Year: 1872

ley and Henry Winter Davis. Andrew
johnson was another popular man, but
he made speech on the night Of the
22d of February, 1866, and in twenty
four hours the country turned its back
upon him.


Referring to newspapers, the Nation
thus happily and truthfully lays down
that which seems to be universal law
governing them, limiting their power,
and regulating their influence


"What we have said of politicians
we believe to be substantially true of
newspapers \ newspaper may lose its
identity aud become something else
even more easily and Immediately than
a public man, But, it must be remark
ed, 1t will not be thrown overheard so
Immediately as an erring public man.
1t contains many things beside politics
business articles, agricultural articles,
articles on the fashions, stories for chill
dren. the news of all .he world. Rich
ard Golden said that, after all, the real
function OF newspaper was the furnish
ing of news; and the enterprise of
journal in obtaining fresh, aud various
information will 90 far to atone for It's
political faiings aud vagaries Then
its old subscribers know Just whore 20
look for what they want TO read they
feel entirly at home with the size and
appearance Of its page. The name goes
for great deal, and the picture under
the heading with steamboat, or
threshing machine, or a little BOY with
torch, seems just the sort of magnificent
device Il great journal should have-
Then, before a change is made, ,he wo-
men and children Of the household must
be consulted. In shor;, paper, like a
locomotive, will run good way after
the engine is reversed.


But it is 30 more in the power OF
newspaper than of public nan 10 car
ry its public suddenly round sharp cor
ners and up unknown byways. The
work of creating convictions and habits
of thought in other minds is necessarily
slow one. An able man or an able
paper may do it by the labor of long
years; but what 1t has taken years to DO
it will take years to undo. 20 attempt
to induce even the most loyal and deyot-
ed constituency to change an old politi.
cal creed or take up new political
standpoint in few weeks or few
months, is 90 undertake one of the most
difficult of tasks and yet on this task,
or something like it, two Of our great
newspapers have entered. Unless Amer.
lean society has undergone some radical
change, and human nature itself very
marked one, we can hardly doub, what
the restlt will be. The IE9rld is trying
TO persuade Democrats that Horace
Greeley is a wise and noble man, and
the Tribune is trying TO peSlade Re.
publicans that the Democratic party is
honest, upright aud thoroughly enhght.
ened organization, Both may be right
but if they succeed in persuadlng ;he
public that they are, and wholly escape
the Indignation Of their supporters, they
will fare better than any of those who
have entered on the same path hitherto.
Ii the Pope were 10 60 INTO partnership
with Garibaldi as a stock broker, and
try to convince the faithful that he was
helped in his transactions by the dog
ma of intalllbility, and that Garibaldi
was really dutiful son Of the Church,
he might possibly get a considerable
number of orders but he could not long
retain the confidence Of the faithful, nor
ever win it back :;


That which the Nation so pertinently
says of the New York World and the
New York Tribune, will equally answer
for the Tribune of Chicago. In fact,
the principles laid down are now in
course of practical application in the
case of that journal. Nor is it the first
journal in that city whose treachery 70
party was followed by not only loss of
influence, but loss of circulation and
business generally. There is no doubt
of the truth Of the Natioa's proposition
that "it is no more in the power of a
newspaper than of public man to car
ry its public suddenly round sharp cor.
ners and up unknown byways.'


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