The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1883-02-23
DECENT souasAIlsM.

liberal support which is now extended
to the newspapers and periodicals Of the
day, IN all civilized lands, and especially
IN the United States, by those over
whom this influence il extended. Oft
times do we see the public sense sharp
ened and aroused to earnest, timely
of important public qaes-
tions by the press, when, had it remain
ed silent, such questions would have
remained dormant. Journalism is not
what il was in former days. 1t has
more than kept pace with the spirit OF
progress and enterprise that has perme-
ated the civilized world during the last
hundred years. Formerly newspaper
was designed to be, and was, what its
name implies, merely a means of con-
veying news from one to many. But
in the progress of the times 1t has
grown to be meulder Of public opin-
ion, a great aad powerful schoolmaster
of the people, promoter of public en-
terprise, an engine of political power,
besides being universal disseminator
of knowledge. The germ of the news
paper had its origin in the desire which,
man in his early history, had, to COM
municato the same fact to a number of
persons. This gave tise to the custom
Of "posting notices" rs it grew to be a
very tedious matter TO communicate all
thoughts and facts to the people by
"word of mouth" after man began to
multiply and replenish the earth. !"
Then came the small, imperfect news
paper that was given to the public at
irregular intervals. And as the desire
and thirst for news Increased, new and
better facilities were invented and
brought into use for more promptly
and fully supplying this demand. Then
came the newspaper at regular later
walls, monthly, then weekly, and finally
daily. No other profession has made
s1ch rapid and wonderful progress as
that of catering to the varied tastes OF
the reading public. The moral cast and
features of Journalism, of late years,
have made rapid strides in improvement.
The bitter and unrelenting warfare OF
words that, in former years, used to
characterize all political journals, il
their department towards each other, is
now vanished by the unwritten laws Of
decent journalism, from the columns Of
public journals. Yet there are except
ions to the rule. There are those, who,
unfortunately, have charge Of so-called
newspapers who, being wrecks of the
past, still ill their columns with the
poisonous billingsgate aud abuse OF fifty
years ago. They will not concede 20 m
opponent the liberty TO express fairly
and decentIy an opinion, or promulgate
doctrine In conflict with their own.
Aad if some journalist should wander
across the path of these self.constituted
censors of public opinion by expressing
his views plainly, dscsntly, but fearless
ly, that journalist will Gnd himself
Immediately under the ban of these
"wrecks of the past" He will soon be
informed that he is ignorant" /" stupid,
"dishonest" ETC., etc, and tha. his thus
expressing his opinions will no longer
be federated. We say, that notwith-
standing the fact that the press is q
power for good, simply because its own
conduct has been generally good and
eleyating ia its tone, yet there are a
few-thanks to the good sense and
discriminating Judgment of the reading
public, hut few, who are the disgrunt
led remains of past vicious Journalism,
who still live in the dim light of the
past, who have no conceptions Of the
moral enervation infused into the journ-
alism of to-day by the MONDAY sun
shine cleaning from the new life in
which we now live. They have no adj
yanced ideas on any subject. Week in
and week out, they produce and repro
duce their hackneyed sayings and ill
defined opinions for the edifcation of
readers who should have lived a hum
dred years ago, until these sclf-same
readers "stop my paper" or die intellect
ualIy. Bat we have no words of re-
proach for these 's recks of the past.
They serve a good purpose. BY the use
of them we are enabled to compare the
newspaper of half a century ago with
the newspaper Of to-day. And how
sharply-Gefined is that contrast, indeed
OF course tie mission of this "wreck"
is very subordinate one, aye, it is a
meniaI one. But it is one very relig
iously performed by these antedilusian
"wrecks" of former ages.
CONE TO STAY