Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-01-29
sPIRTrOF rHB MORNING PRESS.

- 1901 .
SPIRTTOF THE MORNING PRESS.
The Union gro VS. indignant over az erroneous
statement In / late journal Of Commerce co.,
earning the advertisements of the Govern
ment, from imagining that the mistake arose
the persistent misrepresentation of the Herald
upon the subject. 1t would be we'll for our
friend of the Union to take such things coolIy.
To attempt to stop the food of tie Herald's
fslsehoods would be a. unsvailing as the never
to-be-forgotten effort of the danes Of olden
time who tiled to sweep back the seas tide
with q bToo7. Our plan Is fsr more pbilo.
sophie. We g let en- slide knowing that
1t is impossible 10 come in contact with the
4ralds fish without being defled
A correspondence the Union, over the sig
nature of Y, while essaying to make an arsu-
ment in favor of the enactment OF u bill to
Increase the pay of the 81. 200 clerks In the
Departments in this city, pretty effectually
defeats all chances for its triumph through the
lack Of common sense be e7inces in his argu-
ment
and sniablo John Barney, that he was a SOD
Of the late Commodore Joshua Barney, distin-
Suishei in tde annals OF the Revolution and
the war # 1872. Re served one term as a
Representative in Congress from Baltimore
This YVES from 1926 TO 1927. Up to within a
few days I his death Mr.. Rarnsy appeared
to be enjoying, beyond ordinary example, the
advantages Il l green old age"
We also find 10 the Mtsiifgea,sr letter
from Mr.. j. W Simonton, the Washington
correspondent &c the New York Itsles, in jus-
tifcatiOn Of his original publication with refer
enee to tie integrity of Congress, and his re-
osut course when undergoing examination be
fore the investigating committee, from. which
We extract as follows:
CATER answering 10 my responsibility Tor
al communications in the New York Daily
Times over the signature Of my initial and
especially Of tie letter In one issue OF the 9th
criticising certain details of the Minnesota
land bill, was asked whether knew of any
"corTupt combinations to secure the passage
or defeat Of any bills pending before the ures-
ent Congress ?" answered uneq uiv ocaiIy in
the negative, and that had never profess i
TO have Aud let ne say that the editorial
article in the Times Of the 9th instant yh!ch
the committee make the initial point of their
investigation, distinctly stated that its charges
were based upon " moral cOrviotious'' alone;
that the proof of gnil. IN these cases was nearly
or quite impossible. The simplest and c,earcst
Inference OF the article was that 7ce, above all
others. we're not prepared to furnish, nv our
individual testimony, evidence to sustsin these
convictions; and VIC gave them to the public
therefore, for what they migh. be worth :: {
cautions to fas.en pIolic attention upon the
subject AID provoke tie vigilance which
might detect tae crime or deter men from lis
contamination To deny that righg and duty
OF the press is 10 destroy utterly its power rs
q conssrvatcr If public morals l am re-
heved, then, from the iuputation CT having
made in the press unjust charges, which I
must sustain By 9peciEc proofs, drawn from
my personal knowledge, in the legal sense.
After honestly declaring that L had no
knowledge Of corruption, am / not right in
assuming that. under the rules Of evidence,
ths' universal in the Judiciary of every con-
stitutioral uovernIlent, ii was impossible for
me to become IN contempt in regard to tie
pending issue! Under these rules of evidence
1t was Lot pertinentfOT me to give as testimony
anything that Gi1 not know personally, how
ever much might believe it, Notwiths,apd
ing this, the committee insisted upon nv re.
lating the uncertain, Indefinite, disconnected
incidents or observations or suspicious which
had tended TO produce my convictions or opin.
ioIs. Knowing that answers to these questions
were utterly and absolutely inadmissibIe. un-
der the whole practice Of the cou-ts Of law
and iDadmissible by every rule Of Justice, and
conscious that, even If the committee had apy
Judicial powers whatever, they could not ex-
coed those OF The courts themselves, foresaw
that they had no right to and therefore could
not properly punish anything said in their
presence which would Lot be pertinent as evil
dence The committee subsequently justified
me in this view, thus 1 protested formally
and frequently against being called upon to
give my opinions In testimony 1 urged its
injustice TIE danger that l might cast publ.
suspicion upon Individuals Ia consequence OF
the subtle aud uneOntrullabie operations Of
my own judgment without suficien. cause
and insisted on the improperly Of disclosing
my individual convictions when had not and
could not have tie means of plating tie
same convictions in tae breasts Of Others 1
plead with eaEnesiness on these points for il
was my right as witness, prior to the passage
Of the law which dOU5 less will 10 into opera
ton tomorrow, not only TO keep out OF the
peniteDtiSry, and 20 avoid prosecution in the
State courts tor sd nder, but to say Nothing
which sEOu,d sub Jet lie tC urjust aspersions
even, so long as | was not called upon to say
II under the common law In answer 10 all
this the committee assured me-and they will
II
-Ih4t IehGiFrsT S~Gs S.0t Isga! IsSl.m0ny
ac0Hid 'l0t BE- matt puzzle, Ia! b, srrlrk n
our "
Take Tic Torst view Cf the CASE Of the sc
members, AMI / only know t5at III all evil
hour they Se.n tempted, and mat / know in
confidence 1 have no knowledge VI any fact
to show tEat they did Let a: oEce repent Of i,
gave then no opportunity to say Iae whole
thing ~as iJke, and DC not know that they
would not have IePudiated it had ey;nced a
readiness 70 dispose Cf them ia the market
1eE 2tatisn Is rot siu God save Us all if temp
tstiOp 20 siE IS conviction OF guilt. Would !
not De recIsant 10 every principle Of honor if
through base fear If personal conseq uences,
should cClSeat 10 draw tie veil from such Q
conhdenee-a co: hdence which covers my
knoE!edge Lot u crime, but Of a tempta.
rion only 20
1aAI VOLCANO IN VIRGINIA We notice q
repreLen'!b!e disposition on the part CT some