The Osceola times., 1883-03-17

but tilc allnOVdneeS ana temptations
of the average newspaper man are all
that Mr.. Adams were not No person
understands this betterfthan the poll
tician. Journalism IS inseparable from
politics. And it is at this point that the
politician steps in, and the newspaper
loses its impersonal character and be-
sheet. Years have passed, aud the pub
lisher's ship has not come in. But the
politician comes, and Satan comes also.
He has been TO the sanctum before, per-
haps, only 10 meet with rcpulsc. Again
the tempter whispers and finds listen
or. "Fall down and worship me-" says
this satan. "and all these things which
show thee shall be thine postofiices,
postal clerkships, collectorships, deputy
marshalships, all, all arc thine"
This is the beginning of
POLITICAL JOURNALISM.
1t i not necessary that the newspaper
shout be non-political. As every man
. sense, so should every secular newspa-
per discuss political methods mea
and principle. The newspaper should
be political with blt one inspiration to
guide its course-the p bic good. Left
to himself the journalists intentions are
good, his judgment certainly not always
bad. Yet no one knows 50 well how a
newspaper should be conducted as he
who knows nothing about it, bat has an
AK to Crinl Men Of this class frequent
ly drift into The profession, and almost
invariably the newspaper and the public
are the sufferers. Chief among these are
the lawyers. And this serves as a re.
minder that the last address delivered
before this association contained reply
to some structures upon the press by
distinguished jurist Of the state. The re-
ply cited the responsibility Of the bar
for the creation Of "thc giant Of corpora
tive monopoly" which towers above and
overshadows every other interest in this
country; more to be feared than an
army with banners; Goliath whose
locks are moist with sweat not his own,
but wrung from the tillcr in the field,
the mechanic ut the bench, the merchant
at his counter, and-shall it be said-the
editor at his desk Is there a David
among US? Let the lawyer make reply.
In that address the reference to the
bar could have been extended to an in
definite length. Who is the politician
Who lays the pipes and pulls the wires
Who fills our legislatures and congress-
es? Who packs the lobbies Of each of
these in the interest Of corporations
Who tampers with witnesses and jury
men2 And to bring the matter directly
home, who first holds out the bribe TO
the journalist? Must You know? 1t is
the lawyer politician. If we have sinncd,
he it is who first taught us how to sin.
Not that the bar lacks honor and dignity,
nor that the law is not the keystone Of
all government. The lawyer in politics
is not the law, although he may have
Brought shame and sorrow upon the
head .fthat venerable sire.
To the politician, whether lawyer or
what not, the journalist should ever say,
"hands ofP' The legitimate field of the
newspaper lies in the discussion of prin-
ciples, not persons; of measures, not
men. The tendency is quite the reverse
and if the newspaper possesses less of in
fluence now than in that generation
when its word was supposed to contain
"all the law and the gospel" then it
may not be necessary to seek further for
cause.
Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac be-
gat Esau, and Esau sold his birthright
for mess of pottage As Abraham be-
cat Isaac, so has the first phase here
named begotten the second--political
journalism; and to sum it up, our jour
nalistic san Ehas sold his birthplace TO
the politician for very intangible mess
of something without name. The pol
itIcian takes the pot" and it is doubtful
whether our Esau has even so much as
the mess of pottage. Esau begat several
sons but the political in journalism
has bcgotten only one, and its features
are so repulsive that care should be
taken to prevent a further increase in
the family.
This child is
POLITICAL JOURNALISM.
The old books tell of a certain philoso-
pher whose wants were attended to by
Spirit, or Familiar. Grimly and silently
ii answered every summons, and was in
every respect a most valuable valet de
chambre, if a pscudonym SO light and
Frenchy may be applied to an inhabitant
Of the unseen. On a certain occasion
during the philosophers absence SER
want of the household ddnned his mas
tors habilimcnts, occupied the masters
study, and perpetrated FOOLS folly by
masquerading for the time as the philos
opher The first act was To summon the
Familiar. II stood before him. What
was his wish? "Waterp Vanishing, in
an instant the Familiar returned with
two vessels of water, which were emptied
into the apartment Again and again