Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1843-03-17

| pect il to pass unnotlced by the Du'''"s W.
| papers. with whose views relative 10 the MAJ
ter we took the liberty of differing we tho
it no. improbable that both the Ha"seye' a.,
the Gaze,tee, would reply to our a'''c'e' a"u
we are not surprised. therefore, that they rave
done so respectively in their last numbers
Rat we confess we are surprised at the sub
stance of those replications. and the spirit
which they exhibit. and no less SO with the
one than with the other.
Conceiving the HawEeye to have been gull
ty Of gross inconsistency in opposing the val
uaiion Law. upon the ground Of its "a"nulAng
past contracts''-which it certainly does not do
after having advocated the Bankrupt Law
which as andeniably does ANNuL past con-
tracts-we made this charge upon it. and per-
haps in not altogether the mi|des' terms we
| might have used. Had the reply Of the Hawk
eve, therefore, been one exhibiting some little
iIl-feeling. We say we should not have been
surprised at it. Bnt 1t does not exhibit any
such feeling. On the contrary, its tone is one
that is entirely unexceptionable. We give its
editor credit for this, with the remark that 1t
is about the first occasion, we believe, upon
which he has not manifested disposition 10
do us rank injustice. He pleads guilty 10 our
charge Of inconsistency in the following
words: !. So far" says the Hawkeye." as we
ever advocated that measure, 1.-THE Bankrupt
Law,] .ve acknowledge the propriefy Of the
charge bu, we wot that ii acas through igno-
rance that we ever pressed its passage. Since
we have seen its practical bearing, our readers
will hear us witness that we have rcPudia'ed
it. In our compassionate zeal to benefit the
poor bot honest debtor, ,Ue lost sight IF theprin-
ciple inroloed. We now feel that the Bank
rupt Law involves Reputation, just as much
as any act passed by the Legislature Of Mis-
sissippi. We now oppose it on this ground,
as being highly mischieuous and uneonslitution-
al.''
Such is the precious confession Of the
Hawkeye. How far this confession should
go towards absolving j. from the sin ofuphold-
ing this IS highly mschievous and unconslitu-
tional" measure, until all the harm designed
for it by its authors has been accomplished,
the reader will be able TO Judge.
1t was one Of the "great measures" con-
coc.ed by Whigeery, and adopted during the
extra session ls4l, to enable Wing specula-
tors and politicians, who had become bank
rupt, to repudiate their just debts. This il has
done; it has accomplished its object; and
now its authors are willing to giue ilup. And
''now," for the first time. the Hawkeye feels
''.l,at the Bankrupt Law involves repudia,ion!'
We repeat, how far the above confession of,he
Hawkeye is sincere and an honest one, or
how far subterfuge, mere cloaS thrown OH
to enable it to attack with some degree Of piau-
sibility 1.-The Valuation Law, a measure design
ed for the relief, not Of Spectators, and bank
r"pt politicians. but Of The people. and which
does not involve reputation, how for, we
say, the Hawkeye's confession is the one or
the other, we leave the reader to Judge.
We say nothing for the present as TO the
flourish of trumpe,s Of the Hawkeye, follow
ing Immediately the startling annuncia,ion Of
LOOK OUT FOR NuLLIFlcATIoN!" in which
decision against the cons,itu,ionality Of the
Valuation Law, is pronounced "a righteous"
one, and modest hint thrown out that I" our
Judges" would declare it SO, if they did not
possess I" large Of The reace-making compo.
sition." We do not apprehend that such
hint, thrown out either from that quarter, or
any other, will deter "our Judges" from doing
what they may conceive to be their duty.
Thus much, for the present at least, as to
the Hawkeye; and now few words as to the
Gazette, which, in its reply to our article, ex-
hibi,s no slight degree Of that i'll temper from
which the other is so free. We say we are
surprised at the feeling manifested by the Ga
zette upon the subject, because we are sure
that we said nothing that ought TO have called
it forth. Our remarks in regard to the Gazette
contained nothing of unkindness in them, but
expressed, in language entirely respectful, our
difference with it upon the subject alluded TO-,
specifying barely one or two points wherein
the difference consisted.
And how are We met by the Gazette! Why,
with lnock dignity that we must venture
even to term ridiculous, that it "must decline
controuersyr' with ns-that it is s'nct am
bilious TO excel in contest of mere wo:ds,' -
that it " holds the dictionary Of the English
language in too high respect 10 make an indis-
crimnate use Of its contents, that i, is not
Ambitious Of that literary fame which brides
itself in involving the same idea in column
and half Of different sentences, that i, has
not " time or space 10 devote 10 the considera-
ton of mere humbugs'' and that "if that pa