The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-11-26

We trust that our readers will give all atten-
tcn TO the Republics article and omit to notice.
fit commentary upon all its ridiculous non
sense about foreign organs, the manner in which it
rioicules the Poussn difficulty about a keg or two
of!obacco,' in its concluding paragraph. The sin
gle sentence which that paragraph contains fur
nishes positive proof that its defence of Mr.. Clay
toms conduct relative to the French difficulty was
not made in good faith, but mere tissue Of
dcmagoguism and humbuggery." Union
In the foregoing extract the public i. in
formed that the 'foreign organ" measures
the impertinence Of offensive language by
the market value of the commodities about
which it is uttered Any one less inge-
nous than the Union in reducing the honor
and dignity Of the Government to pound,
shilling, and pence standard, would esti-
mate the insult of M. Poussin's dispatches
by the value of the words employed by
him, rather than by the value of the tobac-
CO about which he employed them. 1t is
not, however, at all astonishing that pa
per which, like the Union, is ambitious Of
being prosecuted for libel because it ina
gines the infamy of conviction might be
compensated by an accession Of subscri-
bers-because "money would flow into its
purse" should have no other criterion of
estimating national insult than by pricing
the goods and chattels in controversy.
Whilst we have constantly justified the
dismissal of M. Poussin for a deliberate
insult offered to the Government of the
United States, we have as constantly con-
tended that such dismissal furnished no
ground for serious rupture with France.
We distinctly stated that the subject mat
ter of controversy was not Of dignity to
produce collision, whilst we as distinctly
stated that no minister should be allowed
TO insult, scof at, or impeach the honor of
the Government upon any matter, great or
small. That minister should permit him
self to be betrayed into insult and con-
tumely upon every occasion of CORE
spondence with this Government, be the
matter trihing or important, evinces a
querulous and licentious spirit, which may
not be tolerated And when NJ. Poussin
accused the American Government of dis
reputable conduct, we did not stop to in
quire whether he warmed his wrath in a
cistern or tin cup.
With regard TO the deductions of the
-, l,gt - 4 -.
sufficient to say that the first paragraph of
the first article which appeared in the
Republic, on the Poussin affair, took pre-
cisely the same view we have since main
tanned. We commenced our notice Of
this subject by stating that, Gin conse-
quence of the rumors and statements that
have gone abroad in reference TO an al
legged difficulty between M. Poussin and
the United States Government, it becomes
necessary to present narrative of facts
that might otherwise have been withheld.
An attempt has been made to create the
impression that the circumstances to which
we refer establish of necessity unfriendly
relations between this country and France.
This is not the case"
So we said at the beginning, and so we
say yet. If the Union infers unfriendly
relations between members of the ca
binet, from the identity at distant periods
Of our opinions on this subject, it may do
So A paper which crosses its own path
day by day, and sometimes is in such a
hurry TO eat its words that it contradicts
in one column what il AYERS in another,
must Of necessity attribute the consistency
OF contemporary to some curious and
irrelevant circumstance. We did infer,
and have a right to insist, that no member
Of the Cabinet was responsible for the
manner in which the Poussin affair was
preached in distant journals, from the en-
trely different tone in which it was pre-
sented here, in narrative which bore
evidence of an official derivation.
In regard TO the Unions foreign sym
pathies, we give it all the allowance it
may derive from the quasi confession that
its patriotism is dependent upon the price
Of tobacco in Mexico. Being market