Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1874-01-01

O INV
ceeding great reward. We are our
own keepers, apd the good or evil
which the New Year has in store for
US, in a great measure, must depend
upon our individual action.
Let us each and every one, then,
make such use of the opportunities
which the New Year will afford
MS. as that at its close all can ex-
perierce the glorious ~fullness OF the
wishes of friends made at this its
begiuning-"A Happy New Year"
- -.N -
A Good Beginning for the New
Year.
A fair, honest. just criticism OF
public men and measures is n OF
the high duties of the American
press. and is always TO be commend
ed. But when the press resorts to low,
mere partisan criticism, and in that
criticism departs from the strict line
Of truth, as such critics most always
do, the criticism p~srtakes Of the
character of Satan preaching right
eousness. The press of this country
is the great motive power of politi-
cal action, at least, and that political
action cannot be honest and pure if
the press be corfu pt-if its crit
cisms be unfaithful and unjust to
men and 1t must speak
boldly, yet honestly. of both good
and evil, let the actors therein be
either political friends or political
foes. When the party press reaches
this plane of independence then we
shall have honest officials and not be-
fore. The fountain must be made
pure before we a expect the stream
to send forth only purity.
Every paper should have q well
defined, well established code of
political principles. We don't be
lieve in this thing of neutrality in
anything. Neither do we believe in
what is termed the independent
press" We have found that these
two classes of newspapers are sus-
sceptible of sudden and radical
changes-to-day OF one side. to-
morrow on the other--indicating cor
ruption of the worst kind. These
and the purely partisan presses are
the evil of the times. Be some
thing--be Democrat or Republican,
whichever you deem best for the
good of your country and its free
institutions--but 10 either case be an
honest man, giving to friend or foe
full credit for the good or evil he
may do.
This is hut preliminary to a short
moral. The panic, the result of wild
and illegitimate speculation on the
part OF the Wall street gamblers,
and nobody else, curtailed the reve
nues of the National government to
such an extent as to make them in
adequate to meet current expenses.
Taxation had been reduced so largely
as to leave but a small margin be-
tween receipts and expenditures, and
when the panic came it changed the
excess to the wrong side. 1t served
individuals and firms in ills way, and
it was not to be expected that the
government could escape its in
fluence. These individuals and firms
were not responsible for the panic,
and the consequent curtailment of
their several incomes, any more than
the government was for the lessening
of its revenues, and its inability
thereby to meet current expenses.
Both suffered from a panic which
they could not prevent or control
And yet, in the face of these we'll
known facts aud considerations, the
Bulletin of last week occupies a COL
umn in q most bitter, partisan at
tack upon the national administra
ton because of its inability to meet
current expenses with current reye
nues; charging the administration
with having cheated aud deceived"
the people, with making "false and
fraudulent statements" in regard to
the National debt, and that now it is
compelled to acknowledge the
fraud" Before the panic the reve-.
nues exceeded the expenditures,
leaving each month small balance
to be applied to the liquidation ofthe
debt, which was done and announced;
since the panic, for two months ct
least, the expenditures have exceed
ed the receipts, thus charging the
debt, and this was likewise an
nounced, and these are the state
sneata Il we understand the scope