The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1848-01-21
poIititaI.
Frnm the ON Slate Jonrnal.

Under this caption the C7crelaRd Plan
Dealer, the editor of which is spending
the Winter in Washington as correspon-
dent of his paper, gives startling expo
silion Of the corruption rife in the Post
Office Department at Washington and
which doubtless pervades every branch
of the General Government We have
felt constrained, as our neighbour ot the
Statesman will not find room for the ex-
position, under his delicate situation as
Deputy Post Master. recipient of Official
Advertisements, &c. &c. to give it far
as possible in e1teRs0. Ii cannot fail to
arrest the attentiouofever one, whatever
may be his party predictions, and may
be considered the response of Northern
Ohio, to the late proceedings of the Dem
ocratic State Convention, He writes un-
der the date of December 30.
Nothing in these days of startling doc
trincs aud outrageous conduct, has oc-
CURED to occasion more surprise, OF
which ought more alarm the people than
recent base attempt OF The Post Master
General to reverse and control the poIit-
ical opinions of this paper Ohe Plain
Dealer) in relation to the "Wilmot Pro
viso. through tte corrupt iHstrameatat'fy
Of his o6icial patronage
1t has been matter very well under
stood throughout the North and West,
that Mr. Cave Johnson has endeavored
To bring the whole power of the patron
age of this department, TO bear against
the cause of Anti Slavery generally; that
every Deputy Post Master, of which
there are some sixteen thousand, who
could be convicted of attending an abo
lition meeting. taking an anti slavery pa
per, or who was suspected Of favoriug
immediate, gradual, ur ultimate emanci
patton was sure to lose his head. however
good democrat in all other respects
provided he occupied place ofany prom
iueuce under his administration. This
practice has rather been winked at by
the democratic papers of the North for
the reason that Mr.. johnson was known
to be Southern mua of very strong sec
tinnal feeling; and further, that 50 long
as the General Government was entirely
in southern hands, il was supposed that
such course as a mere SectiORai POiicy
would probably be sustained.
Had the prescription stopped here
probably no complaint would ever have
been made by the Administration iourn
ais: but unfortunately for the North the
South, aud especially for the democratic
party. it does not. Another step ha,
been taken in this lyraunical policy and
by this Department, which no reason can
justify, no party can tolerate, and no hon
est man can excused
Mister Cave Johnson the man who
has been in the service Of the South lol
tho last twenty years, enjoying the honor'
aud the emolumonls Of variety Of pub
lie Offices, and who is now living upon
the reputation of former services, and
as | shall show in the sequel, trading ol
stock Of integrity long since exhausted d
has, for himself at least, at last nude th,
astonishing discovery, that what are cal
led "W:lmot PrOviso' men in the Nortl
are little better than fanatics and fools,
degraded race of half wits, who canno
be reasoned with, but must be driven b,
harsh ep,hets aud coercive measures, o
bought up at tho public Grip. At al
events, in the ,lispensalion of his polite
al patronage they are not to be recoeniz
ed MS Democrats A case has been re
Gently tried by the distinguished head c
this Department, for distinguished b
certainly is by his political tricks, if no
by his political wisdom. which present
the wilfulness Of his character, and th
strange policy he is determined TO pur
sue.
Myself. with several other Dcmocrati
Publishers in the State of Ohio were ap
plcants for advertising the "Alail Let
tings" about to be given out in thai State
The advertisement is "A large ono and is
generally given to two or three paper
located at Cleveland, Columbus aud Gin
cinnuli, tho Northern Central, aud South
ern portions.
He then proceeds to state the claims q
the Plain Dealer upon tho attention q
the Department, induced by the consiJ
Grafton that democratic paper ha,
sprung upsince the election of Mr.. Poll
Of the existence of which we were il
profound ignorance, and which was en-
titled TO no consideration, except, in til,
language Of Mr., Gray-"it he the ear
marks of It's slavery progenilors, there
fore, took the precaulion to get com
mandatory letters from the Domocrat
Central Committees of my own aud sev
eral Of the surrounding counties, all re
commencing crclaacely and in the warm
est terms my paper"
Several democratic members of Con
gress from this Stale, also recommends,
the Plain Dealer, Its circulation, ON
of the largest in the State; the characle
aud standing of the paper; its long SCI
vice aud wide influence, would in ordiu
ary cases have easily decided the matte,
The difficulty is very graphically illus
trated by the following extract. w
commend the closing remarks To the pa
ticular attention ofour democratic friend
There can he no question that tho san
feelings must he elected as marked i
reception in Cleveland, where we leal
zone indignant burst Of denuneialion
his insolent, self'assured diclulorshl
has been the utternuCe of every homo