The national Republican., 1861-02-04
For the National Republican.
THE BALTIMORE SUN

Mr.. EDIroR The political dishonesty and
trickery Of the proprietors of the Baltimore Sun
and the Philadelphia Ledger both owned by
the same firm, Swain & Abel) cannot be better
exhibited than by comparing the enclosed EN-.
tly.conservative and anti.revolutionary edi.
torial taken from the Philadelphia Ledger of
January u, with the reasonable and revolu.
tionary articles which now appear in the Balti.
more Sun almost daily:
From the Ledger.
"THE SEIZURE OF THE CAPITAL.-When in
the year 1874 Great Britain sent fleet up the
Potomac suddenly and burned the peaceful
Capitol, she inflicted an immense disgrace upon
herself, because it was not fortified, but did US
no comparative harm. Any attempt on the
part of the seeding States to seize the Capitol
at Washington, though infinitely more dis.
graceful to the aggressors, would yet he so
much more mischievous now to the whole
country, that the slightest possibility of such
catastrophe ought to be watched and guarded
against with the utmost vigilance. 1t would
not be merely the loss of all the millions cost
by the public buildings, not the destruction of
at least threefosrths of the value Of all the
private residences, and stores, and building lots
the land contiguous. 1t would not be merely
the loss to history of the archives, nor the at.
tendant loss Of life, but it would be loss of the
national character that would be disastrous,
disgraceful, and destructive of all the feelings
which make the peaceful maintenance of the
Republic possible, or even peaceful separa-
ton, if no other course should remain.
"That there is at this moment very power.
full and dangeroue conspiracy going on, with
Jefferson Davis at its head, to form new Gov.
ernment for the seeding States, and pull down
the National Government at Washington, there
need now be no doubt. The only question
among those engaged is, whether its seat shall
be at Montgomery, Alabama, or Washington,
d. G. In order to coax Virginia into the con.
spiracy, and for the sake of the prestige of the
national name and authority, the possession of
the capital of the United States, if only for
one month, would be worth millions to the Sc.
ceders, and a cost of hundreds of millions to
the country in its peace and power and history.
| He who holds Paris rules France, and Jeffer.
son Davis maintaining himself in Washington
would demand recognition of European powers
and win over nehalf or three.quarters of the
regular army. He would at least attempt the
entire seizure and command of the navy, form
powerful military despotsm, and create 9
civil war in every town and village of the coun
try by all possible falsehoods and deceptions.'
Political honesty should be looked upon and
priced as bright virtue lin these degenerate
times especially as moral honesty is always re
garded at all times by rightthinking honorable
men; and that the proprietors of these two pa
pers should allow the columns Of one to be useC
in propagating treason, and melting to open re
belion and civil war, certainly reflects no credi
upon their sincerity and devotion to the caus,
Of Union, as is sought to be portrayed in the ar
ticle above quoted. The citizens of this Dis
trict, especially, should at once and forever dis
card that filthy, reasonable sheet, the Su,,
published by men whose only interest at stalk
is the interest of dollars and cents, and tha
dishonest lying hypocritcal sheet, the Phila
| delphia Led0er II