The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-02-29
ABSURD MENDACITY OF THE FEDERAL
TORY PRESS.


d,v with the Loco-focos. They seem to have
brought into requisition every Swiss scribbler
fo,od in the market. The whole country is
10 he flooded with misrepresentation and lies.
We should suppose the great father Of lies
himself had engaged as superintendent Of the
Iocofoco plan Of operations for the CAM
n,;cn. Never In the history Of the world has
norty press made exhibitions of such utter
generalization, corruption and prostitution.
W. are ashamed Of it. Ashamed Of being
connected with profession which is disgraced
beyoud expression, by the utter worhlessness
and reckessness Of many Of those who as
n;re 10 lead it. If such conduct is persisted
IN. or tolerated, the whole public press Of the
country will become no better than vile mass.
or ordure. It's character, respectability, and
influence, and the great object Of its establish
ment will be destroyed. II will become
vast engine of evil, exerting its power only to
poison and corrupt the public rnind, to deprase
the publlc taste, and to involve the multitude
in the mazes Of delusion and error. Instead
Of being the palladium Of liberty, il will but
aid in forging the chains Of tyranny upon tho
human ,.nd and the rights OF mankInd--n
will become the shield Of vice, the conduit
nine Of poison, and the palladium OF Satan.
We regret the course many presses have
thought fit to pursue and for the sake OF the
press, for the sake of the public, for the sake
tha nF
which is due to themselves. to the country,
and 10 Heaven, we would entreat them to
cherish some regard for honor and truth, and
keep at least within the limits Of decency and
probability.
These preliminary remarks are suggested
by the numerous ISLANDERS upon General Har-
rson which have been perpetrated in the
Baltimore Post and Republican. We are
bound to suppose that the proprietors and con-
ductors Of those journals are men, yet, we
might reasonably infer from the character Of
some Of their publications, that they are in
carnate fends. We bear them no i-will-
we do not know them personally. but, for
human natures sake, we must protest against
the manner in which they conduct political
warfare. For our part, we do not wish-we
do not intend to belle our opponents, nor to
treat them with incivility. The worst we
wish them is, that the truth may be told about
them. If we cannot conquer them with the
weapons Of argument and truth, fairly met,
we would not have victory. A triumph OBJ
tanned by falsehood, deception, and fraud is
not worth enjoying.
twas in one of the papers above alluded
to, that the sneers against Gen. Harrison's
democratic mode of life first originated, and
sneers were never more i'll directed The
editor of the Richmond Enquirer very justly
characterized their author as " simpleton, !"
and disapproved such things being said
about candidates" The same mint has re-
Gently coined still more contemplate SLAM
der. 1t imputed declarations to Gen. Har-
rison, rejecting grossly upon the Catholics,
and fabricated story about his visiting a
daughter Of one Of the Presidents of the
United States, and declaring to her the ut
most hostility to the Catholics. The Hagers-
town paper has thought proper to inquire into
the matter, and, upon the authority of the
lady referred to, denounces the imputation as
an infamous SANDER.
The same paper, we believe (the Baltimore
Republican, coined the following:
"Mr Webster, when asked in 1895 if he would be
placed on the ticket with Gen. Harrison, replied
:" cannot he gully of any that shall in the remot
cstdegce, tend to the elevation Of man 10 the Pres-
dency who is justly The scorn and rideuie Of his foes,
and the ply and contempt Of las friends"
This too, we are requested TO say, is une-
quivocally false And, although it was au-
thoratively conradicted several days ago,
The Baltimore Post, of Wednesday last, has
The eilrontery to repeat the falsehood at the
head OF its columns
The Baltimore Post has published several
articles delamatory of General Harrison. 1t
was lntimated that Gen. Armstrong might
possibly have prompted them. We are salts
ned that injustice was done him. They were
100 grossly inaccurate to be worthy Of his
mind or his pen. Stimulated, no doubt, by
Inc notorety its falsi6cations of history gain
ed, the same paper, in its publication of the
10Th inst undertakes to give twenty reasons
why Gen. Harrison cannot be elected Presi-
dent, which contain nearly twice that num-
Der OF falschoods. They seem TO be almost
exclusively the result of an effort to fabricate
nbt r 4 =. L.