The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-05-27
THE MORAL CHARACTER OF THE NATION.


1t will be for no want of effort if the news
paper and periodical press Of the United States
do not establish for us most hateful moral char.
acter What with the Georgia railroad hoax and
the publication of every conceivable offence against
society, the funess of our Legislative committees
of investigation and tho chronic habit Of political
writer's to impute mercenary and malicious motives
to every public mar and act, we certainly stand q
fair chance of being considered very immoral and
dishonorable people. We are aware that all this is
something Of an evil, and imposes upon truth and
justice severe task to bring things to rights 1t is
an evil resulting from the operation Of great and in
apprcciable blessing wo mean, Of course free
speech and Judgment II is the disorder of the
school-room, where the teacher is doing all in his
power to enlghten the pupils, but finds it next to
impossible to preserve perfect government over
them 5
1t may however, be suggested that the press
might, perhaps with profit promote a little more
comfy and observe closer regard to the integrity
of its averments concerning and things. The
origin of the evil the reader win recognise in the
great political contests which involve the admins
traton of the government. We need no proof to es-
tablish the fact that at these periodical elections
there are to be found all sides large class of
men who act upon the maxim that the end justiiies
the means. Indeed if we look back upon our poll
tics, for the last eight years especially shall find
that the opponents Of the democracy have conducted
their campaigns upon the dstinct idea that misrepre
sentation s ustfable in order to enable them to
complsh certain political objects Such has been, in
truth, our whole controversy the subject of sa
very in the Territories because contend about it
we may in Congress- that body could not prohibit its
existence or bring it into being. Local communities
who are interested in the subject, who to be af
feced by it, in this free country will never permit
any mere foreign influence or authority to decide
such question for them If they want slavery,
they viii have it if they do not desire it, they
will prohibit it,. ,s This is the law Of that ques-
ton and yet it has been 80 long bone Of con-
tention in Congress- that the two great sections
of the Union absolutely seem to be the real parties
to the question Of its recognition or rejection by the
people Of the Territories. - t ~ gaa'1etl%
Precisely 30 it has been with other matters Of i'm
portance connected with the general industry Of the
country .," Protection TO American manufactured
was for a long time the special war cry Of great
party and those who believed as we doubt not
many did believe, that it was the duty of the gov
eminent to tax one branch Of industry for the profit
Of another, denounced with the bitterest ferocity
what was known as the free-trade men of tho demo
cratic party, The latter were charged with being
in league with foreign capitalists, mercenary and
hireling politicians who woulI bring down the labor
of the country to the level Of the pauper industry Of
European States. 1t was FREQ press that did this.
The question itself Of intricate econon,-
ical nature but the principle which guided the
democratic party is best expressed in the fact that
they desired to be able Ito sell in tho dearest
ket and buy in tho cheapest Market That was
their offence That they were moved to adopt this
great free trade idea by tho splendid success of the
system Of constitutonalfrse trade between the var
Gus States Of the Union, we do not doubt.
" We aude to these matters purely incidental to
the subject showing TO what various causes il TO be
traced the system Of misrepresentation in poll
tics which has done 80 much to impair our national
standing as a moral, upright people. We have no
fear of the result The truth will work its own way
to light The character of the country 10 infinitely
better than it 10 represented and we much prefer