The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-04-11
LETTER FROM SENATOR BLACKBURN

LETTER FROM SENATOR BLACKBURN.
The Curse Of Il Hypocritical and Liccn-
tious Press.
To the Editor Of the N. Q. Democrat:
IN my opinion it is question which
might, with profit to tho public, be So
riously considered, whether or not the
so called freedom Of tho press in this
country is not become to be q palpable
and almost unmitigatcd curse and
unbearable nuisance, fallen as it has In
great measure under the controlling
influence Of an accursed overflow Of
human hypocrisy, and q venal and cor
rupt dupliCity and scrvility.
/ know it has been said that truth is in
no danger from error so long as reason
Is left free to combat that error, which.
in an abstract sense, may be true, but
| it is not true when and where this free
dom Of reason is left to be practically
applied by tho timo-serving hand Of
venality and an easily purchased vitu-
poration.
Free but not licentious'' was the
motto or the paper where i served my
| indent,lre at the printing art, and ]
have not forgotten 1t and never shall.
| But the newspaper press Of the present
day is not, as n general thing, controlled
| by any such sentiment or axiom, hard
| " SO in one case to the thousand.
| Tho New Orleans Times objects TO the
lick ] gave in this direction, in q recent
editorial letter to the Homer Iidd OBJ
ects alike to the thrust / gave it and to
the compliment paid tho New Orleans
| DEMOCRAT.
| was, perhaps, little too pointed in
my remarks, but if it should 50 seem to
those who were thus rebuked, | must
| plead that man had better be too
| wrong are up for discussion, and
hence / have no apology to offer.
/ have rebulled the so-called indepen-
dent press Of New Orleans, because i
think it i'm measure, timc-Serving and
hypocritical preaching what it does
not practice, and often fraterniZing with
and pandering to influences-tom men and
measures which at times it publicly
announces rs unworthy and disrcputa-
bic. ] could cite many individual and
personal exemplifications il ] chose.
And | have rebuked and denounced
the course Of the New Orleans RepubH-
ca, the able organ Of my own party
in this State because it totally fails To
lead tho way in such reforms and reno
vations OF the party rs it often publicly
announces as eminently essential to q
safe continuance Of party ascendancy,
and positively necessary to the public
welfare; and which / know the editors
and conductors of that journal not only
believe in, but actually hope and
pray for. The New Orleans RcpmbHcmt,
with smothered patriotism and an
intellect as clear rs sunbeam, floun-
ders in CALLING partisan shackles, and
panders in chained servility to an
| ignorant and corrupt ring rule in
| this State, destructive alike to the
Hence I have rebuked it, along with the
so-calIed independent press of New
Orleans-those blind rattlesnake sheets
which strike in the dark at friend and
foe alil1e-at good and evil by turn, ae
| the chances may seem tho safest or the
more profitable; and ] shall continue
so to rebuke, and shall ask no quarters
| from such sources. And though the
affections may be my strong fort, as
the Times intimates, and as, trust, is
the case, still, in the denunciation oil
| hypocrisy and falsehood, in the pending
contest in this State, or on any other
occasion, / trust | shall not DO found
begging quarters at the hands Of any
| foe, no matter what string OF the harI
may be touched whether the strain
shall call for tears or blood
| But why should / have paid the New
Orleans DEMOCRAT special compliment
in these premises and in this connec-
toni
However much it may at times err in
technical party terms, / take it to be
right and very sound in principle and
safe in the science Of government when
it utters such sentences as these, viz
eve believe that by the medium of CON
stitutiOnS the inclinatiens OF the people
should DO restrained until their reason
can have an opportunity to exercise its
influence upon them" 1--WE
believe in the largest liberty Of the in
diyidual compatible with the security of
life. property and industry" This to
me is sound and safe enough-it is the
same or kindred to the thought
expressed by Thomas Jefferson
whore he says man requires q
strong government to enable him to
govern himself properly and safely, and
whether such thought or doctrine comes
from the hand and heart of Demo
cratic or Republican editor, / indorse
and commend it to public appreciation,
for trust / am not SO great a fool, so
unjust to myself and to my race, as to
reject truth and protection, or fail to
compliment and commend the same.
come through what channel it may, or
in whatever shape. And, il this be
''flopping over" then i shall endeayor
to remain SO Hoped, but | trust I shall
never be found Hopping, long at time
at least, on the side of those who seem
to have no more fixed conception Of
safe and just government than mole
or bat has of the whereabouts and
mission Of the lost plead"
W. JASPER BLACKBURN,
Editor Homer Had.
New Orleans, April 10, 1876.