Year: 1879

In long article on the Democrats and the
Press discussing the relative standing of Re-
publican and Democrat papers the New York
Nation says:


The very nature of its composition has al
ways made the Democratic party more OF an
army than the Republican-thati is, put 1t more
completely in the hands of few leaders, and
made them prone to rely on secret manage
ment and ON discipline rather than on any
process of persuasion. The result has been
that they have either despised the press, or,
where they have used it, have attached no val
ue to it, unless as ''an organ"-that is, as an
unscrupuous partisan whose opinions on every
subject could be foretold, and whose reports
were always colored. The Republicans, OF
course, have organs too, but they have never
approached those of the Democrats in servility
and effrontery and have never so openly re-
vealed the personal indifference of the writers
to the subjects they discussed. There are, OF
course Democratic papers which cannot be put
in this category, but, as rule, the press OF the
party has for generation given but little sign
of having theory of government behind IL,
and of being conducted by men who were
preaching what they believed. An organ, 1t ls
true, may be edited and made effective by men
who do not care, but such orgapship requires
extraordinary skill and tact In nothing is It
more true that "art consists in conceallng ART
The really powerful organ is always one which
does not reveal its organship, and which gives
advocacy an air of craftsmanship. The Dem
ocrats haze nothing of the kind, and to this
hour the idea of their chiefs, if called on 10
strengthen themselves in the press, Is 10 put
up large sum of money, and get corps OF
what are called 'slang-whangers" to revile the
Republicans editorially, and spread stories
abeut them in the reports and correspondence.
Tilden's Literary Bureau" was one OF these
efforts in peculiarly crude and barbarous
form.


Against such efforts the Republican press, as
at present constituted, has no difficulty IN pro-
tecting itself and its clients. 1t overwhelms
the Democrats in every field OF Journalistic
activity. 1t supplies better and fuller news
from all parts of the world. comments ON 1t
with greater knowledge and greater literary
skill: invents or spreads more plausible or
probable "stories;" has tenfold greater power
of ridicule; and has now very large capltal
invested in journalism by men who are simply
journalists The Democratic press too, COM
mts in a far greater degree than the KepuDn-
can press the mistake of trying to strengthen
itself by working down to the ignorance OF the
most ignorant and the folly of the most foolish
A newspaper often makes great commerclaI
success by this process, but it never helps 10
build up party or restore 1t to power. Inc
rising and growing forces of the world are,
after all, knowledge and good sense. A con-
stituency Of ignorant men is always an uhsteaoy
one, because some of them are always learning,
and the rest are daily substituting one foolisn-
ness for another, so that anybody who under
takes to crafty them by printing their nom
sense can never acquire the weight which wins
for party the confidence OF a nation.


The Democrats, too, make the mistake OF
not recognizing the change which has come
over the world within fifty years in the matter
of the relations of persons to property. When
Jefferson began to preach the dignity and
worth of the naked penniless man, and FRANK
lin told the story of the man who lost his vote
by the death of his ass, there was but little
property in the world and that little was at
tainable by only small number Within the
present century its forms have been wonder
fully diversified its transfer has been immense
ly simplified, and share in it has been made
accessible to almost everybody in sound heahn
and of good character, Savings-banks, JOINT
stock companies, and cooperative stores nave
come into existence since then. Steam mas
thrown open vast continents to small farmers,
without subjecting them to the old pans ana
hardships of exile Although great deal Oh
poverty still exists hopeless poverty is Deing
greatly and steadily diminished in every coun-
fry. So that it may be said that the laboring
man is gradually ceasng to be4n this country
a force separate and distinct from its wealth
and investments. Tariffs, and banks, and nav
igation laws and currency have become OF as
much interest to him as to the great capitalists,
because he too is q capitalist and is as anxious
about his hundred dollars as the money
king" about his million, and knows that us
safety rests on the same conditions. he needs
the same kind of money as the banker, no
better and no worse. Any party, therefore,
which attempts to concoet or advocate polltl-
cal economy for his special benefit or use, or
pretends that his interests are hostile to those
OF his fellows who are more prudent or frugal
or have a quicker eye for investments, or III
any Way treats ais poverty as a permanent con-
dition. is sure to 90 to the wall, for it has all
the forces of civilization fighting against it.