| Show washington ON THE POWER OF THE PRESS THE following letter clearly evinces appreciation 0 of f ische ahe power capable of being exerted b by me be press and of the good possible to aa accomplish com with it when rightly conducted to the committee of congress on a visit to the camp july 19 1777 gentlemen A small travel ing press to follow headquarters would ill be productive of many eminent advantages it donld enable us to give speedy and exact information of any military transactions that take place witti with proper comments upon them and thereby fr ustate the pernicious tendency of falsehood and misrepresentation which in my opinion of whatever complexion they may be are in the main detrimental to our cause if the people had a channel of intelligence that from its usual r authenticity they could look up to with confidence they might aften be breser preserved ve d from that despondency which they are apt to fall all into from the exaggerated pictures our enemies and their emissaries among us commonly draw of adamis any misfortunes we meet with and from that diffidence Dee of truths favorable to us which they must naturally feel from the frequent deceptions they are exposed to by the extravagant colorings our friends often give to our successes it would also be very useful to dispatch business in camp being the most expeditious means of taking copies of orders or other matters that require to be dispersed and we would save a good deal in ia returns and other papers we aru are often obliged to get printed in philadelphia an ingenious man to accompany this press and be employed w wholly in writing for it might render it singularly aly beneficial I 1 have the honor to be etc washington As we in this age and region have baye learned the press may be made as potent a means for misrepresenting fac faces te as for truth were ftp not that the latter is indestructible we might at times and with good reason doubt if the press does not work more harm barm than good happily bolever Lo bo wever the antl press is 7 not a fair sample of the whole it is a sort of ex cresence as it berea fungus growth upon the posterior of journalism |
