New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-05
WENDELL PHILLIPS on THE PRESS.
NEWSPAPERS IN THE FAIRLY PART Oh The CENTURY
-rxrrST OF THEIR INFLUENCE AT PRESENT
THEIR RELATIONS To REFORMS.


THEIR RELATIONS To RrFOrMs
Wendell Phillips lcctured last evening on
"The Press-its Power for sood and Evil" TO an audi-
euce Thar filed every seat In stenway Hall. The lee
ture was the second in the conrsc " the
General Society OF Mechanics AID TrHdcsmen'
ard tho topic suggested to hr fnil-
lbs iv the society last Summer. On tue platform
Fat Pc ice Commissioner john H. V"orhs president OF
the society VINO introduced e sneaker General shaler
stot Briggs Police Commissioner French and
ex-Po;iee Commissioners Morrison, the Row Wesley H.
Davis Justice Gsdaey. Alexander Gore. II. NJ emh
aud others.
Mr. Phillips spoke fer nearly III Lour and haif and
W.. frequently pslauied lie divided biz lecture into
two parts. dwelling Irst uron what he called the om-
impotence az he prcss Hnl then referring a. consider
able length to what he regarded as ill., sN tendencies
lie ccsed with appeal for hearty. earnest, individual
the part of each c his hcafers Ills remarks
were somewhat desHltcry Hul we're cnlivrrod with apt
anecdotes Of she greas Of LstoTy aud VITA sareas
tie what seemed iTJm his p'int q" view 30
b. ;ha amlts aud oibcs Of she tines. Horace Gre'y
aud TuK TRIBUNE came IN for share 81 his "ttenton
IL Is tnx. said the spc keT after stating Tue subject
ot his lecture that this topic should occupy alter
ton hero IN this city where generally speaking 'bc
character Of tho ress ia high In city of tho world
there such noble papers 81 sae great Influence II
is here II anywhere then that one can judge or tho na-
and power OF the preas OF mDdern times. Although
eau doubt Tor moment its aluos, omnp.tence.
Upon round calculations Is estimated that lcsa than
600 900 products OF thc press ure IL ~ flung before
the eyos Of Ire world IL IL ovorestimaiing II 70
say that 25OOo0oO " people ARC daily and
hourly subjected 10 the government OF TINS
great power. when you contemplate these
figures II seems as though there was 10
limit TO the omnpcionce of tie press. The influence OF
repetition. too. hardly he ovcrestimaied Whon
YOU think that the press. with its l5ooooOo agents.
can drop an idea into the minds o: its millions of read
rrs and taat the next day it repeat this idea Illus
trae 1t with anccdpte. point 1t with sarcasm
discuss IL with logic make il ethical or ali
stract aud IN fact nut it in my form
for 800 successive days. then YOU can see how
resstless becomes this power OF iteration 1t was
Palmerston who said never dare 10 contradict
Journal For Il did II cOnli make iun OF me every
day IN the year"
The speaker then gave a rapid sketch OF the Libraries
and literature the Romans and other ancient nations
Seventy years ago. continued the was nothing
The battle of Waterloo given less than 300 words
in The London Times Nowadays a bloody street brawl
would be given a column or two by The Hc0d Laugh
teri If We back the days of the battle OF Waterloo
we tiud that The London Times contains opinions,
leading article. editorials. The journalism that is,
the currcn, press OF to-day the creation OF the
last y sixty years. remember well wnen liarri-
Vel when ,he news reached Springfield, III, ten
days afterward, AMI was announced 10 Abraham LIN
VI,
mat Ihe dn't have got there 50 soon. To-day
a may read the Queens speech at the very hour
in Geographic communication with the world; whoever
doesn't might AS well be Robinson Crnsoe upon his
island To millions the newspaper Is religion, school,
college, counsellor aud amusement.
