Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-02-21
EVENING STAR.
WAS NGTON CITY:
SATURDAY ............ February 2l, 1851.
sPIRITOF Tbs MORNING PRESS

The IatslIigencsr comments at some length
upon the reports Of the recent House investi-
eating committee. After expressing his graf.
ifeation that the testimony taken disproves
the allegation Of sweeping corruption in the
chamber made By the wondermongering press,
the editor thus properly rebukes the act Of
the committee in stepping ont of their way to
denounee every nevsr aper in the country for
Gas they sllsge) participating in the work Of
casting iDputatiOns of general corruption upon
the Congress Ct the United States:
I'VE must however, in justice to ourselves
rs the conductors Of the Nstional Intelligen-
GER take leave TO express our dissent from IN
generality given to tie statement mace py the
committee when they say that these 'rumors
Of corruption after being caughs up ny
"nevspaper correspopdents'S and transmitted
TO their respective Journals under the head OF
Startling Intelligence" OF astounding deVel-
opment, are thea published, IN one form or
another, jy eTeyY fiS9c5yhzTrT al re country,
with such comments and variations as the edi-
tors Of the different papers may see mt to
make. Our regular readers. We are persuaded
will bear US witness that cur columns have
never been made tie vehicle for the trausmis-
sion Of general charges affecting the character
" integrity Of the House Of Representatives,
either as = body or as individuals. aud We
think they will further do Us the Justice to be.
Iieve that such general eriminatioIs, without
Foundation, are a. little according to our tastes
IS cur hsbitudes n the general conduct Of tbis
journal. That the committee, properly care
iui to exonerate Congress from the rude and
reckless imputatiOns which have been cast
upon II by certain writers and presses should
take occasion to administer a Just rebuke to
that "licentiOusness Of the press which tends
ny indulgence In hbelous elimination ~ TO
shake the confidence Of the people in the
purity Of their representatives. we end quite
Just and proper This subject has already
engaged our attention, and the conclusions Of
the committee ere such as we have sought to
enforce in our columns And We have thought
III necessary again 10 make this allusion 10 the
subject only Tor the purpose Of taxing some
exception TO a charge which, by tho generali-
~ OF its terms, 4 uggest.d probably by the
testimony Of one OF the Hitnes ses,) seems as
unjust to Us as those sweeping imputations
which the committee deprecats when directed
against the general character of Congress"
The Union scou's me ijea that there il a
possibility that an extra session of Congress
will be n ade necessary By the (alleged) liz
tention Of the Republican party to contest the
adoption o! The resolutions of expulsion re-
ported from the Investigating Committee to
the bitter end. Condo III ing severely the posi-
tons taken by Messrs. Bennett and Gr,u on
those resolutions, the editor calls on "the
solid, discreet, and Influential Republicans Ct
the House" not to follow their example, lest
they thereby "d-ive the last nail into the cot.
nm Of their party organization.