Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-07-17
The Patrons and the Press.

No great enterprise is protected or
carried on, nowadays, without the
help Of the press. The public orator
reaches but his immediate hearers, 4
few hundreds at most; the lstter-uriter
only his single correspondents; but the
editor at his table speaks to thousands
and tens of thousands. The number
OF newspapers published is almost be-
yond count; every little village has
one or more Of them to represent its
opinions and protect its interests. and
the cities are full of great newspaper
Offices. The capital invested, the talent
employed, the hard work demanded,
are scarcely equalled In any other in
dustry, and the influence exerted is
approached by no other agency. The
pulpit, the bar, the rostrun, the legis-
latiye hall, each acknowledges its
aid. The arts and the sciences find
their best expounder in the million
tongued press, and their new aud yalu-
able discoveries fall still-born without
its aid. 1t throws its light into the
dark places, and corruption dissipates
like mists before the rising sun. It
brightens all that is pure with its ben
e6cent rays and scorehes up the vile
and the noisoms with its terrible heat.
Good men acknowledge it, power aud
thank Goa for its assistance in ali
their labors; while bad men shrink
from its withering exposure.
Among other reformatory movements
following the war, and begotten alike
Of the new life that grew out OF the
war and the corruptions fostered by
it, Is that of the farmers. It took
shape as a secret organization, and has
gained enormous proportions.
So much conceded, we have now
to ask what help the farmers can get
from the press, and what harm they
have to fear from it. The press, like
the preachers, the lawyers and the
legislators, is not always judicial in its
utterances; more often, indeed, it is
an advocate for one side or the other,
and as an advocate it labors to estab-
lish its case. 1t praises the good of
its own side, and us particularly happy
when it fn1s some weakness or fault
in its opponent. The farmers have
enemies, plenty of them, able, active,
determined, supported by entrencbed
and skilled power, and backed By IN
told wealth. Those enemies will fight;
they are now fighting desperately
against US. They are using all the arts
of partisan warfare; they are striving
to SOW dissension among our forces,
and they are massing their own for an
attack on us. They are finding that
the Patrons are not holiday gather
ing of good natured rusties, and that
their demonstration is something last
ing, that does not exhaust itself in
senseless hurrahing, nor in futile
grnmbling; aud having learned this,
they are planning q campaign that
does not consist wholly of ridiclle,
but means hard work for them, and, if
we survive it, hard work for US. too.
Among the strongest of the weapons
to be used against US is the press, and
the only means of defense for Us also
the press. Do the farmers understand
this, and if they understand il, will
they use it? There are now some
twenty papers in the United States
devoted exclusively, or principally, to
the interests Of the Patrons move
ment, and most of the abler agrieul-
tural papers have also given part of
their space and their active support
thereto. The Grange papers. while so
few in number, are all young, too, and
most of them, ike the Helper, quite
small /; but they all show the elements
of growth and take hold Of their work
with heartiness and determination
which betokens speedy enlargement
for themselves! both of space and
of influence. They are all worthy Of
the encouragement of the Order; they
are all doing it good service. they are
al settling down to business in way
that betokens disposition to do hard
work in our good cause.
The question comes up now. viii the
Patrons support them, and viii they
read them? They must take the fore
front in the fight, viii the Patrons
back them up2 II costs a great deal
Of money to run great newspapers.
De the Patrons want exp0nents and
advocates as able, as skillful, as strong.
as those their opponents will e1nplOy2
Patrons Helper.