The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-11-09
PersOnnlitieS.

| Our contemporaries OF the foreign organ
are much distressed because they cannot
maintain an exclusive privilege to deal in
what they call "personal matters" With
them no person is sacred. They may in
dustriously bring themselves before the
public in their own columns. They may
tell us what Mr.. SILAs WRIGHT said to the
senior editor, and what the senior editor
did with the Shockoe resolutions, and at
the Richmond sweat house, and the part
he played in killing off that ''sweet little
fellow, MARTIN VAN BUREN," They may
talk Of the personal acquaintance of the
senior editor with Mr. DENNY and Mr..
OSBORNE, and give his personal certif-
cate that they are innocent and not dis
honest defaulters. They may discuss
what the junior editor did in Congress,
and enlghten the world as to the manner
in which he did not vote for the Wlmot
proviso. They may discuss his conduct as
Commissioner of Patents, state the rea-
sons for which he remained in office after
the accession of General TAYLOR, and in
form us Of the nature of his personal rela-
tons with Mr.. EWING. They may state
what the senior editor wrote, and what the
junior editor did not write. They may
puff themselves and each other in their
own columns. They may undertake to
| settle IN thar o,up S,f; 20 ct;op ,,,ba+bar or
not the senior editor is in his dotage; and
if he is in his dotage, whether or not that
misfortune is remedied by the aid of the
I"young and vigorous mind" which he has
associated with him in the editorial de-
partment of the Union. This is all right
But if an adversary acts on this state of
things, and follows its own example, by
commenting on matters and distinctions
which It's editors have themselves brought
before the public, the foreign organ raises
the cry of personalities"
Take another view of the case. The
foreign organ can indulge in all manner
of personal abuse, and fill its columns
with libels and lampoons on President
TAYLOR and every member of his Cabi-
net. 1t may transfer to its columns and
endorse all the petty gossip and SANDER
which it picks up in its exchanges, giving
publicity to alleged conversations of the
PRESIDENT, and abusing him for not sub
scribing money to this or that religious
society; it may reproduce what is said to
have taken place between the PRESIDENT
and some disappointed applicant for office,
and accompany it with the most offensive
personal reflections; it may assail him as
man devoid of personal truth and honor
and all this it claims to be within the
Legitimate province of political contro-
yersy. II may, every day in the week,
print its personal diatrbes against Mr..
EwING-charge him with being brbed by
the Bank of the United States, with de-
frauding widows and orphans, with selling
his official influence for personal advan-
tages, and with cheapening his house-rent
by the barter of public office-and all
this is not unbecoming one of the elite of
the Richmond Democrats, nor an x-Com-
missioner of Patents, who has always had
agreeable personal relations with the Sec
rotary of the Interior 1t may revamp
scandalous little paragraphs about Judge
CoLLAMER and Mr.. WARREN, and call
special attention to them by the attractive
heading of "Personal Matters"-and no
body must open his mouth on the subject,
on the pain of being threatened with a
[ disposition TO make the senior editor a
victim TO the alien and sedition laws.
: Straghtway in his own opinion he be-
comes a martyr, challenges all mankind
TO dare TO touch him, and says that he
! should like to be prosecuted in that way,
! because "money would flow into his
purse"
( ltwoudno doubt be very pleasant for the
, foreign organ if it could establish this con-
venlent manner Of controversy. Fine fun
it would be for its conductors if they could
f monopolize the privilege of assault, and
r confne their opponents to the discussion
j of their disiointed jargon about questions
' Of "policy." We must give and take in
2 this world Of ours. All the "reciprocity''
5 must not be on one side. There shall be
] no monopoly, even Of "personal Matters
5 by our venerable contemporary and his
e "young and vigorous" associate. II is
, difficult TO compete, in this kind Of con
e troversy, with person who has sucf
5 skill in using hard words that he was