446 FARMERS' REGISTER—" FARMERS' REGISTER AND ALBANY ARGUS." 



THE ALBANY ARGUS AND THE FARMERS RE- 

 GISTER, 



From the Albany Argus. 

 Having taken some pains to recommend to the 

 notice and patronage of" our readers, Mr. Ruffin's 

 " Farmers' Register" of V irginia, we have not 

 been, we confess, altogether inattentive to its pro- 

 gress. It is due to its respectable editor and pro- 

 prietor to say, that in the character of a publica- 

 tion " devoted to the improvement of the practice, 

 and support of the interests of agriculture," it has 

 fully justified the high anticipations of its friends. 

 In this respect it is all that can be wished ; and is 

 admirable both in the matter and the manner. We 

 notice therefore with the more regret any thing in 

 relation to it that will, if persisted in, derogate not 

 only from the imi)artial and non-political charac- 

 ter of the work, but from its general circulation 

 and positive utility. Appended to the lifth num 

 ber, is the prospectus of a new political paper, to 

 be issued in the city of Richmond by the publish- 

 er of the Farmers' Register; and this prospectus 

 is not only a. political tract, in the ordinary accep- 

 tation of the word, but a gross attack ujjon the ad- 

 ministration, and particularly upon Gen. Jackson 

 and Mr. Van Buren, unwarrantable both as to the 

 manner and the facts. It will not be denied, Ave 

 presume, that the appearance of such a political 

 diatribe, or the introduction of political articles of 

 any sort, in the body of the Register, would be an 

 inexcusable departure from the alleged purposes 

 of the publication, and from the avowals of the 

 editor, expressed, or implied, at the start. We 

 certainly do not discover the difTerence between 

 the circulation of such exceptionable matter in the 

 body of the work, and in pages precisely si^nilar to 

 the body, and so directly incorporated with it as to 

 render the dividing line scarcely perceptible even 

 to practised eyes. But we prefer to adopt the lan- 

 guage, on this subject, of a correspondent, a high- 

 ly respectable and intelligent agriculturist of this 

 state, a subscriber if not a correspondent of the 

 Register, and whose attention, we believe, was 

 first directed to it in a letter from ourselves : — 

 " Let me direct you to the latter part of No. 5, for 

 proposals by Mr. R's printer, Mr. White, for pub- 

 lishing a political newspaper decidedly opposed to 

 the present administration. Mr. W. has doubt- 

 less adopted this mode to give etfect and circula- 

 tion to liis political sentiments. I cannot thnik 

 Mr. R. was apprised of what was intended to be 

 done. The publisher probably chose, on his own 

 responsibility, to turn an agricultural journal pure- 

 ly and creditably so, into a vehicle to disseminate 

 political opinions and prejudices. The plea that it 

 was added only as an advertisement, does not meet 

 the objection. The effect of it is as palpable, and 

 as mischievous, as if it had been inserted as a com- 

 munication in the body of the work. It is excep- 

 tionable in any sense." 



We have extended these remarks, because we 

 conceive the Register to be highly serviceal)le to 

 the agricultural interests of the country, and be- 

 cause we are unwilling to see its utility marred by 

 a departure from its legitimate purposes, in fur- 

 therance of any scheme of its publisher, political 

 or pecuniary. 



The kind and complimentary manner in -which tlie 

 Farmers' Register has been more llian once referred to 



by the editor of the Albany Argus, and the still more 

 marked expressions of favor from a correspondent of 

 that paper, whom we have some reason to consider as 

 the same who now joins in the censures quoted above, 

 hiduce us to offer some remarks in explanation of the 

 act thus called in question. It accords with our inclina- 

 tion no less than our duty, to hear respectfully, and to 

 profit by all friendly strictures. In this case however 

 we have not to apologize for having given just ground 

 for offence, or for a departure from the proper and pre- 

 scribed course of the Farmers' Register. 



The covers of many periodicals are used as vehicles 

 for advertisements and notices, which no one supposes' 

 to have been subjected to editorial scrutiny, or even ob- 

 servation, and which have not been considered (it is 

 presumed) by their readers, as having any relation to 

 the works to which they are thus attached. Entertain- 

 ing this view, we certainly did not expect that it would 

 be necessary to declare that the advertisements on our 

 covers form no part of the Farmers' Register, and have 

 no connexion with its contents, or its objects — and sel- 

 dom come under our view or notice, except when each 

 number is finished and sent abroad. 



When this channel for advertisements was offered to 

 the public, it was not anticipated that proposals for po- 

 litical newspapers might be required to be inserted, and 

 no general rule for tlieir exclusion was either announc- 

 ed or thought of ; and of course there existed no sufE- 

 cient reason for refusing their admission, whatever might 

 be their political or party character, unless indeed, the 

 manner of any such paper was so contrary to propriety 

 and common usage, that any other respectable adver- 

 tising print would be justified in rejecting it- It is not 

 our business or intention either to defend or condemn 

 the manner or doctrines of Mr. Wliite's prospectus. 

 With its object and purport we have no concern. It is 

 suflicicnt that it was not considered improper for inser- 

 tion in .some of the most respectable papers in Virginia, 

 and as a matter of voluntary courtesy, was published 

 in all the commercial and political prints in Richmond, 

 not excepting the Enquirer. The editors of the Enqui- 

 rer will certainly not be suspected by the Argus of be- 

 ing partial to the principles and proposed course of Mr. 

 White's intended publication — and the general decorum 

 and propriety of manner for which that paper is de- 

 servedly distinguished, is a sufficient guarantee th«t a 

 prospectus thus voluntarily published, and widely dis- 

 tributed, was not considered by the editor as contrary 

 to what had been sanctioned at least by common usage. 

 If Mr. White's prospectus, or any other offered for pub- 

 lication, had expressed opinions directly the reverse of 

 those exhibited, it would have been as freely inserted. 

 The most prominent person and the most important of 

 the opinions which it advocates, are as far from having 

 our individual approbation, as those that might be the 

 most pleasing to the Argus. In every point of view, 

 there is as little reason to make us responsible for im- 

 proper participation in the publication, as to charge the 

 editor of the Westminster Review with the puffs of 

 Warren^s Patent Blacking, which are so conspicuous on 

 the covers of the English copies of that work. 



It does not affect this statement in any way that Mr. 

 White is the publisher of the Farmers' R,egis*er, and 

 receives the sums paid for advertisements. The inser- 



