The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-02-14
MODEST FABRICATIONs.

In discovering motives, whose existence is not
| obvious to ordinary observation. Fiction seems
| to peryade almost every department Of compo-
| sition. This is bad enough but il becomes
| worse, when the affairs of private life, when
the intercourse of the social circle, ruthlessy
dragged into publicity. Even the truth, dissem-
mated through the public press, of private rela-
lions and private converse, is degrading and
criminal in the writer and publisher But the
criminality of the transgression is reduplicated,
when the baseness of fasehood is superadded
To the degradation of scattering TO the public,
through the press, the language lightly and has
tiIy uttered in the confidence Of private corver-
sation. We care not who commits the crime,
or the motives for its commission no argument
in our opinion can furnish any pallialion for it.
Our remarks are intended to apply, not only to
the acts and language Of men completely Sc
cluded in the retirement of private life, but to
the private language and conduct of men en-
poyed in the service of the people. After the
hours devoted to the interests of the country,
they assuredly merit the privilege of relaxation,
in the bosom Of their families and reputed
friends, without the anxiety that every word
carelessly uttered finds ready listener to take
it up and publish it to the world as the dictate
of careful thought and the expression Of matured
opinion.
The innocence of social enjoyment is privi-
lege which every man is entitled 10 claim, whe-
Their he is private citizen or public servant.
But the public man is entitled TO another right
that his acts should not be misrepresented nor
his motives perverted by mere conjecture. His
best reward is the proper appreciation Of his
conduct by those who have delegated authority
to him. Yet as long as morbid rrurience for
writing and speaking-whether or not there be
materials for the speech or the essay, we must
not be surprised that privacy. is invaded, and
the motives of public acts distorted. Samples
of misconduct in both these respects have just
reached us, and have produced these observa
tons.
Mr. Dickens states in letter that an article
in Massachusetts paper gives many incidents
in his life, and IN that of his lady, of which he
never before had any knowledge. He has OBJ
tanned celebrity as a writer; but that fact does
not warrant any one to pry into all his acts and
language, and publish the knowledge obtained,
by caves dropping. The criminality is greater
when the publication is disgraced by falsehood-
The writer who has called out the letter of
Dickens, perverted facts-another in the n Y.
American exhibits his astuteness in fathoming
motives and tracing secret manGuvres. He
gives the followin account Of the elaborate
schemng which terminated in the appointment
of Judge Bradford to fill the vacancy caused by
the death ofJudgs Hopknson
"The nomination of Mr. Binney to the vacant Dis
trct Judgeship in Pennsylvania was mere humbug
"a device to gain time. Thomas Bradford and
Samuel Rush, two eX-Whigs, came on here in the
meantime to beg the Office, furnishing the most cor
dial assurances Of their devoted Tylersm. The Pre-
sident sent them home to show their faith by their
GO works and commit some overt act'' of reache-
ry as proof of their Tylerism. Between them and
Tyson, the famous Tyler meeting then got up
Bradford presided, and Rush introduced the laudato-
ny resolutions They then started fair in the race
for the Judgeshp. Bradford came out ahead, having
the advantage in his great bottom; and his name is
already sent into the Senate for confirmation. What
is the use of Wing Senate if such shameless po-
cal prostitution is to be thus rewarded by invading
the sanctity of the Judiciary There is want of
able and unexceptionable men for the Office John
M. Scott ond William Rawle, both profound lawyers,
dignited and urbane gentlemen, and pure Wings,
have already been named by the public voice. A
decent locofoco would be much preferred to either
Bradford Rush.
The writer OF the above paragraph exhibits
peculiar modesty. A shameless political prosti-
tuition is sanctioned by majority of the Senate,
because it did not reject the nominee of the
President, that the prerogative Of the nomina-
ton might be transferred to him. He is more
over singularly shrewd Where did he learn
that the nomination Of Mr.. Binney was mere
humbug-and what time was wanted, so as to
render device necessary TO gain it. BY what
honorable means could he have learned the
history Of what passed between the President,
Mr. Rush and Mr.. Bradford-had any thing of
the kind taken place. A decent locofoco would
have been preferred to Bradford or Rush. Pre-
ferred by whom?
The authority of the Pennsylvania we con-
slider far better than that Of the modest friend
of the American 1t is better echo of public
opinion in Philadelphia than the modest gentle
man residing in Washington. From it we learn
that,
The appointment of Thowas Bradford Esq, as
Judge of the District Court Of the United States in
the place of the Hon. 10 eph Hopknson, deceased,
appears to be well received and to give much satisac
ton. MIR. Bradford has been long and favorably
known tothe Philadelphia public, and will no doubt
fill heimportant station to which he has been appoint
ed with credit to himself and with advantage to the
community.
A HINT TO EDITORS
Nearly one half Of the country papers received at
this office have the county town in which they are
printed on them, but not the State A person wishing
to subscribe or correspond with the editors knows
not how to address them.