The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-08-18
instinct and principle which belong to its calling

instinct and principle which belong to its calling.
1t was not easy to understand, without this key,
how public journal malicious and INSCRIPTIONS
as it might be- willing, of its own motion,
to place the free PRONUNCIATION of the truth, by
other journal upon level, as evidence and an
COURAGE" with the tumultuous crimes of rioters
and cut-throats. The solution, of the mystery is
simple enough, when it is once made manifest,
that the language used and the sentiments adopted
were but reflection of the complaints of the
criminals, OF an echo of the indignation of those
delinquents who patronize or protect them.
The same fact accounts too, very satisfactorily,
for another circumstance, which our readers cam
not have failed to observe-we mean the latitude
nous and comprehensive sense in which the word
''provocation'' is employed, by our contemporary,
to justify the deserts which it is alleged that we
have met in the destruction of our property and
the attempt to murder our clerks. 1t was not, as
will be noticed, the 'sprovocation" given by us to
the parties by whom our office was invaded, which
entitled those worthy indicators of public justice
to extend to us the "deserts" in question. 1t was
our having ''vi6ed the character of the MAYOR
and STATES ATTORNEY our having made ''per-
petual assaults on the MAYOR and Police of the
City''-our having, generally, provoked a breach
of the peace'-our ''want of moderation and dis
elimination in exposing abuses (which made
our eighbor rejoice that we had not ESCAPED our
share of the responsibility" We had become, in
other words, excessively dsagreeable and annoying
to the functionaries referred to, by exposing"
their 'abuses''-our name was of an evil SAVIOR
in the nostrils Of the MAYOR, and the STATES
ATTORNEY, and the Police of the City, and it was
good thing-an excellent thing-not exactly law
full to be sure altogether proper to be advocated
in plain terms, but still thing ofwhich the 4mer-
lean could not wholly dsapprove, that riot, de-
struction and murder should be invoked, to settle
up Our sinful account! We deserved it. 1t was
our own fault--we were as bad as our assailants-
there were ''two parties to be punished '-''both
were guilty of violating the public peace '-''the
violence which provokes, is not less reprehensible
than the violence which assaS,' and if not muir
dered it was clear that ought, at least, to have
been handed over to the mercies of Judge STUMP
or Justice MEARIs to be dealt with according to
law, and not according to custom
Let the reader 90 over the shameful article to
which we refer Let him read it and ponder over
it, if disgust and honest Indignation will allow
1t amounts TO what we have said, and to nothing
more, and nothing less. 1t means-as the doctrine
and precept of leading journal, living by the pa
tronage of honest and law-loving men, and ad-
dressing civilized communty-that the errors of
the press, if errors there be, may be rghtfully
plated by blood aud that the remedy of the lcence
of Speech if licence there be ALSO is the budgeon
the revolver of the outlaW or the assassin A nublic
journal which writes casuistry for mob, and
makes nice distinctions for evildoers-which pirates
to them of the distinction between ''provocation"
and justification unfolding the one as right,
and family and metaphysically discouraging the
other as not quite SOS the disguised but substan-
tia apologist of riot, and covert sympathizer
with assassination. Such, we know, is the opinion
of great part of the good men of this community
now-such we believe that it will soon be, alto
pether.