The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1881-01-19
WHIT 1s TRUE JouRNALzs1ff-..

RnOSi VIE 49, -
of The Gallatin E:cUnlfrte7, wr1tes the
following sensible article, which SO
CORRECTLY refectsUu views that we
endorse it from beginning to end
During the recent exciting State
canvass we have met with theremark
bv q number of our contemp oraries,
that such and such papers did not
=" represent the wishes and opinions
Eof the people in whose midst 1t was
published The meaning of this in
plain English, must be that the pa
per had no head of its OWE, but
Should be a blind follower of other
peoples opinions, and was merely an
echo of somebody clse's ideas. And
this leads us to remark that the
newspaper that sets up to represent
somebody else instead of itself has
neverrisen to the true plane Of jour
nalism, and has no conception of, its
true dignity and.position. Itsvaun-
ted boast that it is free is mere bosh,
since it is really a shave to others,
without an idea of true indepen-
dence. True journalism is free and
unshackled, but it is lamentable to
have to confess that large majority
of the American press is utterly sub
servient Instead of being itself q
teacher and an educator, it blindly
follows the opinions Of others. 1t
follows party, no matter how wrong
the party may be- 1t is afraid to
differ with it, under a cowardly
dread that it may be read out of the
party. 1t never realizes that it's true
mission is to teach the party rightly
and to save it from the consequences
of its errors and blunders-to lead
and not to follow. 1t is afraid of
criticism, instead of being itself the
critic. Not that we assume that the
newspaper is ipfallible, and itself new
er errs, but it should only through
the medium of reason and argument
strive to convince its readers of the
soundness and the truth Of it's posi-
tons. If it fails to convince, it has
at least acted honestly. If its read
ers do not adopt its views, it has ac-
ted fairly towards them and done its
duty. -.l.
In the conduct of the Examiner
since its foundation, over quarter
of a century ago, we have acted up
to our own rule, and upon all public
questions have been truly indepen-
dent. In doing so we have had to
encounter abuse and obloquy, but 1t
has never deferred us from our sense
of duty. We have very often had
occasion to differ with our own par
ty, and with prominent members of
it. We do not assume that we have
at all times been right, for that is not
the lot of man, but we have always
been sincere.
The journalist that blindly follows
party will never be Of any service to
his age and time and will never make
any good impression upon it. He
owes it to his people to deal fairly by
them and to point out the right
pathway. And ifhe knowingly acts
otherwise, he is deceiving them. He
should have a mind and soul Of his
own, and be able to call it his own
This journal belongs to its Proprie-
tors, and no party has dollars in
terest in it and never had The par
ty to which it has attached itself has
no claim upon it and is not, in any
degree, responsible for it's utterances,
for they are always those of its odi-
tors 1t represents" no body else
in the world except them, and i'll
those who differ with it don't like it,
g they can lump it" as the saying is.
We think for ourselves and if that |
thinking displeases, we regret that
we cannot convince them that we
are right and they wrong, and that
is all of it. The Examiner is the
only representative" of the Eram-
ineT..