The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-07-14
THE LIBERTY OF THE PRESS.
AZ address |. Chauneey Nj Depew,
 Before ,he New York State Press Association.
ENckHse

IT,
 Exchange.
 GlN4LEMEN IL Is dit-ieul; for one more than ordinarily engrossed in basl-
 ress cares 10 secure the time 10 fairly ,rea, subject so impouan; as the llber.y ef ;he press 1; would De preslmp;uous IT a layman 10 address professionals upon this theme if its invioiaoili;y and lnvul- nerabili,y within proper limits were not more important; to the res, of the state taea 10 the editors themselves. Libraries have been filled with literature of civil and religious lioer.y, be, the record of this essential elemen; II the triumph and sna.ntalnanee of either is eoIap paEatlve.y rneagre. The 6isck. the scaftolt. and ;he stake have been illuminated and adorned by illustrlous victims. martyrs io free thought and human r.sht. bu; ;hey have been leaders n revolG.ions fo. reform n inc state and pGnnea,i on in ;he church. The heroes n the battle for the liberty 1.-the press. have TO. shed ,he.t blood. bat in the two hundred years s.nce the founding of the newspaper they have been always bravlng and suffering incar- eerstion and conhscation. The press had no part m the struggles for their rights among the peoples of antiquity or rnedi- sevAl times. bu, IT the mighty movements of the presen, and proceeding century, |: has broken the ground and prepared the way for the soldier and ,he states man.
 To prove this, we need not refer 10 the past. but to-day can ind abundan, illus uanons. In au,oora,c Russia, the NIhilist plots in the dark. the terrorist fer;iveiy hurls h,s dynamite bomb. care less and reckless oi the hundreds of inno- c.n, people killed and mann ed. II he can reach the czar and secure safety for him. self the revolut,onists meet IT seCre; IF cellars and garre;s. but ,he editor alone daily runs the risk Of rain and S,beria. The police need no, search :oS him. he Is n be found a, his desk; he knows ,ha; Inc suspension of his paper means the sudden loss of income il> suppression hopeless poverty and gradually feeling h:s say. edaca,ing the people and andef- mining the throne he dgsrr -ards ne warning. and de,les the Ccasev rcs-rie, his work when inc .iat oi sa>pcrs $. 1c has expired 10 take be.eer aid saei ground. for to scan uea :AcFe : 10 backward step. and when ihe ae. .;a0le hand of arbitrary pese. .Als and cfs>he> hin and his. the grave ct hs hopes l. another mile stone marking the progress IT the construction ot the road to ilber;y. l: Is natural process n the development q! the mind. that the consian; 4ls1 assion ef daily events a, home and abroad. with their relations to the foreign policy of the country and ,o every i1nc;ien of govern Elent. not only enlaEges and oroacens the grasp of living questions. but lnspires in the most timid of men ar unusual ln- dependence of opinion and daring ID Is expression. He canno, constantly record injustice and wrong wIthou, exposing the perpetrators. asking redress. or sug yes,ing remedy. And So under Bour- bons, Napoleons and the S;uar.s and the Georges. the press has openly led ,he Ugh; for freedom and shared in its triamphs
 The one to whom .he press is more in- deb;ed than all others Is that marvellous genius. who with rares, indifference 10 personal fame buned his personality in devotion 10 his p.lnciples. and wrote under the name of unius- In an age remarkable for its venaliiy and servility in parliament. IF politics and the press when il took little more than he whlm of minister 10 suppress a newspaper or imprison an editor. lanius suddenly ap- peared as an inspired angel of destruction and reparaiion. of plnacatlon and en- hghtment He revola,ionlzec the re- lations of the press to the government, and the people Master of all the weapons Of controversy. and with unequailed power in the gse of the English language he discussed men and affairs with the inform ation of eablnc, minister and the best statesmaEship of his time. He broke over the barriers which hedge the king and the privileges which parliament had throwh abou, itself. and gave enormous impetus to the growing idea of the re sponsibiliy of the representative to his Constituency. The paper through which he spoke remained unmoiested because kng and peer and conmoner knew tha, he had concentrated and voiced public opinion. While noe directly bearing upon that question yet the hght he shed upon the measures and motives of public men. 90 seconded the efforts of the press toPublish the proceedings of parliament, that few irfal efforts 10 resist the right ll m which Richard Brinsley Sheridan did glorious work. that most important safe guard of liberty was secured In all cocrtries which have representative government, the one thing which checks corruption and promotes patriotism, shich passes good measures and defeats bad ones, which destroys little men and ssves great men their opportunity. is that publicity of proceedings in which the newspaper possesses and exercises is greatest power. Bcs the press still had impending over , menace which impaired its independ- eace and partially paraiyzed its useful 1 ness. and that was the law oflibel. Under i