Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1851-11-27
Ths rsirAsla Ledger u. The Surveyor General
and he Whig Press o. Iowa. A

talnS most extraordinary aTucie Ill abuse Oh ue
Surveyor General of Iowa and Wisconsin, and in
renewal of the attack on Gen. Sargent, COM
menced by that paper last summer. The course
pursued by the editor in his ruthless assault upon
wing officer of high standing and unexceptiona-
bic character, whose correct discharge of the du-
ties of his Office is closely identified with the
! character of wing administration, and with the
prospects and success of the whis party, challen-
ges the notice of the wing press of the State, no
less from its gross Injustice TO a faithful public
! servants, than from the very Unjustifable manner
! in which the Ledger seeks to involve every wing
editor in the State in controversy solely his own
! We have nothing to say as to the charges made
! by the Ledger against the Surveyor General. So
far as onr present purpose is concerned, it is i'm
material whether they are true or false. Our
purpose is to inquire of the editor Of the Ledger
what good end he intends or hopes to effect, Ell
thor to the cause Of the wing party, or 10 the
States of Iowa aud Wisconsin, composing the dis
trict Of Gen'l Sargent, by the PRONUNCIATION and
re-iteration Of his charges against the Surveyor
General? Is it deemed essential to wing policy,
is it part Of The wing tactics of the Ledger, to
fore he has grown warm in his seat, and denounce
him as corrupt demagosue," as prostituting
his Office to base and selfish purposes, and ''di-
crossing from that line of policy which would
ensure an honest and proper administration Of the
! affairs of his Officer" Is the Ledger so much at
loss for something to do, tina, leaving off its
watchfulness over the eorruptons of locofocoism,
it must set itself to watching whgsp Can it find
other employment suited TO its taste or capaci-
tv, than that Of sowing dissentions in the ranks
of its friends. and waging war against those
OF its own household? Is it true that the corrup-
tons Of the whig party and its public servants,
have become so fragrant and outrageous, tina. 10
cofoco;sm finds more than il can well do to de-
nounce and expose them, and calls in the aiG of
wing press and whig editor to assist in the
work of denunciation and exposure? From what
we have seen, we are led to Judge that the work
the editor has taken upon himself is one altogeth-
er consenial to his tastes. When did he ever en-
hibit the same alacrity and zeal in abusing loco
focos, that he has lately shown in abusing wing?
When did locofoco corruption and misconduct
ever cause him TO display one-half the virtuous
Indignation he now exhibits over what he is pleas
Su W Sait vic Vi surveyor NeNeTa.
Sargent?
From locofocos such abuse nigh. have been
expec:ed:-it Is part of their vocation to abuse.
detract and Willy wings, and We expect always
TO find them al home in such work. They have
exhausted their powers of invention TO find topics
upon which to pour out their pent-up venom and
malignity against the administration of Mr. Fill
more; and il must be matter Of special rejoicing
to them that they should find in the Fairfield
Ledger" calling itself wag paper, portion of
their werk SO well done to their hand We have
already seen several of the locofoco papers of
this State gloatins over the precious morsels ex-
tracted from the columns of the Ledger, in abuse
OF the Viii, Surveyor General The whole loco
foco tribe are look ng on in exultation. laughing
in their sleeves, c'ckiing over the enjoyment af-
fo:ded them By so extraordinary scene, and
egging on the editor Of the Ledger TO fresh exhi-
billions Of his spleen and of his powers Of derac-
ton aud abuse. If he does not find his situation
an enviab!e ono, il will be from no want Of love
on their part for the treason. however they NAV
despiss the traitor.
But the editor of the Ledger is not satisfied
with his unjust and gra,utous abuse of Cen Sar-
gent he accompanies it with such an assump-
ton of independence and s'honesty' on his
part, and such reflection upon the integrity and
motives of the Wing press of Iowa, that could
| not be otherwise than offensive, if the source
from which the insinuatioa comes, and the mo-
tives which evidently impel the author TO make
it. could permit it TO be regarded with any other
feeling than contempt. The editor of the Led
ger has great deal vet to learn of the character
OF the conductors of the Wing press Of Iowa, If
he supposes there is one of them, the humblest or
the most obscure, that will not despise from the
bottom Of his soul, him who with so little sense
of shame, and so little regard for The character Of
the profession of which he is a member would
consgn every Wing newspaper in the State to in
fanny and eouiemp. as having been bribed and
bought up BY the Surveyor General TO defend his
course against the dictates of their conscience ana
their innate sense of right. The charge is more
dshonorable TO him that makes il than those
! against whom il is aimed. The infamy will rest
| with him, who finding himself BY accident in
coatrol Of wing newspaper, suffers neither
regard for truth, nor the interests Of the Wing
party, nor that ''esprit de corps which should at
least have shielded his professional brethren from
such unmerited reproach from such source,
from attributing to the whole Wing press of the
State, his own excepted, the most shameless cor
rnption and dishonesty aa
We feel that il is humiliation even TO attempt
defence of ourselves OF the Wig press against
such SANDERS. We know Of nothing in the pre-
sent condition or past history of the WING press
in Iowa that should subject il TO such suspicious
as are INDUCED in against it by this wholesale
lbe!ier And as little do we know hy what
right it is that he sets himself up to Judge hi. po-
! l.tcal brethren Of the press, and to pronounce
upon them his pharisa.ca sentence, s.stand there,
for am hoier than thol." The Wing press OF
Iowa Is at great descent, indeed, when it can
submit to receive lessons in independence and
honesty" from the Fairfield L,dger.r
The editor Of the Ledger with a self.compla
cency not wholly peculiar TO himself. rather en-
ul,s in the s:ngulary Of his position unsustained
as it is by any other Wing paper in the State
The position he occupies he deems, however. NAV
be easily accounted for by the fact that all the
other Wing presses in the State have been bought
up to his interest and secured by the Surveyor
General. ''They have all received Surveying
Contracts" says the Ledger. "Mne is the only
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