New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-04-11
THE UNBRTDLED PRESS.


It is understood that if there is one thing
in the world which Gen. Grant hates with all
his might it is a newspaper. Since he settled
himself in the White House he has neglected
no opportunity to manifest his antipathy to
journalists, irrespective of their character or
their politics, and his intense dislike OF an
agency which with all its faults is still the
best organ of the opinion of the country. lie
has not confined the expression of his feeling
to personal intercourse, but has vented 1t IN
his messages to Congress. lie has not
Disseminated between the reputable men,
bers of a useful profession and the
guerrillas and yagabOnds who hang upon
the skirts of the press, as they do upon
other callings; but he has embraced
in his comprehensive adherence the high and
the low, the educated and well bred writer
who discusses public affairs with the learning
of a statesman and the decOrum of a gentle
man, and the newspaper chifioner who picks
I'D a dirty living by collecting the gossip and
scandal of the streets Nor is the President
alone in this. Gen. Babcock is said to have
an equally bad opinion of journalism. IL was
his custom to cut out of the papers all the in
sulting and unjust illusions to Gen. Grant that
he could fnd and lay them on the Presidents
table. He read the papers for his chief,
and read only what would irritate him. Mr..
SHEPHERD hates newspapers. Mr.. Harrington
hates them. MIR. Conlsling hates them. Mr..
Harlan hates them. When the frauds of the
District Ring were under investigation in 1874
threats were made to drive certain correspond
ents out Of Washington. "Tbey have had
- too much swing" said the Shepherd gang /;
and we know of one or two cases in which
the wife of an obnoxious journalist was per-
sonally menaced with slanderous attack
OF corxse the Administration gave the cue
to its supporters, and it became the fashion IN
that faction few years ago to dcnouncc the
press as a public evil, and attribute every blot
upon the character of man in Office to the
malice or the recklcssncss of venal and unscri-
pulous editors. One might have imagined, to
hear the speeches of statesmen OF this class IN
Congress, or to read the articles prepared
for party organs by the bureau for
the manufacture of political sentiment,
over which Private Secretary Douglass and
Postmaster Edmunds presided in Washington,
that nothing remained to insure the perpetual
prosperity and happiness of the country except
the determination of most of its newspapers.
The gag-law was passed under the impulse OF
this demonstration. For year or 40 it was
the habit even of great many tolerably
honest, well -meaning, narrow minded partlsans,
to dcnOunce the press as n necessary evil OF Il
free country and to regret that censorship
could not be made consistent with our rcpub-
lcan institutions. 1t was natural. when it was
considered high treason for Senator to have
a mind of his own, that it should also he de-
clared disgraceful for a newspaper to tell the
truth.
But to-day the situation is changed. Even
| Gen. Grant, they tell us, is getting his eyes
| open. People are beginning to remember that
| almost all the crimes which have recently
shocked the country were first discovered by
the newspapers The District frauds, the safe
conspiracy, the Belknap bribery, the Indian
Ring swindlcs. the Credit Mobilier opera
tons. the SanbOn scandals, the operations
of Gen. Schcnck, were all brought to
light by the press. But for the press,
Shepherd might still be piling up wealth
in Washington and tho taxpayers gong to
ruin, JAYNE still mulcting the merchants San
born taking toll on the revenue, DelanO pre-
siding over beef contracts; Columbus Alexan-
der might be in Jail, and Gen. Babcock, COW
cred with military coat Of whitewash, open
ing letters in the Presidents ante-rOom. The
truth is, when the Legislative and Executive
departments of the Government ceased to
watch over the purity of the public service
the detective press" was forced, as the
only guardian of the peoples interests
to take up the duty which they neg
| lectcd And il i'm the discharge OF
these unpleasant functions it has run some
times to extremes, has been violent, abusive,
vulgar, too ready to exaggerate and suspect
these are excuses into which the outrageous
effrontery of the thieves it was attacking
could hardly fail TO drive it. At any rate the
country perceives that it has done an essential
service, and has ruined nobody who did not
richly deserve his fate. We venture to pre-
dict that for the next year railing at the un-
brided press will not be in vogue.