New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-02-07
WASHINGTON.
p~blieatisn or the Laws The 1sDs -Csnsus
tiou-silliman-rhe Gat"es
RvSuefna.

Printing.
u--y..,s.1snes Of The N. y. Tribune rs, /. 1879
y..axorox, THURSDAY, fe'' D. 1917
~, s. If Me, got the flosr yes'er- Z
.ho.t time on BILL of which
\. = the suthor, provioing i'' -
- 4, our present mode OF pup ishins INC
...,.seut the selection OF the newspapers"
IN fhe laws shall be published is made py
a.. Secretary of State; and his arbitrary dic-
ar. exercised sometimes in defiance OF the
.I.inest dictates Of common sense and duty, de-
sisnstes the paper in which they shall be pno-
Eshed. Mr.. SMART illustrated this fact by re-
fsreuce to the State Of Maine, where Mr.. WEB
,rxR. in the plenitude of his authority, took the
ryinting away from one Of the leading wing pa
ner, in the State having circulation hardly
second to any other paper in the State, and rioi-
culously conferred it upon purely religious
journal of small circulation. and an organ OF one
Of the religious sects Of the State. Ii was done
apparently in one OF Mr. WEBsTER's plous moods,
and about the time that the antiquated and gar
rulous head Of the leading Orthodox College OF
Massachusetts, tottered up to the support Of the
political Israel of the Union Saving Committee.
Il was one of those sublimely sagacious political
strikes that nobody knows how to make but the
present Secretary
Mr. SMART proposes, and we think very Justly,
TO take this power of substituting the press, IRON
the Executive Department, and to establish by
law that the laws shall be published In each
Congressional District in the two newspapers
printed therein, which shall have the largest CIR
<xIaf;on: and that the advertisements OF the
Government shall he made in the same papers,
whenever an advertisement in particular Dis
tric. is required to be made. When it is stated
that there are no less than fifteen hundred news
papers which are the recipients OF the Govern
ment favors in this respect, the important char
acter of the patronage now exercised Is at once
made manifest, and nothing can be more proper
than to cut il up by the roots. Destroy as far as
possible all venal temptation on the part OF the
Press to support the measures Of the administra-
ton. Let these measures everywhere, aad at
oil times, stand on their own merits, so far as
10 possible At all events, let US have no paid
supporters of them. We look upon Mr. SaART's
movement az sound and important, and we trust
il will be followed up till the object it proposes
is accomplished. The House was disposed TO
treat il with favor but it failed by small vote to
obtain majority. But that the principle OF the
bill 1--WE not prepared to say as to the detslls)
will soon be adopted and carried out, we can en-
tertain no doubt.
Commodore PERRY is here, and is going out
in command of the East India Squadron. He
il awaiting the passage OF the bill now before
the Senate, establishing a new discipline in the
Navy, by way of substitute for the fiogglng
which has been abolished. IL is understood that
special instructions will be given to Commodore
PERRY, in regard to Japan II would appear
that the administration has concluded to make
demonstration in that quarter, and Commodore
PERRY is the man elected to try some kind of an
open sesame on the japanese. We are not sure
the administration have not determined that
Jsyan's cur oyster. which We with knife will open.
II splash is to be made and the walls of the
Navy Department to be lined with nine.penny
prints, commemorating the achievement, Com
modore PERRY is the man for the occasion The
world will never know the glories of ToBAsco
and Com PERRY, unless it visits the passage
ways Of the Navy Department at Washington,
and observes the gorgeous illustrations of the
renowned exploits of the ToBAsco expedition.
We do not remember, however, that the blood
less enterprise of Capt. ALvARADo HUNTER, so
distastefully chivalric to the Commodore any,
where figures among those specimens of art.
We are glad that this movement toward Japan
is set on foot. II the Navy can be put to some
useful labor it is a subject of rejoicing 1t costs
rs over ten milliOns Of dollars year to support
il, and we usually have to take our pay in glory.
Professor SILLInAN is giving course of lee
tuses on Geology at the Smithsonian Institute.
Last night, as many who wished to attend the
course were turned away as were able to obtain
admittance to the contracted lecture-room OF
this Institution. Ii the idea OF the Trustees
originally was, as il seems to be now, that Mr
SxIrnsoN's desire for the "increase and difiu.
sion Of knowledge among men" could be best
accomplished by public lectures, we wonder at
their shortsightedness in sacrificing so much as
has been sacrificed in the building of this lnsti-
tuto TO picturesque appearance and architectural
novelty. The edihce has an imposing and
beautiful appearance externally, but ii is badly
eontrived for anything like popular lectures. 1t
has but small hall at best, and the labyrinthine
avenues OF ingress and egress 10 that are about
on a par with the underground passages o the
burial places of the ancient Egyptians. As the
Trustees have got building for shop, we would
suggest that they now hire or buy one for use, if
they mean to follow up the plan of popular lee
lures
The great Gaines case was finally closed TO-
day, and went to the Court at its adjournment
for final adjudication. A weeks hard labor has
been spent in the augmentation, and the most
powerful efforts have been made on both sides.
The suit involves many millions, and has been
In Court, in one form or another, for quarter OF
a century. Its settlement will involve an i'm
mense loss-to the loungers.
The Senate had an anxious sitting on the Cen