The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-08-31
A Word About Betrayal OF Conf
dences; and, A Hint to ScOundrels.

A.A~>~
We are informed that the Winona Re.
publican has taken it upon itself to criticise
our course in publishing the letter Of Mr.
SIMPSON, of the Wabashaw Journal, wherein
he offered to sell himself for money to the
support of DOUGLAS, stigmatiziDg it as a
betrayal of confidence, and, as such, dis
honorable act on our part. We have not
seen the Republicans article alluded to, but
assuming the correctness Of our information,
we will make it the occasion for defining
our position" on the question of condolences,
and make, also, few suggestions to scoun
drels of the SIMPSON stripe.
And first, we yield to no man in sensi-
tive appreciation of the sacredness of legiti
mate confidential communications. But
such communications, to entitle them to be
so regarded, must be free from any dishon~
oring faint. No man has right, under the
cover of an envelope, to demand that any
proposition which is degrading to the writer,
and insulting to the person addressed, shall
be treated as "private and confidential"
communication, whether it is so marked or
not. The very first requirement of legiti-
mate confidential proposition is that it shall
not be dlshonoring to either party con-
cerned. This is rule which every gentle
man will acknowledge to be just. Tried by
this rule let us examine the matter in hand.
1t is the first duty of an editor to make
his paper the representative of his sincere
convictions upon all matters in which the
public interests are involved. Every man
who undertakes the charge of newspaper,
enters,b by the very fact ofsuch understanding
into contract with the public that he will
be honest in the expression of his sentiments.
If he is not thus honest, he commits wrong
against the public, and an indignity against
his profession. Mr.. SIMPSON is the Editor
of public journal. As such Editor he
addresses US letter, placing himself, and
the paper under his charge, in the political
market for sale and purchase, and solicits
us to buy him with money to the support
of STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS. We think there
can be no difference among gentlemen as to
the character of such a proposition. All
will agree that it is one unqualifedly infa-
nous; dishonoring to the writer, and in
sulting to US. As such it was not entitled
to the respect accorded by all honorable
men to legitimate confidential communica-
lions. And so, when the course of Mr..
SIMPSONS paper demonstrated to our mind
that he had taken his wares to another mar
ket, and sold himself to the Republicans,
we took personal pleasure in performing a
public duty by exposing the editorial pros
titute to the scorn of the people.
And, as we did towards him, we want all
scoundrels OF the SIMPSON stripe to under
stand we will do by them, under like circum-
stances. Any public man, editor or poll
tician, who, forgetting his manhood and
ours, debauches himself, and attempts to
debauch us, by proposals of the SIMPSON
cast, places himself where he may expect
exposure whenever political interests or
morals, justify or require it to be made.
We will cherish the obligations of conf
dence to the farthest legitimate extent; but
we will not permit such obligations, or
rather loose idea of such obligations, to
give impunity to personal insult, or to be
used as a cover for political corruption.