The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-07-19

| the ffouSe ADJOURNED.
The Washington Union of yesterday morn
ing exhibits its editor demonstrating indignant
| ly against certain insnuations contained in the
remarks of a member of the House Of Repre-
sentatives in the course of "a debate in that body
elected by letter which the editor addressed
to the chairman of the printing committee
The object of the letter was to waive the strict
execution Of the contract for printing with
which the editor of the Union is connected,
in reference to the eulogies pronounced in
both Houses upon the late President lay
LoR, with view to permit their more speedy
production, in more elegant style, by re-
sorting to some other press. The Union dis
cusses the question whether the contract con-
templated any particular standard of typograph-
ical execution--the comparative excellence Of
the work done under it, and that of former
printers, and other matters germane doubtless to
the subject, but with which we have no desire
to intermeddle.
| The only feature which specially interests
us, in the sef-defence of the editor ofthe Union,
is his remarkable sensibility to the force and
meaning of certain terms, his unwonted appre-
citation of the gravity of the facts which should
authorize their employment and sudden recog-
milton Of the truth that good name is better
than precious ointment, is not to be sullied by
rash aspersions without gricvOus wrong, and may
be properly vouched as furnishing in itself a
defence prinia facie sufficient against the as
saults of calumny eve have borne," says
he, Through life our escutcheon stained by
no suspicion Of dishonor; and no man in this
broad land--no man dressed in little brief
authority'-not even the highest citizen in this
country, shall make such charges as 'swind-
ling and cheating with impunity."
Brave words! They come, one would think,
from an individual who had all his life set a
watch upon his tongue-who had been cautious
to stain no fair escutcheon by breathing suspi-
| cion, much less TO corrode it with veruice, to
| batter and detace it by malicious blows They
proceed, the reader would be apt To believe, from
one who deems ''swndling" and Cheating
very harsh and bitter words, not to be thrown
about like sugar-plums at a Roman carnival, as
mild implements of playful mischief, but fell
/
| that he who uses them must rest his vndicaton
upon the stern requirements of positive justice,
or be branded with wilful malignity.
| We have right to inquire how the practice
of the Union has Tailed with such notions and
sentiments. We have abundant provocation to
point to the escutcheon of the departed PREsI-
DENT, and ask what mortal man bore brighter.
When came dishonor near enough to that, To
see it's own image reflected in its ustre with
out covering away2 In what man did purity
of motive and integrity of conduct 50 shine oui
that no film Of prejudice could blind the eye Of
the beholder to their radiance, if not in Z,cHA-
RY TAYLOR? Can it be necessary to recount,
would any American now read with patience
the coarse adjectives of vituperation which the
| Union coupled with that name2 Is there any
person who would thank us for reproducing the
accusations against him Of ignorance, Of Imbe-
cility, Of skulking and evasion, Of Justification
Of solemn pledges, of "the patronage Of conup-
tion?" And how was il with regard to his
constitutional adviscrs2 Are they not men
who might claim, with quite as much justice as
the editor Of the Union, that their untarnished
reputation for personal integrity should protect
them from wholesale charges Of swindling and
cheatingl This will hardly be denied, although
they still live and are not sheltered by that pub
lie sentiment Of reverence for the departed
which has compelled the Union to do something
like tardy justice TO the character Of the de
ceased PRESIDENT. Yet what defence have es
cutcbeons, unstained before by the suspicion
Of dishonor, proved to them against imputaton'
tantamount. in understood meaning if not IL
literal words, to swindling? Why, it is MOI
three weeks since the Union talked glibly o.
"the pecttations ofthe cabinet, !" and uttered vii
famous accusations in the way Of surnise abou
'Indian contracts, dabblings in newspapers, bro
kerages in offices, and thousand other form,
ofcoruption, as yet undiscovered by the worlo
at large. but destined ere long to be unveiled
which clothe General TAYLoR's cabinet like
garment" But for the tone Of Yesterdays arti
Gle, it might have been supposed that the Ian
guage Of detrsction had become so tritc and ia
miliar TO the Union as 10 have lost its impress
siveness, and poured itself out without awaken
ing sense Of its own force or meaning. NIer
sometimes make themselves a vocabulary o
abuse, that by dint Of repetition comes to be ut
tered with as little consciousness of its sirnif
canoe as the prate Of parrot. This hypothe
sis WAS the most creditablc to the moral consti
tuition Of the Union that could he framed
,, though doubtless TO be entertained only at tn
expense Of depreciating its intellectual activity
,, In the scale of Talleyrand, it would have bee
{ ranked as worse than crime, bunder; bu
!. men Of more lively conscience would rejoice :
find reason for setting it down TO debility rathe
than malignant disposition, or even needles
disregard for the private reputation of emnen
political opponents. How far the show Of feel
ing which 1t manifests when the same languag
} is applied to its editor that he used go unscru
: pulously in regard to others, may detract fror
. what has been deemed the most charitable con
E struction of his conduct and its best apology, W
will not undertake to say--nor yet what fore
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