The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-04-18
As might lie expected, the Potter and Pryor

As might lie expected, the POTTER and PRYOR DIFF
fculty, as it is called, has not only been freely
talked over and argued pro and con in private Cir
ces but has proved the fruitful theme of newspaper
comment as well. The three great New York daes
have each had a leading article upon the subject,
and with unusual accord, all agree in blaming
Mr.. PRYOR for the commencement of the affair,
and in laughing at him for its termination. In
the case of The Herald this was but natural. The
Editor of that paper and the Virginia Congressman
have not been on the best of terms for some time
past. 1t is not very long since the Editor in his
paper called Mr.. Pryor "a filthy liar and bully"
and spoke Of him as 'the slanderer and beast
'rom the benign mother of Presidents" The
Congressman, in his seat, stigmatizea Mr.. BEN
NETT, in turn as "a wretch who wears upon his
''back the sears of many meried chastisement,
'and upon his heart the faint of every conceivable
'abomination; a vile and filthy beast whose name
''is the execration of both continents " After an
exchange Of delicate compliments like these, it
hardly to be expected that The Herald should do
otherwise than take that view of Mr. PRYoR's
recent difficulty with Mr. POTTER, which should
be most dsparaging TO the former. We are not
surprised, therefore, at reading in its columns,
that the Virginian skunk out of the affair in the
most pitiful way, and that he showed a feather
''whiter than snow, and larger than any ever
''known in any pathological museum since the
''deluge" If the animus of The Herald, however,
is apparent in what it has said upon the subject
that of The Tribune is not less So The Tribune
Is VIGOROUSLY journal with one idea. That idea
IS hostility-unsleeping undying hostility, at all
times and in all places-to the institution of Slave.
fy. From this solitarys ndpoint The Tribune
views all men and subjects alike, and treats and
Judges every question, whether of public pri-
vate conduct. Now Mr.. POTTER is Republican,
Mr.. Pryor pro-slavery man. This is enough for
The Tribune. Mr.. POTTER is forthwith invested
with every attribute of high and manly heroism-
Mr.. PRYOR loaded with every epihet of coarse and
vulgar abuse. In qualified degree, the same ex-
PLANTATION may be given of the course of The
Times in reference to the matter; though as the
Republicanism of that journal is Of much less
malignant type than that with which The Tribune |
Is afflicted, its structures upon Mr.. PRYOR, accor-
ding to Its wont, are proportionably mder as
well as expressed in language, much more becom-
ing. 1t does not think Mr.. Pryor to be a coward
~
sing Mr. POTTER TO be one tconsiders that in Mr. |
POTTER, Mr. Pryor has caught a Tartar, and |
foreseeing whole crop of duels likely to grow
out OF this single occurrence intmates that he has
wandered into tribe of that people; and finally,
after visiting both parties with tender censure,
throws thechief blame of the affair upon Mr. LOVE-
JOY, and his indecent and incendiary harangue.
Now into these questions, one and all, it is hard
ly necessary for US to say, we do not propose to
enter. We have no disposition to discuss either
the ethics OF duelling in the abstract, or the ap
plcatiou of the rules of the code to this particu-
lar case, and we have even less inclination to
undertake the vndcation of Mr.. PRYoRs valua-
bic character from the aspersons of the New York
Herald To be abused by The Herald, is by most
public men esteemed rather compliment than
otherwise, and we doubt not that Mr. PRYOR so
considers it.. What we do think, however of
sufficient Importance to justify, at least word
of passing comment, is the nefarious attempt
of the New York Tribme-and the same re-
mark applies to all the Republican Journalistic
make political capital out of the affair. Not con-
tent with finging the smiest and stickiest of
mud at Mr.. PRYoR-which is q sufficiently dirty
business of itself-Ths Tribune sets Systematically
to work to nfame the minds and passions of the
people of the North against the people of the
South 1t represents Mr.. PRYoRs challenge TO
Mr. POTTER to have been the result of a deliberate
conspiracy on the part of Southern members to
suppress all freedom of speech on the Republican
side of the House 1t does not scruple to assert
that the challenge was concocted and resolved
upon at meeting held by leading members of
the Democratic party. 1t justifes Mr.. PoTTER's
acceptance of the challenge upon the express
ground that it was his only chance of escape from
assassinationi Now we do not suppose that the
editors of The Tribune believe one word of this.
Neither do we suppose that they are SO dull as
not to understand perfectly the effect which such
statements are calculated to produce. We have no
doubt that they both comprehend and intend
that effect The whole article-of which we
have rather under-stated, than over-stated the
spirit and burthen-is but another evidence, if
such were needed, Of the reckless determination
OF the leaders of the Republican party to widen
the breach already existing between the North |
and the South, and to make more deadly and
irrecosceaole the conflict between them. For
that purpose and no other, Mr.. Porter il mt
forward as tie champion of Free Sneecb and Froe
Institutions. Had he been killed, he wor1d boro
been mourned as martyr, and his fame would
have been second only to JOHN BRowNs. A. b.