The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-03-26

A. fairs In s'ysshi3 rfon.
WASHINGTON, March %, 1874


Natirism-Mr. Lerin-Mr Badger
committee is about to be moved for IN the
House. N take into consideration what measures
are necessary 10 vindicste the dignity OF the
body, which has been, in the opinion OF most
members. mpromised by Mr.. Levin, the men,
Der from the first district Of Pennsylvania in his
TWO speeches on the mission to the Papal States.
Ths indignity offered TO the House consists in
the fact of Mr. Levin having pretended to read
from printed works passages which do not occur
in those works. and having imposed on the Gre
dulity of the House, in relation to a certain en-
cyciical letter of Pope Plus the Ninth, in which
he asserted certain passages occur which are
not To be found in the document; and, also, in
making certain statement, for which he cited
the authority of n certain member of the United
States Senate, the truth Of which the Senator
referred to totally denies, and declares that no.
thing that has ever fallen from his lips can be
tortured into any semblance offoundaton tor such
a statement. These are the charges upon which,
If this committee be granted by the House, Mr..
Levin Ia to be tried.
And II is but right that the members of that
bodY-if they have faith in their own honesty
and truth-if they do not desire that their cha
racter should sink to a level with that of the
member from the first district of Pennsylvania
if all regard tor the dignity of the House has not
departed-should put from them this intolersble
isgrace-should purge themselves from any par
tcipation, even by liberation, in this shameless
fraud upon their credullty this attempt to con-
troll the legislation of the country by bold and
lmpudent fabrlcations.
This is not question of nativism or anti-na-
tivism. II has naught 10 do with the merits OF
the measure under consideration when the speech
was made. Mr.. Levin must have deliberately
written down, and committed to memory, the
Fabricated passages, as he pretended to read them
chilly from the works in which he stated they
occurred, pretending, at the same time, in order
to set inquiry at defence, to give the exact place
In which the extracts were TO be found.
The statemen TO Mr.. SchegePs 18th lee
ture, and the Pope's encyclica letter, were de-
monstrated by Mr.. Maclay to be fabricat ons;
and Mr.. Westcott, the Senator quoted by Mr. Lee
vim as ms authority il the matter of the secret
nell, with the view OF promoting the ascen-
daucv of the Catholic church in America-a copy
of which he SAID was handed to Mr. Westcott,
and by HIM laid before the Secretary Of State
for MS consideration and Observation-Disclosures
the whole statement TO be an unmixed false
hood. The only circumstance that could give
the lee st color to 1t was, that Mr. Westcott lent
to'Mr Buchanan, at the reqTest of the latter, for
perusal as curiosity, and not for official action,
pamphlet issued some years ago by a person
named Wright, notorious, not alone for his ia
natclsm on the subject of abolition, but for the
frequency and extravaganza of his aboli ton
tracts and pamphlets. This was mislad by Mr..
Buchanan; but there are hundreds of the same
sort to be found in every northern, and a great
many southern cities of the Union. The charge
that Mr. Buchanan suppressed this document, is
so monstrous an absurdity that nobody but Mr.
Levin could have made it. Mr. Buchanan
would just as soon think of suppressing one of
M. Levin's own speeches Mr. Westcott
is Justly indignant that his name should be mixed
up with this affair. The statement that now
make OF the utter falsehood of Mr.. Levin's as.
sertions regarding Mr. Westcott and Mr. Bu-
chanan, not Unauthorized.
1t reasonable to expect that senators,
marking the odium that Mr. Levin, not with
out laborlously and ndustriously seeking 1t, had
obtained, would in debating the creation of a
mission TO the Papal States ,eschew so discredta-
BILE an example. But unfortunately, Mr.. Badger,
of the senators from North Carolina per-
United hlmse Ii to indulge in quite as ridiculous
Misrepresentation, with this difference, that
by Mr.. Levin they were as boldly reiterated as
they were wantony made whereas Mr. Bad
ger denied positively he had made them
When confronted with his reported speech, the
North Carolina senator had not quite sutficl ent
boldness to deny It's correctness. If he DO, l
can myself testify to its fidelity, as heard him
use the words he has repudI ated. Instances are
fortunately rare, IN the Senate, In which sena-
tors indulge IN such language that they are com.
PEELED tor very shame to declare they never used
II, and so attempt to cover their offence aga nst
decsncy by violation of truth. When such in
stances do occur, they should be marked and ex-
posed. GALvIENsIs