The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-09-16

<as a.- e-tr september ~, 1905,
2 be Editors @ hs UFton ~
GESILEaEs The recent appearance In the public Jour
nais, of letter addressed by Hon Reverdy johnson to
Judge Douglas expressing great sympathy with the pos
sition OF the latter gentleman n his Illinois CONTEXT an
he also recent publication OF speech delivered by Mr.
Douglas at Freeport IN that State appear to to be
circumstances which, taken in connexion afford fair
ground for criticism upon both productions which
the former OF them at least might not have evoked unless
quite extraordinary consequence had been given to 1t
by The appearance of the other The letter Of Mr. John
son. in despite of the singular nelegance Of i style and
the obvious nconsequence of its nierences might well
have been passed over by his friends and admirers
1t might have been attributed TO reneroas enhsasm
evoked upon sudden oecasioa aud more valuable as
such perhaps by OF the apparent nconsierate
ness with which 1t thrown off, But when It happens
that while Mr. Johnson paying such weghty testimony
TO Mr. Douglas soundncss and is volunteering such
responsipie endorsement of his position Mr. Douglas
himself nroceeds to take ground directly opposite to that
occpied by the South, by the Supreme Court and by
Ar johnson himself in one of his most afous arsis
mens--and that too upon Question az Vital import
In the great question at issethe rash character of
Mr. Johnsons letter. and the inconsistent position In
which he placed unless he shall revoke his words
appear fair subjects for remark by his fellow citizens
The appearance of that letter. it is said gave great
surprise TO the President whose relations to the writer
had been such to leave ground for susricon OF
difference between them upon topic OF such interest
to the former this Kansas uiiiculty We are not told
that the Presidents surprise extended beyond the tnons
expressed ia the letter but we do not think he would
greatly have erred in the expression of some ams2cent
at the wonderful opaqueness of the letter ITSELF We
have no disposition to be hypecritica aud ready
to admit that the graces of style are perhaps
secondary such occasions, to the strength of the
thought But when, in such production the greatest
axty and crelessness of expression the vehicle for
rapid and broad infcrences equally loose and careless
and for style of reasoning highly inconseduentia
grave error is DONE not less to the truth of the
than to the Just of language particularly nexcuabe
in an eminent civilian And, therefore, reference to
instances Of this SORT in the letter in question may
Justly be interviewer with notice of the positions it
sumes
We think that quite brief review of some points of
the letter will to display the poverty Of the afg,-
nent not less than the vicious character of the style
In speaking Of the impossibity of ever obtaining an
universal concurrence of opinion all points, by public
men, Mr.. johnson says M
70 exact universal accordance in all measures of po
cal policy however contrary they may be to past opin
IONS sanctioned at the time by general approval and to
ostracise those who differ and especially on measure
from its very nature of temporary duration and influence
is not only unmixed party tyranny but the very
Of folly" a3t tE
Now, .ch s Ays are that arc CONTRARY to past opin
ions, or 10 whose past opinions they contrary or
ichas he hings that sanctioned" or at ssbA
''time or by the general approval Of whom they
supposed to be sanctioned who it is that is to exer-
else the right of ostracsing or who they upon whom
it is to be exercised from eoa these last supposed
ito differ matters that may be clear to Mr. John
son S mind, but surely not to 'those who differ
from him as to the ordinary of language and this
anteccdcnt, descriptive part of tie sentence being nin-
egble it is, of course impossible to say what it is
that is meant to be characterized as 'unmxcd party
tyranny and 4the very Of folly" We do not
know that the complication is at all unravecd by the
succeeding sentence:
"And yet his is the character of the hostility which
some of the democratic presses now SO ruthlessy
wagipg against you"
This, being designed application of the preceding
description b affected by its doubts and therefore the
nrYlc ,,,1n lox.
erence and il is further impossible to see how the whole
construction justi6es the of ''hostity which is
not gernane to the predcaed hypothesis In further
reference to the course of that hostlty and in the
midst OF long sentences he intmatcs that the effect
may be that the success Of the opposing leader ncon
wil be hailed everywhere ty his to GERS as the death
knel OF the democratic party. Quite likely. Every
cador followers generally represent his success in
an important contest little less than the death- -knel
OF his opponents. Being general habit of politicians it
is therefore not clear that in this particular instance it's
use should In any especial manner, cary well caused
alarm to the friends Of peace, &C. nor are we any
more clearly certified what uol-cn,sed alarm is or
whether ''well, implying ''better' and sbest" I" be
properly admissible to qualify causation at ALL or
whether wellcaused alarm be any better phrase than
the commoner constructions of "an alarm Justly caused
or "a reasonable alarm Mr.. johnson proceeds
The madness of such course naturally excites spe-
cal wonder amongst all the friends of the present admin
isttion who look only to its true honor and success
influenced by petty motives of personal spite to who
and unquesoned good faith contributed so much to fur
ther the general of policy which have Of late
years established and with TRUTH for the party the title
of National" 0f @ as.a
1t is not clear arha course it that is qualified in
the first line of this sentence 'nad." For several
lines preceding the writer had been speaking of the hcre
ica doctrines of Mr. Lincoln, and of the course his fol-
lowers will pursue in the event of his success &c. Per-
haps tbs meant to refer to the before toned action of
the newspapers but the next preceding action mentioned
in the context being that of those followers in pro-
nouncing the ''death knc of democracy is entitled to
strict connexon with the Immediately succeeding refer
ence to such course else these words have nothing
to which they strictly belong. The word NATURALLY
is tauological implying Supernatural causation in the
premises, which har and special wonder
is redundant the epthet is itself inappcabe and in
stead of emphasizing clearly dminshes the force of the
wondermcnt said to be produced 1t is easier also to
conceive how the madness of any course of proceeding
should be the occasion Of the expression of wonder than that
ii should be the acoe agent in GocIy it and it would
seem harder for that g madness to excite wonder
:" amongst people than in Me minis Of those TO whom
presented. The words " to who, like YOURSELF a
little below, awkward pcriphrnsis of yourself
and the turn thereby given to the form Of expression
weakens the dircctness of the compliment and general
zes away its force by implying that it is not specially ap
pcable to Mr. Douglas 1t also dctracts from the wide
Of the compliment to be told that abors performed
" for mary years and with so much ability' and
good faith have only 'of ke years produced any ef
feet Moreover, spposng Mr. Johnson TO refer to the
madness OF the course Of the press and Others in OPP
posing Mr. Douglas he obviously denies everybody the
privilege of honestly differing with him inasmuch he
implies that al the friends of the administration "who
look its honor and success and actuatcd by
motives Of petty spite, must regard that course as