The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-02-08
t thursday, FEBRUARY 8, 1865.


The Washington National Intelbgencer has
recently taken upon itself the onerous and GER
tainly thankless duty Of crihcising and exposing
the Radicals. Forgetting that It's writings are
appearing in 1865, and iondly going back to the
days when the ut erances of SGAToN, its
editor, were the utterances Of the Government
of the United States it soundly belabors all
who decline to bow before its platitudes, and
deem its assertions immaculate, because a
quarter of century ago it was the recognized
head of American journalism. Like the
"SleepiDg Beauty" the InteILigoncer fell into
a somniflc state some twenty years ago
and has only awoke since the close of the
war. Its articles are always spoken Of as
powerful. Now, powerful article is gene
rally title applied 10 a labored, heavy edito-
rial, and as such it was well chosen as the
name of its leaders. Within twelve months,
however, some lie has been injected into its
editorial veins, and we are pleased to see a
marked improvement in its management,
although we regret that there is no change in
its tone.
Its most recent charge has been made
against SUMNfR and STEVENS, whom it char
acterizes as "joint conspi ators against the
life of the nation" 1t is not our purpose to
follow the InteLigencer, or comment upon its
tone. We merely select it because OF its
veteran position, and the ability with which
its articles are written. Il is with desire to
deprecate the tone of partisan hyperbole
which has grown no during the war, aud
rul, tn II
cause From time immemorial the habit
OF American journalism, of speaking IN SUI
perlatives, OF making either god
or q fend Of any man of whose public
acts it spoke, has IN lde it laughing stock to
the calm and deliberate utterances of our
more staid British contemporaries. A man
with us is either CINCINNATUs or CATALINE,
a patriot or traitor. While the war lasted
such expressions were eXcusable, because Of
the heat and passion which, extending from
the field of battle encompassed and enclosed
within its turmoil and heat even those who,
sitting in the editorial chair, were comment
ing on and TOO often ignorantly crtlcizing
matters of which they knew nothing. Every
editor during the struggle felt il duty
self up into a sort of a frenzy, when in a
species OF domestic madness, he rushes mady
into an attack on his opponent, and ii he was
not "Copperhead," "traitor," "Rebel," or
"Abolitionist," negro stealer," and 'amalga-
matonist," it was because the writer had
patronized CRABBE's Synonyms, and forgot
ten his usual phraseology. While this might
be pardonable in war times, it IS not only in
excusable, but also absurd in days of peace.
There are to-day no traitors, with the excep-
ton of those who are unrepentant engagers in
the last Rebellion.
No man should be termed a traitor, an
enemy to his country, disunionist, except
one who, by his overt acts, has proved himself
a Rebel, and who still remains evidently fJe
to our country. When, therefore, the InteIIi-
qencer terms Messrs. STEVENS and SUMNER
traitors" it not only is guilty of falseho9d
but also of an act of folly. The force of the
finest penued and most powerfully composed
article would be utterly ruined by such a con-
cluson as the name of traitor" 1t would
weaken, it would ruin the ablest syllogism to
call the man, because he be political opponent
Rebel, a title which would consign a mar
to the scaffold. Such might be passed by
when our country was young, and Our people
were as excitable and as hot-headed as oul
journalists, and all together are continually il
a state of semi-frenzy. Let us now initiate
our transatlantic contemporaries. Let every
article on public man be we'll digested, ant
the ludicrous style of the hteHigencer b,
abandoned and discountenanced by. every
editor in our land.
mbo Dota Ot Nn9arasf