Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-02-19
WASHINGTON, ID. G.
vEsP ASIAN ELLIS, Editor.

MONDAY. FEBRUARY 10. 1855.


Tue Sentinel Of yesterday extracts from our
editorial of Friday last, small portion thereof.
and adds, by way of comment, the following
remarks:
"Such is the reply Of the Know-Hothing paper
TO our comments ON its articles-comments that
certainly free from any expressions that would
offend the most sensitive mind. Wehave neverput
forth any claims to " superior strength and power
of intellect We have never boasted of the pop
uarity Of the Sentinel or Of its extensive circula
ton.
"If the above unbecoming personal illusions are
the best arguments the Organ can employ to re-
lieve its party of the charge of abotionism, then
its cause must indeed, be wretchedly weak.
1T is not astonishing that paper which co-ope-
rates with the aboltionized Know-Nothings Of
Massachusetts, and which speaks 80 contemptu-
ously Of " niggerism," should repeat with uncon-
cealed satisfaction the stale and stereotyped sar-
casm that Horace Greeley often quotes by way Of
ridiculing the gentry of good old Virginia"
Theabove is fair specimen Of the accuracy
of that journal Of late, in its comments on
our positions and principles. The extract
quoted by the Sentinel formed no portion Of
our argument or illustration, in reply to the
Sentinel, but was preliminary to our reply-a
preface.
Yet the Sentinel assumes that the extracts
quoted by it were the arguments employed
by us "to relieve its (our) party of the charge
of aboliionism" We have adduced abundant
arguments and proofs to refute this gratuitous
and unfounded charge made against our party,
but the Sentinel has not seen fit to give its
readers the benefit of them, but contents itself
with stating that our personal illusions to that
print constituted our arguments! What means
the Sentinel when it asserts that we "co-op-
crate with abolitionized Known othings in
Massachusetts,? If it means that we favor
abolitionism, it means what it knoaos to be ut
terly untrue If it means that we were in ia
vor Of the election Of Senator Wilson, it means
what is equally untrue.
What means the Sentinel in repeating the
idea that we speak of "niggerism" by way Of
"ridiculing the gentry Of good old Virginia r.
The Sentinel knows that we entertained no
such purpose, in the use of that term and yet
it reiterates tho idea that we apply the term
"niggerism" to the institutions of the South,
and thereby ridicule the people of the South.
Is this the Sentineps candor? If 80, deliver
us from i'll We said, in the very article on
which that journal is commenting, thus:
"By 'niggerin,' we mean that clap-trap
hunbug,' which demagogues have seized hold Of
to alarm the South, and excite the North
at is ghost, a hobgoblin, paraded by anti
slavery men before the eyes of the North, to scare
them into the belief that some awful danger il i'm
pending over them, which will engulf them ere
long in ruin, and which the Forney and Pierce Or
gans and orators parade before the South to fright
en- them into the idea that they to be eaten up
as Jonah was swallowed by the whale, and that the
administration party, and they only, can slay this
istence moro frghtfdl by far than that of classic
notoriety-s Monstrum horrendum, intorme, in
gems, oui tmsen adenptun.'"
We are perfectly content that the Washing
ton Sentinel should misrepresent our opinions,
and even repeat its Misrepresentation after
zoe hare corrected them, if such be its pleas
ure; and we are thus content, for the simple
reason, that we do not believe it has the power
to effect its obvious purposes. If the Sentinel
can convince any portion of the country that
the american Organ" is not sound on the
question of State rights, and thus diminish
our influence at the South or elsewhere, we
shall be greatly deceived fit can convince
one sensible man that we use the term mig
gerim" in any other sense than that which
we have avowed, it must be that man only
whose good opinion would be IA curse!
"Niggerism" is tho remaining stock in trade
of the firm of Forney, Pierce, and Seward,
whose agents (the Sentinel and its coadjutors)
10, nf +loI
purchasers can be induced to pay, in order to
save the above copartners from utter insol-
vency and ruin. The South is now the great
market for its sale, but if we are not misin-
formed, the market is overstocked-sales are
dull, and purchasers scarcel SO much for
"niggerism."
|. We did not commence the contest with the
Sentinel That press waged bitter war Of
epithets upon our party and its principles, be-
fore the Organ had an existence, and it has
continued that warfare, at intervals, to the
present day. Not until recently, however, did
1t aim its shafts especially at the Organ, when
with degree Of injustice not expected from
that press, it charged upon us, that we had Vi
olated our pledges, as well as our consistency,
in not denouncing the election Of Senator Will
son, and that we were faithless to the cause Of
State rights. The Sentinel, in the extract now
under comment says that its comments upon
the Organ "were certainly free from any cx-
pressions that would offend the most sensitive
mind"
On this point we are directly at issue with
that journal, and we aver that its comments
were highly offensive, and that we would be
tame indeed to submit to charges not only Of
faithlessness and inconsistency in our political
course, but Of encouraging aboltionism.
Such were substantially the allegations made
by the Sentinel, whilst our professions Of State
rights doctrines were ridiculed, and the avowal
made that it was not because the arguments Of
the Organ had any Strength" but because
they were Of a mischeivous or dangerous ten
dency, that they were noticed by the Sentinel
We thoughtwe saw in these assaults very
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