Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-03-11
THE GOVERNMENT EDITOR "oN THE STAND"

The organ of the Government says that we be-
tray an uneasy consciousness OF the existence OF
. growing public sentiment in England" in favor
of our Presidents War with Mexico and of our
wise and wondrous Subtreasury, (under the working
OF which the disbursing officers of the Government
have had great difficulty in keeping out Of the Peni
tenllary.) This is said, because we will not quietly
allow the Union" to impose upon the American
People as British Opinions" certain articles cut
out from London papers-palpa undeniable
counterielts, proved, by their foreshadowing the
particulars Of the Presidents Annual Message. and
by other incontrovertible internal evidence to
have been written in this country and sent to Lon
don for publcation--paid-f publications in the
SAD English papers-ior the purpose of being i'm
posed on the People of this country and their Repre-
sentatlyes IN Congress spontaneous and dsinter-
esed testimony to the wisdom of our Administra-
tion. We were quite willing to allow the Govern
ment Editor to avail himself Of the plea that he
himself has been imposed upon, and, as he had
stood obstnately mute since our detection of the
imposition, we offered him, in our paper Of Tues
day last the opportunity to do so, advising him, in
phrase which we supposed to be perfectly intelli
gible to him, to make a clean breast of it. We
leafn from " the Union" of Wednesday night, how
ever, that he neither likes the phrase nor the
suggestion.
Does not our venerable contemporary perceive
that, by refusing to dsown the imposture, he makes
himself party to it? He told us, some time ago,
in reply to our surmse that these forgeres of
]" British Opinion" " were written by some American
in London, that he knew better for that he knows
the writer, and that he is an Englishman. This
knowledge, nowli in substance repeated, he says,
was accidentally obtained"
BY what "acchent" did he obtain this know
ledge! Ho,o came he to know the writer? He
and if he knows the writer, he must have known
him here, and he must have known from him that
he had written or was to write these articles, which,
on their republication here in sthe Union" were
lauded by that print evidences of growing SEN
timent IN England, sentiment " doing credit to
English intelligence favorable to those measures
Of our Administration which, at the late. elections,
the People of his own country had unequivocay
condemned. How could he THE writer of those
artices) have Anticipated the contents of the Pres-
dents Message,as he did, if, instead of being here,
he had been at an editorial desk in the city of Lon
don If it be The pleasure of the venerable editor
to shoulder the responsibility Of such conspiracy
to impose upon the People, rather than admit that
he has himself been imposed upon in this matter
which we incline TO believe is the fact-why, them
we have nothing more to say about it.
Let it be understood, however, that all things are
not fair in politics; that heavy and crushing.
responsibility rests somewhere for this literary and
political fraud and that the Administration as well
as its organ, ought far as either can, to relieve
themselves from the suspicion of having had any
hand in it.
As we wish to get to the bottom Of the matter
and be done with it, we will exculpate either or
both the Administration and It's Editor, if either or
both viii, upon honor, answer in the Negative,
through " the Union,' the following question:
Had you any knowledge-when the article under
the head Of " British Opinion upon the War;" and
the other article showing up in such favorable
light he domestic policy Of the Administration of
this Government, reached fhis country-that they
were not what they purported to be, but procured,
by some person or persons known to yourselves,
to be prepared here and published in the London
papers for political effect in the United States -