The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-17

We did not near tho ueoa'o 1" '''o $4,000
vsstsrday.s on the Public Printing Nor did we
hear the speech of Senator BoRLASD' on The
same subject. We have, however, been ap-
nrizsd of statements made in both, which re-
ouire our attention and we have the high graft
fcation of being able TO show that our whole
course in relation to this transaction has been
without reproach.
Mr.. GoRmAN states that the editor Of the
Columbus Times, who was here some weeks
ago. made overtures TO the Committee on Print
ing, for portion of it for the Southern Press,
and offered to pledge this paper to an acquies
cence in the Compromise, and to the support of
the Baltimore nominee. As to Mr.. Forsyth,
he can answer for himself-and so can we, and
90 will we And therefore, we now state, that
posed, or intended to do either, that is to sup.
port the nominee of tho Baltimore conventio n,
or to acquiesence in the Compromise. On the
contrary, when such things have been proposed
to us, as they have been, we invariably and
promptly refused. And no person has ever had
any authority, express or implied, directly or in
directly, to make any such offer. And we re-
peat, that we have never offered any pledge,
promise, or stipulation of any kind whatever.
Mr.. BoRLAND states, we understand, that the
senior editor of this paper proposed to him to
give the printing to the Union ind Southern
Press, and that he refused. He did refuse to
give it to the Union at all, in whole or in part
We urged him to do 80, on the ground that the
Union was the organ of portion of the Demo-
cratic party, and that portion agreed with the
Southern Rights party more nearly than any
other party, or part of party. But he was in
flexible. In this refusal we differed from him.
We thought such an arrangement the only one
that could be made under the circumstances,
with any proprety. 1t is true, we differed from
the Union widely on some questions but on
those we differed perhaps still more widely from
the Republic or Iatelhgencer. and on some
questions We agreed with the Union, and the
Compromise Democrats. of the North and South.
1t IL true, we were aware that the Union, under
it's present editorial control, was occasionally
scurrilous, and generally incompetent, but then
we had limitations that the present editor, il
was hoped, would retire from the chair. II
thus appears that our position has been uni
formly consistent and irreproachable-
that we have never said word in private TO
any member of the committee in the slightest
degree incompatible wih ,ohat ,0e had before said
publicly in the editorial columns of this paper
And since the revelation Of private converse.
lions 10 the order of the day, we not only waive
all objections to the publication of anything we
have said on this subject to anybody, but we
defy any man to state anything that will impli
cate US, in the slightest degree, in any inconsis,
feney. We converted with Mr.. BoRLAND, we
<hink, twice, and with Mr. STANTON twice, on
Ihe subject. and in all these cases at or near the
close of the committees deliberations on the
subject. and because we understood they had,
or were about to decide, on the fatal and mon.
strous coalition of the Union and Republic. We
made no reference 10 prices nor had any knowledge
of bids. We did not even examine the law on
the subject until the day before we published it,
and did not dream that in what the committee
proposed to do, they were acting without legal
authority. We are thus entirely exempt even
from particle of improperly in reference to
this whole transaction. We are even utterly
exempt FROM any design to break down the
Union, for aay cause whatever. For, if our
counsel had been followed, that interesting con
Germ would have been preserved, for the mortifi-
cation Of its friends, and the amusement of its
foes.
But Mr.. GoRMAN states that the proprietors
of the Republic never called on him, or on the
committee on this subject. WE'LL as resort has
been made to private conversations for the pur
pose Of injuring the Southern Press, we now
call on Mr.. GoRmAs to state the private con.
persations of the proprietors of the Union to
hi@ and to the committee ia reference to this
coalition? We ask him whether they or one
of them, did not advise suggest, or urge him
or the committee to vote for giving this printing
to the Republic and Union ? And we ask Mr.
Truman SMIrH and Mr. HAVEN whether the
proprietors or friends of the Republic did not
call on them, or one of them, to advise or urge
that arrangement? And we would ask further,
whether, when this question was first agitated
in the House, apd resolution offered on the
subject, whether Democrats did not 20 about
20 persuade Wings in the House, to vote
against suspending the rules to consider that
resolution telling them that the interests of the
Republic newspaper would be injured by con-
sidering the resolutions Now, all this difficulty
has arisen, a. most others that have occurred
in this government since the establishment Of
the SoMhern Press, from disregard of our
advice. Let any man of candor and common
sense, consider our advice, both on the Compro-
mise and on the Printing, and he will be CON-
PEELED 70 confess that if it had been followed,
things would have gone on much better.
ny the way, we learn from that very authentic
source, private conversations, that the Republic
has made new compromise-thal il has prom.