New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-06-15
THE MADNESS OF PATTY.

THE MADNESS OF PATTY.
Mr.. Cropsey, Was correspondent of The n.
qnirsr (Philadelphis) recently forwarded frou
our Army menacing Richmond an inaccura,s
statement, which was deemed by Gen. Mead,
derogatory to his (Meade's) military character
and calculated to impair his usefulness; 50 h
ordered Cropsey to be paraded throughth Armv
with staring placard, Libelsr Of the Press
affixed to bis person. We concur with mosk
OF our contemporaries in questioning not merely
the grammar Of the stigma but the wisdom q
THIS harsh procedure, even on the assumption
that the correspondents statement was insccu.
rate as well as injurious, and that he mieh1
have been better informed had he taken the "a
quisite pains. Yet we are quite aware thal
Generals are necessarily absolute in their cams
that their good repute is of grave public mo.
ment-and that newspaper correspondents are 4
the front strictly on suHerance, and must Dc.
port themselves accordingly. SO we have net
hitherto chosen to dilats on the matter.
A Washington correspondent of the snakein.
the-grass Commercial Adpertissr thus sim.
proves" Mr.. Cropsey'S affection, to the evident
delectstion of the more pronounced Copper.
head oracles:
"The treatment Of Mr.. Cropsey in the Army Of tho
Potomac has but added to the feeling already exstns
here among the representatives OF the press and pain
will be taken to obtain authentic account of ~
cruel ndignities 10 which II Is said he subeetel
Of have heretofore fattered ourselves that =.
occupied responsible position. and that free expres
sion Of opinion was guaranteed to US by the Constta
ton, observing OF course proper reticence in the pub
LEGATION Of anything calculated to give aid or comfort
TO the enemy. But II would now seem that MEMBER 4
the fourth estate 30 be subject TO the capees Of ~
digestion. and treated with Less consideration thaa
thieves captured deserters, or discovered spies.
Should Investigations confirm the repora Of ths
treatment which Mr. Cropsey and other army CORE
spondents have received. gentleman will choose 70
visit camps AS journalist and subject himself 10 ilds
mites. insults, and aDnoyances. may be that he presa
AamiHisrGI0n Gill yet rsra hari'sI arranged tie synps
uies Of loyal joEynass here and IN the fed ps
feel lsat they hs0e BEEN sronssd, end b!de sir time"
What under the sun has |" the present Adj
ministration" to do with this affair Gen.
Meade is not directed nor controlled from
Washington in the policing Of bis Army; polit
ically, he is not even supporter Of the Ad
ministration, and never pretended to be. Fa
good or evil, the discipline administered to Mr.
Cropsey is his work; the Administration hs
had no part in it whatever. And yet his act
with thousands like it, has been Is, and will be,
dextrously yet most dishonesty paraded and
harped upon to excite hostility to the President
and to prejudice and weaken his Administration.
We foresaw and deprecated this as an Obvious
n -.
of his early denomination. Those who outside
politics, are quite sane, will credit, or seem b
credit, almost any charge leyeled against can
didate whom they wish to see defeated. It's
hard, even now, TO realize that John Adams
Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Andrew
Jackson, James Madison, Henry Clay, &C.,
&C., were, each in his turn, regarded as scarcely
less than demons by millions WHO, politics
apart, were intelligent and well-meaning citi-
gems, many of whom lived to know better
Thousands now speak Of President Lincoln in
terms that they will ere long be heartily
ashamed of and seek TO qualify or TO forget.
A candidate for the Presidency is especially
man set in the pillory, to be mark for all the
dead rats and rotten eggs extant, and the In
gers of every mischieyous rascal fairly itch fors
shy at him. 1t seems to US the part alike d
wisdom and Of patriotism to keep down part
san excitement and to postpone the effective
opening of the Presidential canvass to the lates
moment possible; for, from the moment
which the struggle is really begun, third Of
people will believe any thing discreditabe 70
the candidate of the opposite party, aud a good
many more will seem to believe it.