The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-02-14
From the Union of Saturday.

Having exposed the motives which dictated the
abusive attack made by the Republic on certain
members of Congress. and having set forth the
steps by which that journal has come to be swayed
by such motives, did not intend to recur to the
subject; and we do 30 now only to correct the la
bored Misrepresentation of our position contained
| in that journal of yesterday. We have not said
that the bills the Speakers table improper
and unconstitutional. They may or may not be.
| Doubtless many of them meritorious-proba-
bly, some of them are not; but we have never gone
into that question. We have simply stated that it
was held to be perfectly proper to defeat improper
and unconstitutional measures by producing delay
| leading to their abandonment. 1t is immateria
| whether we do or do not consider any measure
now pending improper and unconstitutional. It
is not our judgement which must regulate the con.
| duct of members of Congress, but their own-not
| what we think, but what they think improper, un
constitutional, and dangerous to the public morals
ought be resisted by them with the weapons which
/ parliamentary law affords Our position ia, that
when they really believe measures of that char
acter, it is their admitted right to resort to
ments of delay in order to prevent the passage of
| s.ch measures. Members of both parties have fire.
| quentiy gone even further. While on this point,
we would remark that we have been informed our
illusions to the French Spoliation bill have been
misunderstood. We have not examined into the
merits Of that bill, and did not wish to express any
opinion with regard TO it. We alluded to it only
one of many bills interest in whose passage
might account for the patriotic indignation with
which the Republic denounces any delay of bust
now as factious and revolutionary. 1t was of
that view we alluded to it. With this explanation
we leave the subject, not feeling that any other
Misrepresentation of us in this behalf can harm us,
frOn uhic
shuttle off this mortal coil'' without exciting the
regrets of any.
From the Union of yesterday.
In exposing the motives and character of the
Republics recent unexampled personal attacks
| upon Democratic members of Congress, we have
not only done enough to render all such assaults
from that quarter quite harmless for the future but
we have also succeeded in cho king off the Republic
from its abuse of Congress, and in concentrating.
its impotent malice upon ourselves. Our object of
vindication and defence towards members of Con-
| gress is thus accomplished. If the expiring or
cams personalities against ourselves were at all
worth minding, and, above all, it they had, pur.
ported to have, the slightest bearing upon the poll
| icy or conduct of the Washington Union, we might
perhaps be induced briefly to reply to them. But
such is not the fact; and the dying and dscredted
organ is quite welcome, on condition of DECENT be-
| its venom is exhausted, or the already numbered
days of ita existence spent By such attacks it
does all in its power to us; and 80 we turn it
over to the scorn and indignation which the chief
journals of it's own party pouring upon it,
and against which, itself confesses some shield
| or defence is 80 much needed.
We present the two articles with which the
Washington Union proposes to close the con-
troversy on the Democratic disregard of public
business in the House of Representatives. Hav-
ing placed both sides in our columns so far, it
would be impolitic to withhold the comments
| by which the Union intends to consummate its
defence Of the obstructives, and its assaults up
on the course Of the Republic. To have de-
prived our readers OF the opportunity of judging
of the manner in which our contemporary has
met the accusations that have been preferred
against its friends, and the extent to which
| it has shirked the evidences that have
been adduced in support of the accuse
| lions, would have been to foster the belief
that the Union discharged its task with an
effect adverse to our convenience. No belief
of that kind can exist as matters stand The
devices, the lodges, the suppressions and per-
versions of the s'organ" are all on record; and
it were folly not to transfer closing passages SO
characteristic and significant as those we print
to-day. They are designed to be received as
notes of triumph. There is not man of ave.
rage discernment who has watched the pros
gress of the discussion who will not pronounce
them proofs of conscious weakness and defeat
They amount to surrender of the positions
SUCCESSFULLY assumed by the Union, and con-
fesson that its silence is more serviceable to its
party than its rhetoric or abuse.
4 We charged that certain Democrats are re-
sponsible for the present extraordinary condition
of public business in the House, and that the
disorganizing process by which they have man
aged from day to day to delay or defeat i'm
L ~ - Do.a