Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-10-07
STRANGE DoINGs {!

STRANGE DOlNGS!
We are ourselves so much confined to the duties
of our particular vocation that we know compare.
lively little of what is going on among our imme-
date neghbors, in regard to the pending President
tial Election, beyond the fact that each party has
Its separate organization, its Club, and its Execu
tive Committee, and that each occasionally holds
Public Meeting at their respective stands in the
city; a very innocent and even laudable employ
ment of their time and their abilities, so long as the
aim and usage OF such meetings is fair discussion
and mutual instruction on the merits and principles
of the candidates for their highest confidence
But, when these assembages are perverted to the
purpose of coarse viuperaton and false and base
charges, by either party against its opposite, we
cannot conceive of more pestilent and offensive
nuisances to society than they may become.
case of even this character, of which we should
probably never have heard had not been ostenta-
tiously published in the government paper, attracted
our attention in " the Union" of Friday last. The
article in which it appears purports to be an account
of democratic Mass Meeting in Washington"
held on the 18th of last month, whose proceedings,
although otherwise sufficiently exceptionable, we
should have most willingly passed by, as is our
custom, had not our eye accidentally fallen the
following passage in a series OF Resolutions, moved
by person in the employ of the Government, and
reported as having been unanimously adopted.
That the FeeraI party THUS falsely styling the Wing
pary abandoning all hope OF success upon honest Efforts
have resorei the most monstrous system OF fraud which
sas eper Gisaced that party dakened their records
rth injury. They have in this city two separate
spublbin rooms of which documents prepared
for the SonrH, representing Gen. Taylor 'Wimot
proviso man, and Gen. Cass the advo of the
sion ofslavery in the other documents prepared for
the S1rTu, which represent Gen. Cass W&mot pro-
vso man, and Gen. Taylor the champion and interested
frieAd Of the extension Of slavery
The gross and unmannerly general aspersion of
tie Party which now constitutes we believe, the
majority of the People Of the United States-and
certainly large majority Of the inhabitants Of this
city-we should still have passed by as beneath
notice. had it not been for the attempt to brand that
party with the accusation Of having initiated the
conduct proved upon their opponents in open Sc
nate, of publishing one set Of Documents for the
North and another for the South, representing Gen.
CAss in directly opposite lights to the People.
Confident of the falsity Of this charge, we have
made inquiry into the natter and we are assured
and authorized to assert that there is truth in it,
that it is sheer fabrication.
But not only was this false and wholesale asper-
sion Of the Wing party moved by an officer OF the
Government, but the greater part Of the meeting, if
we may Judge by its list of officers, was composed
of the same material. The person who called the
meeting TO order was Clerk in public office:
so was the presiding officer: and large pro-
portion of the Vice Presidents and Secretaries
e AZ oc a.
being the Warden Of the Pententiary, hold
ing that trust by Executive appointment. We
learn, indeed from the newspapers and other
sources, that the Officers of the Government some
of higher grade than Clerks and some of lower,
make practice to spread themselves the land,
and especially in doubtful districts of the adjoining
States, thus giving up to the employment OF cleo
pioneering that time which they owe to the Public.
We do not know what our readers may think Of
such doings; but we have very decided opinion
that, even if custom could be claimed as warrant
for the practice, the precedent is very bad one, and
the custom one which would be much more honor
ed in the breach than in the observance.
But we are well assured that even more crying
abuses than this are practised Public Institutions
this city Immediately under the control and direction
Of the Administration. We learn, for exampl, that
the ConUicis in the Penitentiary are actually en-
ployed in preparing and painting Democratic Trans
pdrencies, for use, for electoneering purposes,
not only in this city, but in other quarters. Whe-
Their this be proper employment for these convics
our readers are quite as competent to Judge as we
are. We find further, in paper called /" The Bat
terry" printed in this city, the following statement
which we are assured is literally true:
"And have, in the eectoneerng fed, the Usr-
TED STATES PEsrESrIARr The Superintendent Of that
institution not only signs documents Chairman Of an
Executive Committee Of Csss and Baler Club but abso-
lutely makes huge Cass and Butter Document Room Of
the UNITED STATES PESITEsTnpr Cart-oads Of docu-
enfs 20 there 10 be directed; ou whether the convicts are
taken from their other hard abor and made direct these Cass
and Butler Documents not is than has yet trans
PRED. Somebody there directs them, at all events"
correspondence has taken place between the
Spanish Government and Mr.. SAUNDERS, the Unit
ed States Minister respecting Gen. LoPEz's plot to
deliver Cuba into the hands Of the Yankees. The
American Ambassadors explanations consider
ed quite satisfactory by the Spanish Cabinet and