ord implies--upon all that goes on about
him in public life--it is his duty to hear both sides, and all sides, as
deliberately and calmly as he may, and to pronounce a judgment that, so
far as he knows, may be the judgment of posterity. [Applause.] It is
true that he has two duties. We know that it is his duty to condemn the
bad. When it is made perfectly clear that the bad man is really a bad
man, a corrupter of youth, make him drink the hemlock, expel him, punish
him, crush him. [Applause.]

But there is another duty imposed upon the American press, quite as
great. If there be a man who loves the Republic, who would work for it,
who would talk for it, who would fight for it, who would die for
it--there are millions of them, thank God!--it is the duty of the
American press to uphold him, and to praise him when the time comes, in
the proper place, on the proper occasion. [Applause.] The press is to
deal not alone in censure of the bad, but in praise of the good. I like
the phrase, "The independent press." [Applause.] I am an editor myself.
I love my calling. I think it is growing to be one of the great
professions of the day. I claim, as an editor (and that is my chief
pursuit in life), to be a gentleman also. [Applause, and cries of "Good!
Good!"] If I see or know anything to be wrong in the land, high or low,
I will say so. If it be in my own party, I will take special pains to
say so [applause]; for I suppose it to be true of both parties that we
have a very high, a very glorious, a very beautiful, a very lovable idea
of the future American Republic. [Applause.]

So I will condemn, I say, whatever may be wrong. I hold myself to be an
independent journalist. [Cries of "Good!"]

But, my friends, I hope you will excuse the phrase--I am going to follow
it by another--at the same time I do freely avow that I am a _partisan_;
for I never knew anything good, from Moses down to John Brown, that was
not carried through by partisanship. [Applause.] If you believe in
anything, say so; work for it, fight for it. There are always two sides
in the world. The good fight is always going on. The bad men are always
working; the devil is always busy. And again, on the other side you have
your high idea of whatever is beautiful and good and true in the world;
and God is always working also. The man who stands between them--who
says: "This is somewhat good, and that is somewhat good; I stand between
them"--permit me to say, is a man fo