To the infueuce OF the prcss PRIMARILY are due the
ton OF men above ,drndeery. IL is the train
Witch results in disccrnment, sasacity, ana
persistent aud uneorgnerabe effort TO suojo-
eoge OF ITS cradle. plan and takes out patent
before nine months La1ghtSI 1t the oneness OF IN
ellectuai life born OF tins tAJusand-neaded nster,
the press. that makes Us n Nation think America
hail. il not more, OF her material prosperity to
her press.
RESPONSIBILITY or THE NEWSPAPERS.
But TO whom Is the press responsbei How can IL be
arryned7 Terrible indeed would be the result II the
great journals not marshaled against each other.
Thu - tne safeguard II il possible for 1000 OF
them to agree there would be end any
thing Ike individual liberty. Progress and change
constitute the law 0; orr lives The danger OF the press
is that II Will stereotype ana mark the lines where
progress stops The press represents tho well-todo
classes. The forty editors who may get ogether ana
laud themselves represent he capitalists 0O0 900
subscribed for certain purpose. lou hesr IN the
editorial The chink OF the dollar and The crack OF
finance and politics, and ninety nne etors out Of
hundred dare say what they really think. Yet
great Is It's power that the arrest desposm in
ert IA. pres "a Invaluable SUI the press as repre-
seating the weltodo classes. which yield except
The press has DO feeling for the great masses
you'll find Tins IN. One paper thines that tramps
Them but poison the food" in. TRIBtsE says
Capital organized Let Congress defy 1t IL 1t dare
No. the nave nothing To- expect rom the news
papers. For the press Is intellectual and the uellec
tua classes the mcanest OF all Now this press
a advocate OF reform, IN its bOOkioFn OF daily Journals
u the weakest agent IN the world wcigh wei my
words. The anti-slavery movement found The guns OF
fhe press spiked. The greatest book Arm in your city-I
need not anne itdid not dare to print page mat
would give offence south OF Mason and Dlxon's line
Reform can never LOOK 10 tue chfc" 20 ne press or to
potcs-tlr three great fOrces-ior encouragement 81
iosr m aTI busnes Nor IT, says the lawyer for
should lose my practice" Nor l." says the
added the minister ioI should lose my concrcra-
ton" We have always found the press cowardly.
ireland is m s present because English onr-
nal has dared to give publicity to The injustice the Irish
typo line OF printing 10 acknowledge Lin until he
owned il.
HORACE GHEnLEY's COURSE CRITICISED.
You that for and years the press OF your
city treated the slavery question with ridicue. THE
TRIBUNE turned cold shoulder. and gave imper-
feet reports OF our meetings. The Herald gave us
truthful reports II * true they criticised US
in their editorial columns but they printed
exactly what said along side Of their editorials.
honor Mr. Greeley for his frankess hut his philosophy
of editing was most Indecent. The reckless treatment
OF Individual character which prevails to-day gInaed
with him. He SAID he dldnt undertake. 10 tell the
truth but the news and II any one thought that was
injured tine columns OF TIE TRIBUNE were open TO HIM
for any explanation hc desired WHAT cruel doctrine to
compel n who has been abused - prepare ex-
PLANTATION Tor the paper thai has abused him. with al
most "A certainty OF beng iOsued again IN the EDITORS
comments tue explanation. That the theory of
the Editor 0 The RBUNE and thlt too the prii,-
clple y The Springfield Republican, which sandcred
Benjamin. Butler.
This personality OF the press has destroyed social
machinery done away with the sacredness OF the do
circle aud uncovered roof, without giving
any commensurate return. IL Is panderlng 10 "A low,
morbid curiosity, and has sunk 10 the level scoing
and Jest All OF the great ages ana nations have teen
se,i0us and grave The men who CONQUERED
moulded and made the world were
serious people also the Scottish COyenanters
and the Pnritans The Long Parliament never knew n
Joke IL most serious, earnest impres i've body OF
To-day you know that the whole tone OF the press
testing. The police reports damniDg evidence OF
tails. Nast tOo yields 10 tue tendency OF the age
When Jonn Browns life hanging N the balance the