The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-01-25

The Reason why.
The Charleston Mercury makes the following
response to the Inteligsncer's first numbering
article on south Carolina 1t will be seen that
the affectation Of superior wisdom and dignity,
assumed by some Of the organs, is As impotent
to blind the eyes of the public to their true po-
sition Of dependence on party and its spoils, as
the clustering and bullying insolence of others
to screen them from the punishment due to
trucking inconsistency, and violated confidence.
UNsoNisM AT WAsHMaroN.- THE National In.
tegencer last Saturday put forth an editorial Of
five columns long, on the subject Of South Caro-
lima, the general object Of which was to prove thu
this State was really and positively aiming at
the disruption Of the Union. Itpromised further
calculation of this obscure point in future nun
bers. but thus far we have not been favored with
anything additional. The Southern Press. in an
article which we copy to-day, replies to some of
the positions Of the Integencer, and f, lows up
the subject in succeeding number Il il not our
purpose to pursue this track. The lntelligencer
itself, as the pomp0us srbter Of political morals.
the judge, without appeal Of the rights and char.
acter Of States, demands little attention.
As political press. the IntelIigencer Is some.
thing Of a curiosity. Ordinarily il wears the ar.
pearnnce Of digni6ed indifference. You mich,
read it for weeks without finding out what its opin
IONS are on any one great question. 1t is not
merely that it's editorial columns are almost EMMY
but what is in them is lifeless, and withou, any
symptom of interest in the matters noticed. The
smallest al d the greatest subjects are reduced 10
the same dimensions, and wrapped in the same
.leepily decent neutrality. Then comes a won
derfu change. The Inteigencer starts up. and
thunders forth volume Of awfully earnest preach
ssnrv<
hausted its strength, sinks back into it's formt r
apathy. In its habits, the Intelli gencer resem.
bles those monsters Of the sea- that, ater long in.
tervals. rise 10 the surface, make rrodgious up-
roar and smoke, and then retire to repose in their
fhvorite haunts below the reach Of sunshine and
storm. Still more fairly, perhaps, il may be COM
pared to those other monsters of the fen and iur
gle, huge nnacondas, and the like, that rush our
Of their dark retreats, and having gulped down a
buffalo a rhinoceros, stink back to indulge in
months sleep on their elaborate dinner, with no
deeper sense of existence thar an occasional dream
of being hungry, and satisfying the imaginary
craving by appropriating phantom bullock; and
with no other outward manifestation Of life, than
few faint dyspeptic. grumblings, like the but-
bles that break the rest Of a standing pool.
But passing by this phenomenal characteristic
Of the lntelligencer-ts periodical returns like a
comet with long blazing irain-a M OF less notable
feature of these occasions, is its assumption Of gu
perior dignity, moral elevation and patriotism 1t
carries an air Of plying insolence towards those
whom il calls before it's high tribunal, and it deals
out its condemnations with that look of infinite
condescension that seems ever to say: "You are
not expected to be as elevated and pure as am
nobody is expected to be at,-but you have
sphere, which, however humble, you ought to FIJI
in such manner not to call down upon you
the weight Of my censure: you con CO."
Now what foundation is there for this moral
censorship Of the lntelIgencerl What right has
it to call lightly in question the motives and pa
triotism Of others' What is the InteIligencer' II
is simply party press, that, for forty years, has
owed ita existence to the patronage Of the Gov
eminent.
1t ia emphaticalIy hireling, bound to do ser
vice 10 party, the consideration for money
voted to it by party. This is the Judge, that calls
before him States and statesmen, and holds them
accountable for not coming up to his standard OF
moral purity and disinterestedness. This pen.
sioner on the political corruption fund at Wash
ington, who crsws at the heels Of party, like
shark in the wake Of ship, to feed on the crumbs
that are thrown out by the way--in the intervals
OF pampering himself at the public expense, 10 to
sit in judgment on the selhshness and dsloyalty
Of South Carolina,
The Inielligencer makes a sublime merit out of
it's Unonism. Why. it feeds on the Union
Without that it would not exist. II has no posi-
uon or its own, save lis berth ny the treasury.
II hsunts the confines Of North and South too
cowardly ever to take sides with either, and bold
only in defending the sacredness Of the neutral
ground, where the one begins and the other erds
Il knows we'll that il the North and South split
apart, it drops helpIessIy into the chasm. The
ass knoweth his master and the OK his owners
crb-and il IL mot accounted among the virtues Of
these animals that they cling to the of their
feeding. No more 10 ii merit in the InteIli-
gencer that it adores the perpetuty Of Govern
ment in whose very corruption it subsis,s.