The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1843-08-14
DOGMATISM.
From the Boston Post

From the Boston Post
When party newspaper, by many years of cor
rect and proper course and by just regard for the
rights and opinions of its contemporaries, has,
through their Kindness and notice, acquired nfu-
ence as leading journal in the party, and been
favored with party patronage that has given it
wealth, the editor, whose position and advantages
rather than any superiority in himself have given him
tins lead as national party organ, is 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 as he followed the
party and forgot himself in his advocacy of princi-
pies rather than men, he begins to fancy that he
make them follow wherever he chooses to lead and
then breaks out in his columns this disease of poii-
cal dogmatisn. Every man who takes Office without
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 60 the whole "snout and tail' with
him in vituperaton of this man, anathema of that,
and idoatry Of his own favore is to be read out of
the party; and in this copcet the great seassumsd
organ begins to skip about and trampe its brother
editors fancyng itself as potent the ackass among
the chickens.
This is the most disgusting form of political dog
matism, and it requires energetic but brief appian-
ces. When editor like this is attacked with this
disease, he should be smary handled and tossed in
blanket by his brother editors until he his
senses and learns to be decent, or is marked to
have it well understood by the party that he is in
deraDged state and not to be needed or trusted.
sensible old editor will find oct his case if
he falls into this condition, and will set about curing
himself He will at once that, in order to
lead he must respectfully oiio,c. That if he really
wishes to dictate to the party, he must patiently take
the partys adpce, 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
is withheld by his dogmatical insoence he will
discover that he sinks into insign6cance and suspi
con.
In the Washington Globe is striking instance Of
this kind of political dogmatism. With more edi-
torial talent than very many journals of the party
and with much Of needless coarseness and personality
which its friends have always regretted, and its
mics taken advantage Of, it had acquired leading
influence as 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 fatterng
notices, contributed more than any thing else to
give it the position it heretofore has enjoyed.
NstakiDg this position thus conferred upon it, for
one in which 1t could assume to control the party it
recently set up the most odious kind of political dog
matsm, and undertook to read out large portion Of
the democratic party and Of the democratic press, in
order that 1t might have none left but obedient sub
jects 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 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 TO
approve such course, and has, as far as IFS inhu
has operated at all, lessened his chances of a
selection by the National Convention.
In this state of the it became essential either
to reduce the Globe to proper respect for Demo-
cratic editors who did not happen to follow its lead,
or to submit the whole press to its supreme dctation
however nsolent and caprcious it might be-
Hence the contest with that paper, and the rebuffs
1T has met with from independent Democratic
press all over the Union. 1t has been most pleasant
and profitable TO the ready manlness with which
the Democratic press has spurned the political dog
matlsm 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 arrogant assum on of
single editor to anathematze and read in or out of
the party men and presses at his capricious will and
pleasure.