Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1852-1852, 1852-05-25

the Washington Union, in a late number OF tile
Columbus Times.
MOBILE, May 4th, 1852.
The Washington Union Of the 23d ult., con-
tanning the following, has been brought TO my
attention. o.,
THE CoLrMBrs T1MEs-The editor OF the
above press, after spending some weeks here IN
an effort to make coalition with the Washing
ton Union, to divide the public printing between
it and the Southern Press, goes back to his trade
of slander and calumny, and cries out bargain
and corruption" because the committee OF the
two houses of Congress have performed their
duty, and contracted for the work upon such
terms as they have thought best for the public
interest We have rejected al coalitions, wheth-
er proposed by Mr.. Forsyth, of the Columbus
Times, or Mr. Fisher, of the Southern Prest, or
anv one else. Will Mr.. Forsyth explain how
long it was after we rejected his terms of coall-
ton that he thought Congress ought to give the
printing to the lowest bidder? Will he tell his
readers in what respect it is that the committee
have violated the law Of ls46, prescribing the
duties of the contractor under the low-bid Svs
tem?"
To which l have to reply, first that "slander
and caumny" are not my trade" and he IS
calumniator who says so; and second, If 1t were,
l have not "gone back" to it from Washington,
because have not written line of editorial tor
the Times, except in letters, for the last three
months. demand of the Washington Union
to make this explanation, to relieve me from the
false attitude in which it has placed me before
its readers of being changeling of opinion at
the suggestion of interest. The gentleman to
whom in nv absence, l entrusted the editorial
management of the Times" has expressed his
opinion (which he had perfect right to dog on
the mode of executing the public printing. On
that particular point, do not agree with him.
1 believe the system to be dead failure and en-
perience has proved that it has only resulted in
embarrassment of the public business and ruin
to The contractor, except where Congress steps
in to relieve him from the effects of his improvl-
dent bargain or greediness to get hold of gov
ernment contract upon any terms believe it
is Just as proper in political party to elect a
public printer of its faith, as to elect speaker,
a door keeper or sergeant-at-arms. And l
believe the true principle to be- to ascertain the
actual cost of the paper, composition and press
work of the public printing, and allow the pub
lie printer fair profit in fixed per centage-
and by "fair profit" mean such profit as SINH
lar amount of skill, industry and capital would
earn in the same business if done for indlvldu-
ais instead of the government. am opposed to
the system of robbing the Treasury to enrich
party favorites in printing jobs or any other jobs
If the census printing for example can be exc
cuted to the satisfaction of Congress for $780,
900, as believe it can, am opposed to giving
the editors of the Union half million of dol
lars for doing it, because one of them was pet
of Gen. Jackson and the other carries scars,
which Gormon so eloquently dwells on, and both
were advocates of the compromise of 1850. 1t
appears then that have not changed my opin-
ions on this subject, as the Union has advertised
me to all its readers
The Union talks about a "coalition'' that
proposed understand by political coalition,
a union between parties of different principles to
effect particular object. Invent to Major DON
elson as Democrat, proposing to Democrat,
a measure believed necessary to harmonic the
party Maj Donekon never did reject my pro-
positions. On the contrary he at first entertain
ed them-he even selected distinguished De-
mocratis Senator to confer with friend Of mine
on the subject. That conference came to naught
But from the beginning to the end of our inter
course, Maj. Donelson neither accepted nor re-
jected my proposals. l could get nothing out of
him in the shape of direct answer. The bur-
then of his song was "wait," 'wait," "be eau
tious" Twas amazed at, because wholly unused
to, such rare and muddy diplomacy as that with
which he met plain proposition to take step
l deemed necessary to re-unite the Democratic
party and give it an organ. Maj. Donelson fire.
quently said to me that it was hard that the
Democratic organ (meaning the Union) could
not obtain from Democratic Congress the pub
lie printing. said to him, the difficulty was
precisely that the Union was not the Democratic
organ-a large portion of the Democratic party
Gts southern wing) did not regard it as Demo
cratic organ and told him, what has since
proved true, that without such arrangement as
| proposed, he could never get the printing from
the present Congress, unless he made coalition
with the Wing party. At this thought he was
automatically indignant, but the thing has been
done.
But Mai. Donelson was not so avcrse to " Goa
ltions, as he terms them, as he affects to be-
He proposed a coalition to be personally. it
was to 90 into the Union as a co-edtor-a posi-,
ton in which l understood, as Southern Rights
man was to be tolerated for the sake of few
Southern Rights Democratic votes in Congress
I rejected this coalition" for two reasons-lst
1t would not attain the principal end l had in
view, the re-anion of the wing of the party, and
I'd, it that could not be done, and the war was to
ba GoDf I'm hatuaan tho namonrotic