The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-08-11
DOGMATISM.


From the Boston Post
When party newspaper, by many years Of cor
rect and proper course and by ast regard for the
rights and opinions of its contemporaries, has,
through their kindness and notice, acquired an inhu
ence as leading Journal in the party, and been
favored with party patronage that has given 1t
wealth, the editor, whose position and advantages
rather than any superiority in himself have gwen him
Ibis lead national party organ, apt to attribute
his success TO himself and begin to put ON airs to-
wards other presses of the same party. Because
they followed his lead SO long he followed the
party and forgot himself in his advocacy of princ
pies rather than men, he begins to fancy that ne can
make them follow wherever he chooses to lead and
then breaks out in his columns this disease OF pol-
cal dognatism. Every man who takes office without
his especial leave every that does not denounce
the men in the party whom he chooses to denounce,
and every paper or person who will not adopt his
candidate and go the whole ''snout and tail' with
him in vtuperation of this man, anathema OF that,
and d0latry Of his favorlte, is to be read out OF
the party and in this conceit the great seli-assumed
organ begins to skip about and trnmpe its brother
editors fancying itself potent the Jackass among
the chickens
This is the most disgusting form OF political dog
matsm and it requires energetic but brief applian
ces. When an editor like this is attacked with this
disease, he should be smarty handled and tossed in
blanket by his brother editors until he comes to his
and learns to be decent is marked as to
have II well understood by the party that he IS IN
'deranged state and not to be needed or trusted
A sensible old editor will soon find out his case If
he falls into this condition. and will set about curing
himself He will at that, in order to seem to
lead he must respectfully JoiLow That if he really
wishes to dictate to the party, he must patiently take
the partys adpice and that if he desires to maintain
elevated position with his brother editors, he must
treat them with all the Difference and fairness and
honorable appreciation Of their motives which he has
received from them, and without which, the moment
il is withheld by his dogmatca insoience, he will
n he al Mt uSi lGra
clon.
In the Washington Globe is a striking instance of
this kind Of political dogmatsm. With no more edi-
torial talent than very many journals OF the party
and with much Of needless and personality
which its friends have always regretted and its enc
mics taken advantage of, it had acquired leading
influence a political press, and won the general
confidence Of the democracy. Especially has the
kind treatment Of the democratic press, which has
often sustained it better than it could sustain itself,
and uniformly extended its reputation by 1atteriDg
notices, contributed more than any one thing else to
give it the position it heretofore has enjoyed.
Mistakng this position thus conferred upon it, for
one in which it could assume to control the party, 1t
recently set up the most odous kind of political dog
matsm, and undertook TO read out large portion OF
the democratic party and Of the democratic press in
order that it might have left but obedien sub
lects IN The ranks. In word because IT preferred
Mr.. Van Buren, for the Presidency, it undertook to
cripple every democratic press, and asperse every
democrat that did not fall IN with the support of its
favorite In this it has done monstrous injustice to
Mr.. Van Buren,, who is the last man in the party 10
approve such course, and has, as far its iDhu-
ence has operated at ALL essened his chances of a
selection by the National Convention.
In this state Of the it became essential either
to reduce the Globe to a proper respect for Demo-
cratic editors who did not happen to follow its lead,
or to submit the whole press to its supreme dicaton,
however nsolent and caprcious it might be.
Hence the contest with that paper, and the rebuifs
II has met with from an independent Democratic
press ell over the Union. 1t has been most pleasant
and profitable TO the ready manlness with which
the Democratic press has spurned the political dog
matism of the Globe. Not only the presses that do
not prefer Mr.. Van Buren,, but those that do, are
stern in their rebuke Of this lant assumption of
single editor to anathematze and read in out of
the party and presses at his caprcious will and
pleasure.
From the Penn Yam IN Y. Democrat.