The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-08-31

GS-No advertisement competing with Balti-
more interests inserted in the Monhly
We have already expressed our reluctance, at this
time, to engage in any controversy with The Bal
timore american. We have expressly said that ''the
''present is not the time to analyze the causes
(Which have forced it into the position it has now
tassumed, or to question its sincerity or to con-
ftrast its inconsistencies" Co-laborers, for once
we would prefer to believe, in a common cause,
and animated by a common desire to rid our city
of the burden Of crime and lawlessness which op-
presses and dishonors it, we had rather abstain
from anything that looks like recrimnation, and
would gladly forego our past differences with our
contemporary, in our anxiety to further the OBJ
jects of our present alliance. But The american
of yesterday prefers charge against offs grave
q character, that we should subject ourselves to
just animadverson, if we failed, at once to answer
and refute it. The american accuses us of having
quoted, in editorial of Monday, ''parts of SEN
'tences, from its columns, $50 garbled and mutt
''lated as completely to misrepresent the meaning
designed to be conveyed" That ourreaders may
comprehend the precise grounds of this charge we
re-publish entire the passage in our editorial
which The american copies, and in which the al
legged mis-quotation occurs:
"'What The american desires Mr. Swami to do now is
nothing more than he has been bound to do at all
heretofore The it requires of him now are
those which he has given not but repeatedly and in
language as strong and solemn could use. The
american invited men to trust to his integrity year
ago. when on the eve of his election it said-hat he
will use all the power Of the city government protect
the legal voters the exercise of the elective franchise
After
still satisfied with Mr. Swanns integrity and capacity
for it assured that orders had been issued of the most
comprehensive character to insure full and adequate
protection
1t is the second and last quotation in the above
paragraph which The american alleges to have
been ESQ garbled and mutilated as completely to
''misrepresent the meaning designed to he con-
"yeyed," and which it accordingly restores as
follows:
although were, the the election assured
that orders had been issued of the comprehensive
character to insure full and adequate protection ,ye re-
gret say that could not discorer that any attempt .as
made By the police to execute them"
The american asks whether THE EXCHANGE can
reconcile the suppression of that part of the SEN
tence, which is tacised, with its ideas of truth
'fulness and honorable dealing?" We reply, I'M
hesitatingly, that we both can and do. Our quo
tation, we admit, was partial, but that it in any
wise ''misrepreScntcd the meaning designed to be
conveyed we deny. Even in the sentence as
restored by The american, it will be seen that no
doubt is intimated as to the "ntegrity or capac
"ty'' of Mr.. SWAMI, "whose ORDERS it had been
'assured, " were 'of the most comprehensive char
"acter TO insure full and adequate protection" 1t
only regrets the failure of the police to carry out
those orders And that, we submit, was the mean
ing, and the whole meaning of our contemporary
The article in which the sentence in question oc-
curs appeared in the columns of The american, ON
Saturday, October l6, l858-just three days after
Mr.. SWANS reelection. In that article-the
very one which we are accused of F'garbling and
''mutilating," so as completely to pervert its
meaning-The american said
whatever maybe the conflicting views of citizens
with regard to the of the city during past
two years. we think will contest dispute the
that there Is no man in community capable, in
every characteristic that is required make an efficient
and model Mayor than Mr. SWAMI The experience of
the past will add to his ability for the energetic per-
ormance of the duties position in the future as it
should, and doubtless will, be his ambition to challenge
The criticism OF even his bitterest opponents"
If this does not prove to the letter the truth O.
our assertion 'that, after the election, THE Aneri-
"can was still satisfied with Mr.. SwANNs integrity
"and capacity" we do not know what amount of
demonstration is required to satisfy the mind of
= our contemporary. Let the candid reader recur
once more to the quotation we are accused of hay
ing tgarbled and mutilated," and Judge for him
self as to the extent of the injustice which has been
done to The american
We again repeat that we have no desire to
enter upon any controversy with our contemporary
and least of ALL at this present time but as we
ourselves have been guilty of Misrepresentation
neither do intend to submit to any, We
therefore, repel with equal emphasis the insinua-
ton that we are seeking to array 'the independent
movement in hostility to the MAYOR and the
police. AS for the police-we believe that large
proportion of the force is heartily SICK as well it
may be, Of the present condition of affairs, and
earnestly in favor of just such a reformation as
it is proposed to attempt. The police feel too
sensibly the want of more efficient protection, in
the discharge of their duties, than the present
authorities afford them, not TO sympathise deeply
with movement which has for its object the
restoration of peace, and the safety of the people
As for Mr.. SwANN-we desire no movement in OBJ
position to municipal authority, but we want one
strong enough and willing, if need be- to dispense
with its aid. We would not reject the co-opera-
lion of the MAYOR but we would not RELY upon it.
This is all that we have said, and no other mean
ing can be extorted from our words With respect
to what The american says about ''animosties' -
&C.. we can only remind it that if any such have
been awakened, it has been by its own course
Several days before it issued its call for a Town
Meeting, we learned that number of merchants
were in consultation with precisely the same OBJ
ject in view. This we learned-not from any
official communication of the fact-but simply be-
cause it was the common talk upon the streets,
and so reached our ears, as-in spite of its dis
claimer-we must suspect that it reached those of
our contemporary. We have been told that one of
the Editors of The american was invited to become
a party to the movement. While these meetings
were still in progress, and before the merchants
had time to mature their plans, The american in
terposed withits call. Why it did so, we do not
care to inquire. 1t need not be surprised however,
to be told that its action, under the cireum-
stances, was viewed, not only by ourselves, but
by the very Committee of Merchants to whom it
has turned over the good work. Gas forestalling
''and preudicing movement already inaugu-
iraed nor think it strange that ssthe confidence
tof the community should 'fbe given more
theartily to the spontaneous efforts of the BUSH
'ness men of the city, irrespective of party, than
ssto an effort emanating from a paper, which is
'looked upon by many partisan" The very
disclosure which The American makes, in reply to
the structures of The Sun-of its own plans in re-
gard to the movement it assumed to inaugurate,
confirms the reasonableness of the suspicion with
which its Intervention was regarded. sit was our
ssoriginal intention it says, Ito select from the
sfist of signers one hundred good and true men,
ssfve from each ward in the city, without respect
''to party, and to place in their hands every thing
Gin relation to the organization of the melting
AS the entire complexion, if not success, of the
meeting would have depended materially upon the
character of the Committee thus selected, it is easy