Washington telegraph., 1856-05-07
From the NJ o. Bee.
President Pierce Daguerreotyped.

The Washington Sentinel is, and always
has been, firm and steadfast organ ot
the Democratic party; in its unshackled
expression of opinions, and the manly and
independent course it has pursued, it has
been IN striking manner in contradis.
tlnction from the Washington Union,
which is universally recognised as the or
gan of the administration rather than of
the party. And here we cannot but re-
mark the difference in the tone of the
political press in England, and with us in
so far as it is an exponent of the views
and policy of either the government or
the opposition. The Times, Herald, Post,
News, and other leading papers would
lose caste and influence at once,were thew
persistently to advocate measures merely
in consideration of their origin, and indie
pendent of their merits On the other
hand, the party press with us is fettered
and bound down by the shackles of par
ty, advocating or opposing measures as
party interest or policy may dictate An
organ IN particular has no discretion or
volition of its own it is played upon as
an instrument which is made to execute
a piece of music with accuracy and preci-
sion by the mere mechanical effort of the
performer We, therefore, look for no
exercise of judgment, free will, originality
or Independence of thought or execution
in professional organ grinders.
We do not suppose that in any possible
event during the existence of the present
administration, President Pierce or his
Cabinet could commit an act, however alb
surd and in opposition to popular opinion,
or detrimental. to the public interest, which
would not be justified and vindicated by
their mouth piece-the official organ
An instrument of this kind, occasionally,
when in the hands of an unskilled per
former, viii emit false note, but it is
Immediately corrected; it is rarely out of
time or tune, and, of course, it has none
of the charms of variety and novelty about
it. The conductor, editors, and mana
gers have as little will or volition in per-
forming on it, as the grinder of the hand
organs we see in our streets
We have been for some time past anus
ed, and edited too, with the iarring discard
of sounds from two instruments, each rep
resenting influential branches of the Dem
ocratic party-the one, that portion of the
party in favor of the reelection Of Pierce,
which is principally composed of Office
holders-and the other, the Independent
wing OF the party, opposed to him-:he
friends of Buchanan, Douglas, or rather
any one else than Pierce. The Washing
ton Sentinel is the organ and exponent of
the latter.
The Sentinel is telling the public some
home truth 1t has had during It's three
years experience ample opportunities of
observing, judging aud duly estimating
the private and public qualities OF Presi-
dent Pierce, and weighing the merits and
dement's of his administration. The edi-
tor speaks from the card. knowing, as
well as he does, the character and policy
of Pierce, there is some reliance to be
placed in his revelations. He tells us
that with the Democratic party at large,
be has been wofully and outrageously de-
ceived and imposed upon by the election
of Pierce to the Presidency-that "Pierce
is man noted only for imbecility and po-
liticai treachery'-one that ''has done
more to damage the Democratic party than
any other man that has lived in the last
thirty years"-that she is absolutely odi-
Gus to large portion of the Democracy
of the country" that ''his administration
will be referred to in future as political
abortion ''but for single meas
ure (the Nebraska) into the support of
which he was absolutely forced, it would
have sunk ere this beyond the reach of
resurrection" n"-that cit will be an eternal
warming to the party ''no future
political mariner need be in doubt as to
the course he should pursue''-that 'he
has only to do what Franklin Pierce has
neglected to do, and to leave undone the
things which he has done, and he VIII sail
in the clear waters of truth''-that she
has struck down the best statesmen in the
land (meaning Dickinson and others) and
all but demoralized the only true national
party (meaning the locofoco) in the Uni
ted States"
|. He tells us that the President, in a
large number of instances, has turned
national and conservative men out of of
fee, for the purpose Of supplying their
places with Abolitionists and DisunIOn-
lists.
This skillful and accomplished artist
gives the finishing touch to this picture in
the following dashing style:
1--WE have no real fears that Mr. Pierce
will be re-nominated; We believe the day
for the weak and trucking political ope-
rator is past; we have been the victims Of
one accident which the American people
will never forget; nevertheless, If we
would counteract the influences of govern
mental patronage, and secure an honest
expression of Democratic sentiment in
Cincinnati, we should at once let the light
of the day shine in upon the Vaccinations
of an administration the most corrupt,
and Chief Executive the most imbecile
that the annals of the nation can furnish.
For the sake of our country's honor, for
the sake of our party s credit, for the sake
of everything that is near and dear to us,
as people, we trust death-blow will be
struck in the approaching convention to
the miserable pretensions of the whole
race of double-dealing, scheming political