The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-10-05

Party Is the palladium OF the press. The
press owes more to party for it, freedom OF
discussion and exemption from political prose
cutions than TO any other cause. Party is Il
the press what the statue of the goddess OF
| Pallas was TO ancient Troy. While the statue
was preserved the safety OF the city was as
sured while politicians are divided into parties
freedom of the press is secure. Party il the
palladium OF their liberty and the shield which
saves them from suppression by the potentates
IN office, who always imagine themselves the
| Lord apointed, and can brook no criticism OF
| animadversions at the hands Of newspapers
but strike them down upon the slightest provo.
cation IL not prevented. Talk Of the odiun
heoiogic'na, but it is grace itself compared with
| the OdilDn politician OF those in power toward
the freedom of the press when unrestrained by
the strength Of an opposing party. In coun-
| tries where men are not organized into consti-
tutional parties with parliamentary government
the press makes but little progress. and exists
on sufferance rather than by right. It's voice
in such countries is but faint and feeble, and il
has no grounds for calling itself the "fourth
estate or any other estate. for that matter.
| From the year 100 until 1880 the Tory party
of Great Britain bore nearly absolute sway. II
was the party of Church and State. reaction
and despotism but the Wing party, though in
hopeless minority nearly all that time, kept
the lamp Of freedom and progress burning,
and defended and protected its own party
newspapers to the extent Of its power
and influence. Whatever Roadway the English
| press made during that century and third
must be mainly attributed to the support and
protection extended by the Wing party. With
out that protection the freedom of the press,
small as II was, could not have been obtained,
and If obtained by any means would have been
| quickly and savagely torn from il and trampled
under foot by the monarch and his minions A
little more than 100 years ago Wilkes, IN his
North Britain, made heroic and conspicu-
GUS fight for the right of discussion and oriti-
| clsm OF the measures and acts of politicians in
power. He was made to suffer severely there
| for in person and pocket and would have been
| destroyed but for the support of the Wing
| party. The incisive contributions of the elo-
quent Burke to the Englishmd1 and the i'm
mortal "Junius letters to the Public AdUer-
| hSer, both at the time that Wilkes was hurting
his thunderhots at the corruptions of the Gov
| eminent, gave freedom of the press in Great
Britain, mighty impulse which has never been
| lost, but, without party protection, neither
| Wilkes Burke nor Junius could have written
| and published in the press more than one arti-
| Gle each before they would have been extin-
| gulshed. The press of Great Britain is now in
the enjoyment of as much freedom as that of
the United States, although they use it more
moderately and decently, and less licentiously
and recklessly than is the case i'll this country.
The degree of liberty enjoyed in France and
Germany by the press for 100 wears past has
! of parties and administrations. Since the
| adopi,G2 Of manhood suffrage and parliament
airy government in Germany few years since,
the press has been unshackled, censorship in a
great measure removed, fines and imprison-
ments reduced and freedom of criticism i'm
mensely enlarged. These ameliorations are
due to the intervention of the party of progress
and the establishment Of constitutional govern
ment.
| In France the press is choked down one day
and runs riot the next, because the politicians
| fly to extremes. In a country which is one day
| a military despotism. the next chaotic COM
mune, the third counterfeit republic, and the
fourth an Uliramontane reaction, the condition
of the press must be equally uncertain and
chaDgesble, and such is the fact. There has
never been freedom of the press in France, as
We understand the term, and never can be I'M
| Ill the country is ruled, in turn, by well-bal-
anced parties through the forms of pariia-
mentary government. Men in power by coup
d'etats are no friends of the press, and do not
! patroniZe free criticism of their measures and
actions.
III this country the freedom of the press was
secured at an early day to degree unknown
i'll England until very recently, and since the
| independence of the nation the business of the
press has never been hampered and crippled
by stamp-taxes on circulation and excise-taxes
! on advertisements, as III Great Britain, or
license-permits and cauton-money, as in
France and Germany. l except Of course, the
special taxes during the great civil war, which
were levied on all classes.
Since newspapers have become of universal
circulation, and consequently are the chief me-
dunn for the dissemination of intelligence and
ideas, higher standard of editorship is re-
quired. An instructor must understand his
subject critic must be able to criticise and
do 1t successfully and an editor must be able
to cope with the strongest of his correspond
ents on matters with which they are familiar,
and upon all general topics Effrontery of as
sertion Will not hide poverty of information
vituperation will not be accepted as q substi-
tute for argument defamation of rival editors
may crafty vindictive feelings but the better
class OF readers are neither edined nor amused
thereat. In the survival of the fttest the fish
market style will not secure perpetual exist
ence. Editors who are well stocked with facts
and useful information have little need of fill.
ing their columns with coarse abuse of Their
opponents, which, when much INDUCED in, is
sure sign OF feebenesS OF idea and paucity
of knowledge. Men will exhibit anger at times
in any calling but continual indulgence il
slang-whang personalities is destructive OF
popular respect, and is injurious both to the
business and reputation of the editor who
practices it. With the increase of power there
should be an increase of dignity in the conduct
of the press.
The growth of the press in power and infu.
ence during the last twenty-five years in this
country has excited the apprehensions of some
classes, or rather persons of classes. Many
politicians office-holders, and office-seekers de
clare that it is becoming dictatorial and over
bearing, and is welding dangerous influence
among the people. This feeling is inspired by
jealousy and resentment. The press interferel
with states, and programmes, and selfish aim
and aspirations, and hence these tears anC
fears. But there is no ground for the belief
that the interests Of the people will ever b,
harmed by any influence the press may acquire
for the sufficient reason that the press is never
united in behalf OF any disputed question
With the press there are always two sides Il
every proposition, and every cause has its ad
vocates and opponents among the newspapers
Upon all political, social and economical ques
tions they are divided, precisely as the com
munity Is divided. Every party, faction. or ism
has newspapers to champion its cause. In thi
inevitable and perpetual difference among tn,
newspapers lies the safety of the public from
undue or injurious journalistic influence. Tn,
press is vastly more in danger Of weakening Of
losing its hold on public confidence by commit
ting excesses and follies, and pandering, a
some Of them do, to licentious elements. thar
any combination of the newspapers aeains
them. Let il be the ambition of every edito
to contribute toward elevating the tone an,
standard OF journalism to make the profes
sion more honorable as well as useful TO sery
he people better to combat prohigacy an,
corruption more reentlessy and TO do thei