The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-04-28


The Tricks or tho Partisan Press.
The conductors Of the partisan press Of this
city seem to have no conception OF the duties,
the responsibilities and the dignities Of journal
ism. Always quarreling with each other, and
always anxious to get up disturbance be-
tween two or more prominent officials, they are
never so happy as when they think they have
| troubled the nation. The comments Of the
! Tribune, Times and Post, on the one side, and
the World, Ners and Erpress, on the other,
upon General Sherman's agreement with the
rebel Johnston, and Secretary Stanton's bull
letins narrating the facts, are apt illustrations
of the truths we have just stated. Comments
more mischievous, malicious and foolish it has
never been our Ill fortune to peruse. They are
in the very worst taste, and are calculated to
do the government great damage If believed.
Let us place upon record very explicitly the
facts that General Sherman is not insane; that
be has not surrendered to Johnston, that he is
not traitor, that he had no share in Pre-
sident Lincoln's ASSASSINATION, and that he
is not scheming to become military
dictator. 1t may appear unnecessary to
repeat these very obvious truisms; but
within the past few days the partisan press on
the republican side has either uttered or in
situated allegations to the contrary of these
facts. That any journal presumed to be re-
spectacle should make such charges against
one Of our greatest generals is Infamous; but
the charges have been made, openly or by
inuendo, in spite Of the universal public dis
appreciation. Let us also state, just as expli-
city, that Secretary Stanton Is not prosecuting
Sherman, that President johnson Is not trying
to kill off Sherman, and that there is no jea-
lousy or enmity against Sherman in the minds
or hearts Of the Washington authorities. These
statements may appear equally superfuous;
but within the past few days the partisan press
on the democratic side has INDUCED in these
and other venomous ISLANDERS and scandals.
We have had quite enough Of this sort of thing
from both sides. Every good citizen ought to
put his foot down upon such silly but annoy
ing falsehoods.
the government is extremely simple and
easy to understand. General Sherman, with
all his senses about him, made an agree
ment with the rebel Johnston, which virtually
ended the military part of the rebellion; and
he sent this agreement to Washington to be ap-
proved or disapproved as the government
might think proper He committed an error,
however, in granting the rebels an armistice
while the negotiations were pending, instead Of
following Grants example and writing and
fighting at the same time. The Lieutenant
General and the government decided that Sher-
man had exceeded his authority in entertaining
propositions more political than military, and
in granting the armistice which President Lin
coin had persistently refused. The agreement
forwarded by him was disapproved; he was
ordered to resume hostilities, and, to guard
against garbled reports and misrepresentation,
the public was officially informed Of the facts,
and of the arrangements which Shermans
This is the whole affair in paragraph; and we
may add that there will be no quarrel between
Grant and Sherman, between Sherman and Pre-
sident johnson, or between Sherman and
Secretary Stanton, concerning it. Each has
done his duty in his own way and according to
the best of his ability, and although Sherman
has undoubtedly failed in his attempt to assume
the rifle of diplomatist, his reputation as
great gifted and patriotic general is as unfair
nished as ever.
Is it not a little singular that after four
years of tremendous civil war, with momen-
tous issues to be dealt with every day,
the partisan press has not risen to the
dignity of the crisis and still goes maunder-
ing along in the old, squabbling, impertinent,
reckless, laundering way? The partisan edit
ors know that there has been but one duty
plain before us all, and that is to support the
government in its efforts to crush the rebellion.
Yet no opportunity to hamper and hinder the
government seems to have been overlooked;
and now these papers are trying to breed dis
content dissatisfaction and destruction in the
very ranks Of our army, by involving General
Sherman in personal quarrel with the Presi-
dent and the Secretary ofWar. OF course their
efforts will fail; but that does not lessen their
guilt in making such efforts. The assassin did
not succeed in killing Secretary Seward, but he
ought to be hung for the attempt. The parti-
san press, however, is all the more culpable
from the fact that It has in the HERALD
model of what q patriotic journal
ought to be and say and do in times
like these. Moreover, our enormous circulation
and overwhelming advertisement patronage
should teach these partisan editors that to be
popular they have only to be right. But not
withstanding precept and example, advice and
warning, the dictates Of duty and the demands
Of patriotism, the partisan press continues its
career of petty chickering's, and will not discard
its practice Of distorting every event and mis-
representing every officer and official to serve
its own puerile political purposes. We protest
against such perversion Of the profession Of
journalism, and we point with pride to the con-
Al. A.