The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-11-21
priva,. conceits and Public Opinion.

Private Concefts ana fuDiic opinion.
The Union threatens us with the title of
the British organ, by way of punishment
for its own title of the French organ.
This is certainly capital retort. The
reason for il is given with an arch and
graceful simplicity, that cannot but inter
est the public. We are the British organ,
forsooth-and wherefore Because we
have republished extracts from Demo-
cratic speech@s of 1926, to show what the
leaders of the Democratic party thought in
those days of the Monroe declaration. We
have expressed no opinions on the subject
matter of those speeches. We have not
undertaken TO adopt or indicate any policy
with regard to it. 1t is not for US to deal
er cathedra with such matters. We have
no commission from any quarter to say
what the people desire with regard to it.
We have no legislative or popular resolu-
tons to guide us in the premises. We
have as yet no authoritative index to the
public opinion of l849.
1t is with some men OF our time as it
was in the days of my Lord BACON.
Men have got fashion now a-days,"
said his lordship, g that two or three
busy-bodies will take upon them the name
Of the world, and breach their own con-
ceits as if it were a general opinion"
Our neighbors of the Union are busy
bodies of this fashion. They tell us that
the people will do this and the people will
do that; and when we come to analyze
their authority for these suggestions, we
find that they are merely broaching their
own conceits, and representing them as
public opinion. We do not see that they
have the slightest ground for all their
rhodomontade about what the people think
on this subject For aught that we have
seen to the contrary, and for aught that
we have reason to believe, the Demo-
cratic party stand precisely where they
did three-and-twenty years ago on this
very question. We do not see that the
Union is authorized to ALLURE for Mr.. VAN
buren,, or Mr.. BUCHANAN, or Mr.. MCLANE,
the sentiments they proclaimed so en-
phatically and with such successful elo-
refer. AS far as those gentlemen consti-
tute portion of the people, they are en-
titled to be heard in person or by their
representatives and when we have thus
heard them, we shall be able to decide for
that much of public opinion which they
may be supposed to embody or inspire.
1t may we'll be that these gentlemen
have not the same faculty of eating their
own words that is possessed by some of
their contemporaries 1t is not impossi-
bic that they may think a decent regard
for consistency compels them to adhere to
their old views of entangling alliances and
the farewell address. Perhaps they might
not think il altogether right and honest to
Join in crusade against an administration
of lS49, for leaning towards the very doc
trines by the force of which they broke
down the administration of Mr.. ADAMS.
AT any rate, they may like to have a
chance to ascertain what ground President
TAYLOR may take on this subject, before
they abandon their old ground. 1t may
be that the old ground will be all that is
left to them. 1t may be that they are
not willing TO proceed upon information
picked up by looking through ga hole in
the curtain"-but are disposed to wait for
something more specific and official.
One thing is very certain. Whatever
may be the policy of the President or the
will of the People on this subject, we have
at present as little reason for pronouncing
defntively upon the one as upon the 9TH
er. Whatever conceits may be preached,
therefore, in regard either to the one or
the other, are nothing more than conceits-
Of no authority, consistency or value.
The new French Ministry.
The new ministry of France, as we
learn from the letter of NJ. GAHLARDET,
is likely to satisfy neither the majority
nor the minority Of the legislative assem-
bly,, nor the country. The editor of the
Courier des Flats UHiS says that it will