of the hour,
gems If literature that sparkle in their
inky setting; rare Sabre cuts of Saxon
speech" chops from history; tender loins
from fiction; and briskets from the ro
nance of daily occurrences, The late
war broke down the barrier that largely
existed between literature aud the news.
paper Prior to that, choice writers re-
served their work for magazines. To-day
the best authors In the land-men ant
women who have garnered up their choict
heart thoughts to be bound in books, cast
them forth, in prose AMI song. upon the
newspaper current, until the great sea o
literature reflects upon its surface food to
cheer, inspire and cultivate. The mdsty
sheets of the past, when one looks them
lover, are az the sterile rock;the bare facts
untrimmed and uncut, jar harshly upon
the cultivated ears of the present hour
when incidents of daily lite are rounded
into beauty or clothed in fitting raiment
Time was when the browning of Pharaoh
and his host, with the contents OF two OF
three livery stables, would have beer
summed up in a three line item, miLu:
the slightest biography Of the Egyptian
ruler; but there is not q country editor in
Wisconsin that wouldn't get up an inter
estipg three -columa article on the subject
With free press firmly established, the
walls that divided the rich frl m the pool
the weak from the mighty-fell, and
with it the ancient 44 eN
i --"simsls plan
i That they should take who have the power
And they should keep who can"
That the people of America are enioy
ing an era of liberty and prosperity il
not little due to the press. The struc
lures OF tyranny will never rest upon
land where newspapers are plenty; anC
the idle boasts OF blood and arIst0craei
descent Guild sound strange indeed. Yes
the press Ssthe palladium ofthe libertie
OF the people.'j ID
But while We may extol the good
fs sy4
has accomplished, it cannot be deniet
that it has its faults. ~ 1880 @tAA
!, The press loses much of. its infuenc
from two causes: one, tAe indiscriminat
abuse OF political opponents, the other, flu
some adulation of political friends.
i # Jones,ls rascal before the conven