The true Democrat., 1856-02-26

bers of Congress over the signature of H. G."
 We can credit any honest man with willing
 ness to die for principle; but none but fool would court martyrdom by the use of vulgar and degrading elithets.--N r. Mi,ror. Personalities and their Consequences. We have published all account of an assault
 upon Mir. Greeley, of the New York Tribune, by Mr. Rust, of Arkansas, provoked, it is un-
 derstood by some sharp personal strictures from
 Mr. Greeley's pen. A,r. Greeley's own account
 of the matter presents him ill no reputable as- pect whatever, even to his friends; and we
 should infer from his statement that some of
 those whom he calls his friends present with him at the time, took care to absent themselves just at the time that Mr. Rust made his attacks. We do not know upon what sort of theory
 Mr. Greeley rests his practice, either as a jour- nallst or private citizen, or whether he thinks the two are distinct characters. As a Washing
 ton correspondent, however, he writes over his own initials and thus takes the credit, and
 must be supposed to bear the responsibility for
 what he says. Even his own friends are begin
 ming to adopt this view of 1t, and one of the affiliated presses of the republican party thus speaks to the point:
 "Greeley has been attacked twice this win ter at Washington, and he had better make up
 his mind to strike back, or else give up letter. writing. Mir. Greeley has been unpardonably offensive in his letters-for more flies are caught with sugar than salt-yet his disposition to drive men right up to his mark, when he could as well coax them to his views, IS most unfor- tunate trait in his character.
 "We believe the attacks made by Greeley's pen have seriously impeded the republican cause during the struggle to elect Banks, and may be has defeated the election of that gen. tleman. No man has escaped Greeeys ve- nom, who did not do exactly as Greeley wish ed. It may be independence thus to cut right and left, but Horace Greeley ought to show his manhood when he is cuffed and kicked about the streets or else dilute his ink.''
 There are some wholesome advice and time ly suggestions in the above remarks; and con- ing from one of the same political complexion, ought to have due weight. But of course, they will only provoke, if anything, rude rebuf Aside from the particularly of the ar gument above, in reference to Mir. Banks and the Republican cause," the spirit and purport of remark is very comprehensive. The tone of the press, as general thing, is intensely per- sonal; indeed, where 1t is not restrained by pervadng and habitual sense of propriety, it seems utterly indifferent to the personal rights of others. lfhot anxious to provoke, 1t is oft en incapable of resisting the provocaton of others. Thus the press is resorted to by the thoughtless and vindictive who happen to be in any way connected with it, either as the com- mon agency for the promotion of their own personal ends or the ready instrument by which to avenge their real or imaginary sights, or the lndlgntles they may receive. And, with too many, the most violent language, the most of fensive epithets, the most reckless charges or insinuations are indulged, and all this under the notion that it is quite within fair construction of the "liberty of the press"
 The evil of this thing is beyond calculation, and the wonder is that the peace and order of society are not more frequently disturbed in consequence. It Is very rare that personality is in any wise essential to the purposes of news paper discussion. What we all have to deal with in this country are the principles by which men are governed, and these constitute prop CT subject of remark at all times on the part of the press and everybody else.
 The notion that man is fair subject for the abuse and ridicule of the press, and for pub- lie scorn, on account of the principles he main- tans, is but another phase oi that despotism which would hold one man subject to the opi- nons of another; and this is what the quoted paragraph above from the Cleveland Herald attributes to MT. Greeley and the Tribune. It Is true that this is a common abuse of the press and the rostrum, but it only shows the prone- ness of human nature to exercise just that amount of despotism, which opportunity, means and circumstances admit of. It is the man who conceals his principles because he is ashamed of them, yet works secretly or insdi- ously to impose them upon the popular mind. who, when he is detected, becomes the proper subject of public apprehension. Yet the press constantly presents the bad example of abus- ing the individual, and attempting to degrade tim personally, in public esteem, who frankly and unreservedly proclaims and advocates the principles and sentiments which actuate him. So long as these principles are not in conflict with the constitution and laws, and the advo- cacy of them is not of an incendiary character or contrary to good morals, they may be safely tolerated. And he who enunciates them should be exempt from the abuse of the press and public force, otherwise the freedom of the mind, is but an empty pretence, and silence knavery and hypocrisy the only safe expedi- ents of the timid, the cautious and the irreso- lute. In Europe it requires courage, and some- hines the loftiest heroism, to nerve a man for