The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-01-23

| SOUTHERN SENTIMENT VS.. SCyTIfEfN ABUSE 81
THE New YORK HERALD.-We psb&ish to-day q
leader from the Richmond Wing, in which the
editor says that ''the recent numerous articles
Of the New YORK HERALD ION the LecOmptOn
convention and constitution have been marked
by sound and practical common sense and in
dictate, in our judgment, the only course which
the South can pursue with safety and honor"
This, we have reason to believe, is the Southern
sentiment; but our Richmond contemporary is
careful to qualify it in advance with little of
the choicest leaven of Southern abuse.
Thus our Richmond philosopher informs his
readers thathe has "but little respect for the
motives which inspire the course of the New
YORK HERALD on any political or other ques-
tom" that "itb venal journal, and traffics its
opinions as a pedler his wares, always having
an eye to the main chance, and it's whole
thoughts bent on dollars and cents;" ana that
lit will advocate or oppose any measure with
out moments reference to its merits or its
effect upon the country, and utterly regardless
ofits own notions and convictions
These,indeed, are sweeping allegations; but
they are only among the variations of the old cho-
rus of our disappointed rivals and broken down
politicians party organs, party hacks, and va
gabonds of every degree, who, from time to
time, have had occasion to remember>us But,
as for quarter of century we have not only
lived down but have hourished and continue to
prosper pari passu with the malignity of our
enemies, we can well afford to despise the i'm
potent inventions of their malice and envy.
To our newspaper contemporaries of this or that
party or faction, right or wrong, the indepen-
dent course pursued by the New YORK HERALD
has been mystery which they could only &C
count for upon the spoilsman's theory of bri-
berry and corruption. Let us cite a few cases.
When the HERALD came out in support
of poor Pierce for the Presidency, the secret
was alleged to be bonus from the democracy
of fifty thousand dollars; when we trotted out
George Law as an experimental live oak can
didate, it was understood that Live Oak
George" had come down handsomely; when we
dropped him, 10 and behold! it was because
we had received in Mariposa scrip, the valua-
BILE consideration of two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars for supporting Col. Fremont.
In advocating the administrative policy of Mr..
Buchanan, it has been charged, North and
South, that the HERALD only trafics its
opinions as pedler does his wares" "utterly
regardless of its own notions and convictions"
Lastly, our peculiar views upon financial
and commercial affairs have been diligently
set down to the account of fancy stocks and
Wall street kite-fying and swindling specula-
tions.
We presume, however, that il is hardly ne
cessary to assure our Richmond contemporary
that all these alleged cases Of buying and selling,
and thousand others, were and are but the
''weak inventions of the enemy" We have
never been bought into the service Of any poll
tician or party or party candidate and have
never been sold into the service of any admins
tration. We have never dabbled in Wall street
fancies, bubbles, swindles or stocks, to tho er-
tent of dollar. We have outiived our black
mail libellers; and, in reference to all sorts Of
lobby jobs and plunder-mongering, we can
court the closest investigation. If our Rich
mond contemporary, therefore, can produce any
specification and any proof of the "venality" of
the HERALD, and that IL "trafncs its opinions
as pedler his wares" let the fact and the
proof be produced or let our accuser stand
forth confessed libeller. Is not that fair!
For twenty odd years, through good and
evil report, the New YORK HERALD has been
about the only Northern journal that has
unfailingly INDICATED the constitutional
rights of the South. Our reward from
Southern politicians has been, in season and
out of season. plentiful supply of abuse
and blackguardism. We are at length on the
high road to the conviction that Southern
honor is the most transparent of Southern alb
stractions; and that Southern chivalry, among
Southern politicians, is Southern insolence and
vulgarity. Who comes next?