Arkansas true Democrat., 1859-06-01

the most sensible articles we have vet 0oon on the subject of per diem For express- ing hls opinion on the subject, Mr. Hooner the editor of the Madison Journal oot into controversy. The Pioneer discusses the subject temperately and fairly:
 Per Diem.
 We have been requested bv soro.o1 oe our friends, who did not take inc p;onoor or some time back, to give them orr ;aoel upon this question, and why we have not engaged Tn the discussion which has bean gong on between various papers in the state. flrst, then, the question comes m. I1au 'he members of the late legislature of Afkailsas right to their per diem pay dur- ing the recess, and while the members were \at nome and not engaged in the service of
 e otate; To this we say emphaticalIv wat we do not think they had I riobt to receive that pay in any sense of the word We believe the Pioneer was one if mt tbn very first paper in the State that snola '', af thls matter, strongly upholding the Hon Speaker, Mir. 0. H. Oates in his coursa o, the subject, and censuring the members and Speaker elect, after Mr. Oates. for tbo;r course. We do not think the question ;s one admitting of discussion. qlpa tha may have been reasons operating tbere mn known to us that caused some of tho ,,o,r1 perS' who would not otherwise have dono so' to take their pay, or even to vote fo, tbo law But we do not think sucb oo,,ae SHouia De allowed to operate on the minds oI men selected and sent there to serve tba;r constituents; and consequently. altbougb if may may mitigate, It cannot excuse their conrsa dhelr course should have been to have ctood hrm' and voted down what they thonobt "rohg' or at least to have recorded tb7 votes agalnst 1t. The question narrows l'Seil down to simply that of yiqht o,d "Fo'lg' and we decidedly think they did wrong Tn either voting for or accentino if They had done no service for it-tbere waS no use for the recess-and they sbonId not De pald for It. Nor will the excuse that it was the act of the Governor avail them. TOT m II they had not yutuolly dissolved the Iouse oy asking and granting leave of ab sehce to members the Governor would never have dissolved them; indeed he couId not do It until they-the members-bad reduced the House below a quorum. Tn truth the whole cause was, that tbe mom- pers had'determlned not to agree on any, thlh8 except gong home, and some had determined when they did go they would be paid for it, and they effected their oh Ject and added another to the Iono Iist If 9co" "ctS o1 the Arkansas members of le- SlSlalure. In our opinion, more high handed act of the kind was never consnm- mated Tn any country than this of our mem Ders. The amount of money, aIthouqh that IS about $l0, ,000, is mere sono com. pared with the wrong of taking it, the pre- cedent established, and the name abroad ac- qulred for the State by these members.- but It IS now question for the members and their constituents to settle. and we leave 1t with them.
 And now, as to why we have not engag- ed Tn the discussion of this question. Itis simply that we thought it could do 70 qood be of no use to any one: and as we had no political name to make, no personal wish to gratlfy, no personal enemy to take ad- vantage of, we thought we would more pro- htably employ our columns than by enter Ing into It. In common with every citizen We nave our own opinions, and have no fear to speak them freely. But occupying. as we do, the editorial chair of a paper. de- signed to be family paper as well as political journal, we did not deem if our duty to enter into the discussion unless we could see some good to result from it. In almost every case the discussion has de- generated into mere personal quarrels: there being really no question to discuss there could be no other plan. And we do think there IS no practice so much to be regretted Tn our American newspapers, as this con tiiued quarelllng. Scarce question can be raised, or discussion entered into, but it degenerates into personalities too disgusting even for men to read, much less the family circle, and this is kept up by the lockers on, who seem to regard it as a sort of lite rary bear-bating, and they enjoy the hard lcks given with as much zest as the fan cy' do the encounters of the ring. Why cannot this be pped-f-owned down, an let gentlemen when they discuss question do so ln gentlemanly manner; when they want to have quarrel, let them go at it privately, and not parade it ont before all the readers of a newspaper If they want
 N'i'N" "9oiOH' iS' I'0lnOildlIllch ana personal deiormltles al one; and when the question is exhausted then-stop. This is doublv the case among men of the same political creed. You will see men claiming to be democrats trying by every means in their power to put each other down, and for what purpose?- to rise on their ruins; and many of them care not if the party go down also, so they rise to little short-lived glory, and get to " strut across the stage'
 It is because we think this way that we have not entered into this discussion; for we believed from the first it must end in this way, and instead of helping it on, we would gladly aid in checking this quarrel ing propensity, and thus place the press in Its proper position-'' watchful guard of the liberties of the Union." Besides. we have thought this no time to discuss this question, as we cannot go behind the act and we think the best plan would be to wait and if these men should againask vonr suffrages, then administer the rebuke re. qulred, by voting against them. This would have the proper effect, and be the proper way to do what is wished.