New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-04-16

"wbatever, in the action Of the opposite party.
"usy deserve appliance" This is just what we
have been doing all along. In the case OF the
Frankng Privilege, for instance, we most heEftlly
approved the course Of the Democratic Senate In
passing bill to abolish that privilege and we con-
demned the course Of the quasi Republican House
in not promptly and heartily agreeing to that sbo
lition. We were frat to take ground against the
Republican House Investigating Committees az
tempt to wrench from Mr. Augustus Schen the
names of body of private citizens who subscribed
money to carry Pennsylvania for Mr.. Buchanan in
1856; and we purpose to persevere in this course
to the end, unless we shall meantime be convinced
that it is wrong. No matter though the terms of
the House resolution fully justified the question
no matter though the progress Of this controversy
shall find Us siding with every Democrat In the
House against every Repubcan-we shall uphold
what we believe TO be just, and resist what seems
to us an unwauanted invasion of the rights Of
the citizen. And we have not the least fear that
we shall thence be really stgmatized as unsound In
the Republican faith. 1t will give us sincere
pleasure to be able to approve the acts Of our
political adyersaries at all times, while we do our
best TO expose their unsOund principles to public
reprobation.
V. The Times does US gross injustice with regard
TO questions recently pending at Albany. We con-
demned, and still condemn, that feature OF the
Health bill which involved the dismissal from once
of several hundred Democratic funchonarles In THIS
Democratic city, and the appointment OF hepuoh-
oons in their stead. We believed this would hurt
our marty because it was wrong; we did not deem
Il wrong because il would hurt our party. Could
,be hin have been amended or guarded IN this
respect, so as to secure the approval of the City
Delegation, we should have rejoiced to see 1t pass
As it is, we regard its defeat as simply postpone
ment, securing its passage in unobectonable shape
next Winter.
So of the City Hall bill We deprecste the con-
struction of new City Hall in Madison Square;
hit we insist that the responsibility Of that measure
rightfully rests on our City Delegation, who intro
duced and almost unanimously supported it. The
country members were quite justified ia presuming
that bill introduced by the Senator from this lower
District and supported By every Senator from the
City, including Mr.. Manierre who votes against al
most every bill that comes before the Senate, was
really required by the City, and that her voice
ought to prevail. We believe they were mistaken;
but they acted on data of which we, after all we
have urged in favor of local independence and local
responsibility, have little right to complain.
W. We conclude, then, sswe began: Ajournalst
is a citizen, following special vocation, but not
thereby precluded from forming and expressing
opinions on the great questions of principle involved
in the politics of the day-on the contrary, supplied
by his vocation with peculiar facilities for forming
correct opinions and giving effective expression
thereto. We do not see thatheis, or should be,
empt from the general obligation to express and
commend those convictions by whose prevalence he
feels that the national well-beiDg will be promoted;
it seems to us that an intelligent patriot must have
such convictions, and must desire their diffusion.
a small-soued bgOt, narrow-minded zealot,
might indeed imagine that all honesty, all virtue, all
worth, was confined to the party with which he
agreed in principle, and thence weaken the force of
his convictions by thick laudation of every
act done in the name of his own party, aud
hlHuIcu utnuucldiOu vi WHdIofcl Wos PioPOsoo W
its antagonist; but we do not presume any such
Titmouse likely TO obtain control of great metro
pOlitan journal. Webelieve genuine independence,
the largest liberty of utterance, is found in that
sphere of jOurnasm which begins with the frankest
avowal of convictions on the fundamental bases of
our current political controversies. The simple,
notorious fact that what vaunts itself Independent
journalism is very commonly but disguised and in.
sidious partisanship-such journals as The N. y
Herald, The Public Ledger, philadelphia and
Harper's Weekly being the most uncandd and I'M
firing defamers of every Republican principle and
idea, while others secretly advertised as only
masking their purpose for time and ready to come
out for the Democratic candidates so soon as the
Charleston Convention shall have nominated them
might Of itself cause this boosted independence to
revolt the public nostris. When sincere, it must
be fetter; but it is oftener fragrant fraud.
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