The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-01-22
Tuesday. January "a. 1873
Pnhlic Opinion.

eyes are IUTDeu, WIN 10 INV holnAhoA IA ~"
the real head of the party which placed
him in power, should have keen and
sensitive ear to the voice of the people, and
an almost unerring tact in distinguishing
the language of the real leaders and movers
from that Of mere noisy and unimportant
decaimers Many, even occupying ex'
allied positions, are never able to acquire
this indispensable art, this peculiar tact OF
distinguishing true public opinion from the
false. In truth it is not easy to acquire 1t,
or to say how it is acquired; 1t IS, so to
speak, an instinct rather than an acquire
ment. Those who are not of the people
in their sentiments aud feelings, who do
not miugle much with all classes and con-
ditions of men, or do not sympathize with
the masses in their,feelings, seldom possess
it to any large and beneficial extent.
Public opinion expresses itself in many
ways; its various organs hold fuctuating
language, and give forth conflicting ora
cles-the powerful classes are often silent,
the uninauential classes are generally
clamorous. If novel and important meas
ures are proposed, those who concur are
commonly satisfied with a quiet and
stately nod of appreciation; those who object
are loud and vehement in their opposition.
How, amidst these contradictory perplexi
ties, is the Executive to as certain the'senti-
ments of the intelligent and effective portion
of the Nation. If he goes to the House of
Representatives, though only recently cho-
senSand fresh from the people of their re-
spective congressional districts, he cannot
overlook the fact that they represent only
the feelings of their party constituents, or
more probably of few district leaders and
a party convention, and that the unrepre-
scented, or the unequally represented and
oppositioniportion of the community, form
a most essential element in the popular
opinion. At best the members of the House
cannot be relied on to speak more than the
sentiments Of their districts at the time Of
their election; and they, like the President
himself, are students of the same problems,
puzzled with the same clamors, and sequal
ly on the lookout to catch the voice Of
their constituents at home. Occasionally
and upon great and absorbing questions o.
legislation, congress is flooded with mons
ter petitions, resolutions Of mass meetings
the expression of opinion by bankers, clear
ing houses, or mercantile classes, as is the
case at present in regard to the so called
Bland silver bill; but then every intelhgen
man knows that looking to these things is
inquiring in Imost deceptive quarter
every body knows how even monster, pc
titions can be got up" AS to public
meetings, supposed to be held among the
people themselves and for the purpose o
obtaining an expression directly from them
no one can fail to be aware that thei
importance and significance depend en-
tirely on the character and position of tn
people who take part in them; that Their
are meetings of many thousands 10 tn
open air, which it would be folly to liste
to, aud mere weakness to respect; an
meetings of few scores lin some fa
away hall" indicative Of an influence an
Of sentiments which it would be fat
mistake to disregard. Neither is IL
Press an Invaluable index--especial
partizan press-at best it only resresents
partizan view and without reference to tt
character or intelligence of any particul
class OF readers-how is anyone to kno
among what class of readers each new
paper circulates? And how can it
known whether Gauy of the press a
really expressing the sentiments of the
readers or merely seeking to lead them up
the opinion which the press may advocat
Take for instance the silver question, {
expression of the metropolitan press
the seaboard cities is widely different fro
that of the greater west of t
Alleghenies, are the former or the latter 4
true expUnents of real public opinion,
both, or may not there be a vast amou
of private malignity and idiosyncrat
crotchets in the utterances of each. n
IS Is possible to tell how many of the rea
ers OF the self-styled organs read the
columns with disgust and disagreement
and how many with acquesence al
credulity. When the press is not unal
nous, or nearly so-when it is widely
vlded IN its judgments, as is almost CO
stantly the case-how is the inquirer
apportion to each organ its actual infuenc
or the number and weight of its reader
80 as to gather from the whole somethil
like an accurate estimate of the nation
expression.
The difficulties alluded to are easily see
and by all candid minds as readily co
fessed. Few of our public men can
said to really lead or initiate public opinio
And when we reflect how much and h,
frequently the political action of the cou
try changes, how true it is that both t
president and congress are Influenced
and subject to merely embodying and {
ecuting the supposed national will as ma
up by independent thinkers and associat
bodies who have gradually moulded a
made public opinion, it may we'll be uu
toned whether the statesman who svm,
thizes and adopts, is not more needed
the executive chair in the present tin
than Qua who initiates-who claims
originate, or who has policy" to VIII
he bIiDdly aud persistently adheres. [
better that the president be not obstins
" welded to any views or onininns-rnt