Arkansas true Democrat., 1860-01-04

ward and the True Democrat Here he
 eliminates. His charges are first that
 Johnson employed, as assistant editor of the True Democrat, Woodward, who, as
 an old line whig, wrote over the signature
 of "Iototot' in abuse of Bob Johnson | and other democrats-tha Woodward was
 also member of the know nothing party,
 and says he ,was employed with money to abuse him. Il suppose Woodward was em' ployed to assist in editing the paper with
 out any reference to Col. Hindman. He,
 as did many others in the State, disapprov- ed Col. Hindman's course, and therefore,
 in his capacity of democratic journalist
 reflected upon him. He was paid no doubt for the labor of editing, as are most men who are employed to work at any thing.
 Unless man had purse without bottom, or golden goose, and then fond of work as a .pastime, it would be difficult mat ter to get him to work without remunera- tion, and Col. Hindman thinks 1t was le- gally right for members of the legislature to pay themselves without rendering ser vice; 1t is new rule which condemns pay ing for labor and iustifes paying when no service was rendered. Col. Hindman says Woodward, having been an old line whig and then know nothing, IS not suited as the editor of democratic paper, and the paper should be discarded by all good de- mocrats on this account. There is no clause in the democratic platform objecting to affiliating with man because he had at some period of his life believed its teach. ing wrong. 1 have been taught to believe 1t is democratic to credit man when he says his views are in favor of the demo- cratic party, unless his actions run counter thereto. If man comes, though at the eleventh hour, to labor in the vinyard, he should not be repulsed. But uniform rule is all we ask, let Hindman and his friends, Johnson and lis friends, be tried by the same rule. Mir. Baxter, of Independence county, was the leader, in fact, of the anti Sebastian forces in the last legislature Col. Hindman says he was not their select ed leader, and don't know how 1t happened he made the platform on which they were to stand. Whether appointed or not, he was their acknowledged leader, which is enough for my present purpose. Col. Hindman acknowledges Mir. Baxter was an old line whig; afterwards a know nothing, initiated by George D. Prentice, of the Louisville Journal; that he remained Ga consistent member" of the know nothing party for about two years; that he was a candidate for prosecuting attorney, during the time of his afliliation with the American party, and was defeated. He was mem- Der of the American party much longer than Mr. Woodward-and Mr. Woodward did not ask office of the party before he left it. Now make no point against MT. Baxter if his views changed. He had right to change his party affiliation. If man finds he is in rior and changes, 1t is in my opinion. to his credit and he at least should Tot be blamed by those whose cause he espouses. Still, 1t does not look very consistent for men who had Mr. Baxter for leader of the State rights party, par e. cellence, to complain of Woodward's re- cord. Woodward, as a whig, warred on the party opposing his. So l suppose, did Mir. Baxter. So did Stephens and Toombs, of Georgia. So did the amented Jones, of Tennessee. So did Pratt and Pearce, of Maryland. So did Benjamin, of Lon isiana. and thousands of others, now affil- iating with the democratic party. But if Johnson with the True Democrat is to be read out of the democratic party because he employed Woodward to comment on a platform made by Mr. Baxter, what should be done with those men who put Mr. Baxter forward as general platform bull der and leader general of the anti Sebas- tian forces in the legislature? A general rule is all that is required, and fair men should be willing to allow that much
 His next charge against Dick Johnson and the True Democrat is, that the State printer receives some enormous amount of money from the State treasury-a fact that should stand or fall by its own merit; there fore this charge, owing its paternity to the know nothing party, should not affect it, though if men should be "barred out'' of the democratic party because they had been members of the know nothing party, it looks as if know nothing thunder should also be rejected.
 The charge, however, isa humbug, made to gull the people. True, Dick Johnson draws some large amount of money from the State treasury as public printer Sup pose he does, the admission proves noth ing. If he does work equivalent to the money received, the State is not swinded by Johnson; if he makes his charge accord ing to the prices agreed upon by law, he is not culpable; if the prices agreed upon are exorbitant, it is the fault of the legislature. But this charge is not made, but only in sinuated. Col. Hindman did say at Spring field he would have a man by the next ses- sion, who would do the printing ten per cent. cheoper. But from the evidence before me, l do not believe the prices are too high What is that evidence? First, the terms are as low as when the printing was done by the lowest bidder. Second, they are lower than at any other period of the States history, except the one time when done by the lowest bidder, and it is not half as much as was sometimes paid in former times, when labor, material and general expenses were more favorable to the printer Third, never saw any allegation to the effect that the terms were too high in the Gazette and Democrat when this charge relative to the amount of money received by Johnson was frst made, and as the Gazette was in a po- lical war, if it thought them too high would have so stated Fourth, l proved by Mir. Williams, of Pulaski, at Springfield in Conway county, who was member of the legislature of 1S55-'56, at which the pre- sent law was passed, that some of the mem- bers thinking the terms too high, called upon the printers in Little Rock for inlor- nation on this point, and were informed they were as low as man could do the work for. Mir. Williams stated he voted for lower rates, because he had procured printing at lower rates.
 This war in the State relative to printing and other expenditures, is very similar to the national war now being waged by the opposition against the democratic party, and MT. Buchanan's administration. They cite the aggregate expenditures of the go vernment, point to the expenditures of the government in former periods of its history. when 1t was not half the size it has now attained, and say, 10! behold the difference. This from party who never fail to support all fancy schemes of expenditures, should deceive no man who is not wilfullv blind If more money is now received by the State