New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-01-12
oueusy married. Tho opinion all! vel repay

SUPPOSE will atone for everything else. We must
acknowledge our obligations TO the gentlemen WHO
| were 70 hind a. thus 10 enhgbten ns. Unit we
read the report Of their speeches, we had dismal!
failed to compute with accuracy the number oil Ad-
mirable CrichsoLs ia the House. Now II seems
they are all honorable creatures, and are, to man,
ike Csesars wife, in everything save sex. AND
YET. reasoning from our past experience, we should
hardly have supposed that the equanimty OF these
excellent members could have been so Thoroughly
unbalanced by single letter and BY single leader
in pubic Newspaper. We are little puzzled 10
know WHY the Minr esota Land BIZ! should excite
such Tremendous Robbery. As if there were no
other bills of kindred character as if lobbying
were word which Congressional gentlemen had
not compelled US to invent as If a member OF Con-
eress had never taken bribe, and had never been
,u,pected of taking one until the ninth day of JAN
usry, in the year Of grace one thousand eight hun
bred and fifty. seven Men should be what they
seem; ard If the men of Congress are not what
they seemed to be on Friday we may surely drop
iropy. and proceed at once TO an examination OF
their speeches.
A charge has been made in public journal OF
corruption in respect Of the Minnesota Land bill.
The Juror with which Mr. Kelsey resented this
was most painfully abated by the almost instan-
tbneous statement of Mr.. Paine that he had been
approached BY the drummers for the bill, and that
be had been offered the sum of Fifteen Hundred
Dollars for his vote in its behalf. We have never
read in Parliamentary history Of anything more
ludcrous than the quandary in which members
l. IL rauh wOud
been delightfully."- soporifc thing to have attributed
the who'e accuss..on to go,siping mendacious
and irresponsible newspaper; it would have been
comfortable to have lodged the whole affair BY
sending the Sergeant alarms after an editor In
New-York, or possibly after an editor IN Minnesota;
but to be forced into an investigation by the avowai
of an honorable member, made 10 his place, was
indeed a sudden surprise. We wish we could say
that the House met the emergency with proper
dignity. Unfortunately, gentlemen saw fit to make
remarks with which we have something to do,
and of which We have something to say. Ii
members of the House of Representatives please to
make fools of themselves, they cannot object, If
they are held up as fools to the laughter Of man.
kind.
The tone of the debate which followed Mr. KEEL
sey's motion was one of contempt toward the press
in general, and toward the New-York press in par
ticular. Mr.. A. K. Marshall was fearful Of bring
ing the papers printed in this city into ga sort Of
"respectabity," aid characterized them as /" con-
"tenptble tbings." That immaculate person, Mr.
Lewis d. Campbell, could not think of taking no.
tice of can editor, his assistant or a newspaper
"penny. a-Iner," or Of any charge made through
manufactured rags and lampback and OIL" Mr..
Brenton emitted bad metaphor upon that poor,
miserable class that hang around this hau IN the
"shape of demented fragments Of humanity, for
"tbe purpose of gathering up every whisper and
"word, even in private conversation and circulating
cit through the land" Now what can be more
superativey silly than this We might speak
with perfect propriety of the immense influence
which the newspaper press is acknowledged by all
enlightened men to exert throughout the civilized
world; we might, with all modesty, recur to the
services which it has accomplished in behalf of hu.
man happiness; We might, without fear of the re-
suit, compare its usefulness with tina. of all
the members f the present Congress and of
all past Congresses; we might speak of
it. az it ha. BEEN spoken Of by writers
not swayed by any connection with 1t to e1tenuate
or to fatter. We might show that while it has
enlightened cottages it has made cabinets trem-
BILE; ana that it has, wherever and whenever it
has been unhampered, diffused intelligence and
promoted progress. But we prefer to adopt
shorter course with the sagacious trio above men
toned We prefer to ask few plain questions
Who are you, Mr.. A X. Marshall, that you should
loftiIy talk of "a sort of respectabiity'" What
is there in your habits character or attaiuments
which entities you to assume the censor, and IN
this way to Judge the respectability of "New-
York newspapers ," Aud you, Mr.. Lewis D.
Campbell you too must have your fling at the pub
lie journals. You have made many weak speeches;
believe us, when We say that you never made
weaker one. Is this the reward which your CRATE
full heart bestOws upon newspapers for bolstering
you sgainst facts, against convictions against your
own persistent blunders, into a quasi "respecta.
bility Think for moment Of your foolish ut
terances covered up, passed over, treated with an
unprecedented and hardly justifable charity, and
then reconcile your sneer with the vulgar graft
tude due from q drowning man to those who have
saved him. And a, for you, Mr.. Brenton, permit
us to assure you that were il not for the reporters
Of whom you have conceived so cOptemp.uous an
opinion, you would be forgotten in month. The
press daily makes and unmakes far greater men
than you, without even suspectiDg i. Assume a
wisdom, then, even if you have it not
The ludcrOus straddles made by the House in
supporting its dignity are worthy Of moments
notice. Il would have been mira dig. to consider
charges Of corruption coming from mere eiitOr,
but ii was quite another matter if they came from
IN editor who happened also TO be s L eutenant