The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-07-16


Public Printing.
At tho request Of an able and influential Dem
ocrstic friend we insert the following comments
on the Printing question, suggested to his mind
by yesterdays proceedings 10 Congress. With
out expressing any opinion As to the correctness
of his views, we publish them as an act OF court
esy. All kind Of rumors were rife about the
Capitol yesterday. Among them onslto tho
effect that the amurdered Coalition" had been
revived TO take the benefit of Mr.. GoRMAs's bill,
and as several prominent Wings supported the
bill, it gave some color to the idea.
For the So.uher,. Press.
You contradicted in the Press of yesterday
morning the report oct afoat by the letter writer's
that it was un fait accompli by the late Demo-
cratic CAUCUS, that the Washington Union news
paper was to have the public printing. The
proceedings of the House to-day, on the bill
reported by Mr.. GoRMAn from the Printing
Committee, sustain You in the contradiction.
The bill itself, doubtless commando the appro-
baton of majority Of the House. Yet the
chairman Of the committee signally failed to
carry it through, under the application Of the
previoas question. But 40 gentlemen were in
favor Of it, while the nays were nearly double
that number. Now, why is it, that party meas
msjerty of 30 in the House, has thus failed 1t
is because the Democratic party in the House
does not know who is to get the benefit Of the
bill when it passes, and what men and what
principles are to control the Washington Union,
when Gen. ARMSTRONG is elected printer. I'm
der the pressure Of decided opposition from a
majority of the Democratic.party, Major DoNEL-
SON, its late editor, has been forced by the
straits of the Union newspaper to retire. Yet
Maj. DoHEL,oN still haunts the Capitol, still
hangs about the Union office. and how docs the
Democratic party know that when the printing
is voted to the Union, Maj. DoNELsoN will not
be re-instated in the editorial tripod to repeat
his experiment Of making the Compromise
measures the test of Democratic orthodoxy?
The whole difficulty in settling this matter,
vital it is to the Democratic party, arises from
a want of concert among the members of the
party in Congress. In the face of the enemy,
on the eve of great struggle, the Democratic
members of Congress have no mutual under
standing, and are perfectly disorganized. have
heard them compared to two hundred fowls in
= barn-yard, among whom handful of corn
has just been thrown-every one picking up the
grains for himself. Now, public printer can
not be chosen, except by the nearly united
voice of the Democratic party, and the mis-
take that General ARMSTRONG has been max
ing is. that he is trying to force the print
ing through single faction of the parity
There are three wings Of the party in Con.
gress-the Compromise, the Southern Rights,
and the Freesoil. These must be brought to
agree, or there is no printer And must be
permitted to say that it is highly dscreditable
to the party in Congress that it thus exhibits its
weakness. While the Wings are actively en-
gagged in printing and distributing documents,
exhibiting, as usual, double face-holding up
ScorT to the Nor,h as Freesoiler through the
speeches Of GENTRY and TooMBs, and PIERCE
to the South as Freesoer through contrary
testimony-the Democrats are like flock of
sheep-disunited, dsorganized, and quarrel
ing among themselves, and all for the want of
such an understanding as five minutes of COM
mon sense conversation ought to bring about
IfGen ARMSTRONG will take the proper steps,
and exhibit proper spirit of Cancellation, Cor
MANS bill might pass, and an arrangement might
be made by which both he and the party would
be gamers. If he does not, he may hang up his
fiddle, and the party must get along without an
organ, and take the consequences of meeting the
disciplined and regular forces of Whiggery in
November, with militia rabble.
DEMOCRAT.
~ Dr. JOHNSON had very correct notion of
the delights of editorial life, and has condensed
an trVtk int ~