New-York tribune., 1874-02-21

sible danger to any part OF the country press
that deserves to live. In their own sphere
they are absolutely free from city rivalry; it
is field which the people will pay to have
filed and which they alone fill. 1t is a
gross slander upon the able and self-respect-
ing country press to say that they are in
danger of dying unless the Government treats
them like paupers or Congressman (of the late
period), and pays their postage for them.
As to Mr. Garfeld's assertion that man
climbs to the fifth story of a metropolitan news
paper Office at II O'clock at night and slashes
off an editorial which he calls the sentiment
of the country, we must be permitted, having
some knowledge of the subject, to doubt its
accuracy. The treatment of topics by the
metropolitan press Is as careful and well con-
sidered, we are confident, as the treatment of
the same subjects by the majority Of Congress
men who discuss them. The readers OF these
papers are as critical, as thoughtful, and OF as
competent judgment as the audiences to which
the speeches in Congress are addressed or
the constituencies to whom they are sent
The metropolitan journalists may not be
statesmen, but we may be permit
ted to remark that there are very
few statesmen in Congress who
could find employment for their gifts and
talents on the editorial staff of any leading
metropolitan journal. The work OF the jour
nalist is not, as Mr.. Garfield intimates, hasty,
ill-cOn sidered or slashing." Even in the criu-
cisms Of the course of the Hon. James A. Car
field on the Salary Grab in the last Congress
a case which might possibly have been In the
gentleman's mind--there was nothing basty OF
"slashing." The deliberate judgment OF the
press that Mr.. Garfeld's consent to the pas
sage Of the Salary Grab, in order to save an
appropriation bill and prevent an extra ses-
sion, was timd and unmanly, and in no way
warranted by the exigencies Of the occasion,
may have seemed to him slashing editorial
dashed off at eleven o'clock at night. He mis-
Judged it. 1t was the calm and un-
prejudiced opinion of thoughtful men whose
interests are identical with the peoples, and
who believed in the truth and justice of their
judgment. The country has lost something
by Mr.. Garfield's mistake, but he will hardly
deny now that tho view of the press on that
subject was "the public sentiment of the
" American people,
We must be permitted to doubt also the
accuracy of Mr.. Garield's statement that the
writers of slashng editorials in fifth stories at
eleven o'clock at night send them off to the
country and call them the public sentiment
Of the American people. The metropolitan
newspapers whose course Is so offensive TO
Mr.. Garfield have ample facilities for getting
at the public sentiment of the American
people in their extensive correspondence
from all parts OF the country, their
communication with the representa-
tive men Of all sections, and not
least perhaps In the files Of the 5000
weekly newspapers whose "quiet and sensi-
"bler editors, Z" in the course of a week, see
"mOre from every township in the county,"
and have their minds filed with the best
thoughts OF the county" which they write
in "notices and editorials" 1t is from such
sources that they gather the sentiments of the
people, and we believe that for the most part
they reflect them honestly. We may at all
events remind congressman who feel ag-
grieved that there was never a time when
metropolitan and all other newspapers were
80 free to publish facts and arguments on
both sides of public questions-never time
when the press was so free from the vice OF
garbling quotations and misrepresenting the
views of opponents as now.
II is not strange that Congress composed
in some measure of men implicated in cor
rupt speculatiOns and tainted by the Salary
Grab which itself has done absolutely moth
ing whore so much was looked for and neededj
and which occupies its time in empty talk
about retrenchment, voting down every prac-
tical step in that direction, and only hesitates
to restore the franking privilege because it
does not dare-that such o Congress should
feel restive under the criticisms rasping and
severe, but not unjust, of the press. is not
strange. We suspect it is not 80 MUCH the
slashng editorials and hasty judgments that
they object to. as the fact that the press is
finding out its responsibility to the people
and passing from under the control Of the
politicians. AT a meeting of Republican
editors and politicians in Connecticut few
weeks ago, Congressman Starkweather Of that
State took occasion to lecture the press upon
its duties, asserting with much warmth and
bitterness that two Republican newspapers in
the State were doing the party more harm
than oil the Democratic papers put together
This was before the publication of his sorre-
spondence with the District Ring had dis
closed the cause Of bis own sensitiveness to
criticism. Whether these gentlemen believe
that the press correctly represents public senti-
ment or not, they will be wise to heed it.
There are but very few of them-much as
they despise the press-who have not at
tempted in one way or another to control the
newspapers in their own district. Many of
them have what are called "home organs"
which collect "the best thoughts of the county,
in the Interests of their Congressman and
call it public sentiment. All of them owe their
nositions in greater OF less degree to the press