The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-05-20

Whittier they are tending is q secret which is
as yet concealed in the womb of the future.
--------------------
Party Journalism-A Disgrace to the
Country.
Our quarterlies, monthlies and weeklies are
bad enough now, and we have recently had
occasion to show that, as our whole periodical
literature is degraded from the moral charac-
ter, simplicity and purity that distinguished
and is launching on those slippery ways of
vice in which the impulse already gained forces
it to 60 inevitably to the end of the bad career
and smash as it may. But what are the vices
of our periodical literature compared with
those Of party journals What is the degra-
dation of the periodicals that is not forgotten
when we contemplate the depths to which the
party press can go? There is in all vice, says
Dome, one phase $50 excellently best, that
hate toward that breeds pity toward the rest"
Contemplating the course of our city party
journals, which are the types of all ON party
journalism, one can hut sneer at the poor little
efforts of the monthlies and weeklies to be
broadly disgusting or piquantly indecent.
For what is the feeble dream of some driveller
in quarterly against all religion unless an
evidence Of the eccentricity of the writer
What is the exuberent wermth, Of style in
or publisher counts too much on the false taste
of the public? However we may decry these
things as taken by themselves, they seem
venial--seem mere nothings of impropriety-
when considered by comparison with the coarse
and frightfll manifestations of the political
dailies; the outblirsts of rudianly temper in
which party writer uses epithets in the same
spirit in which the midnight murderer uses a
bludgeon or slungshot; the working of
fierce malice that insinuates Infamous utter
ances against mans good name by the same
impulse that In other times puts poison into his
cup
But short time since we had all the Jeffer-
son Bricks of our city press on theirsgood be-
havior. Martin Chuzzlewit was here, and
they wanted to show him what Improvement
they had made in their manners since his
former visit. They wanted to impress him
with sense of their responsibility, good
morals and fine language. During his read
ings they acted with some success the part of
civil and clearly members of society, indulg-
ing, perhaps, now and then in something
striking, just by way of showing their strength
in style. Thus one of the leading party organs
improved the occasion by denouncing as ga
liar" one of the most distinguished men in
public life in this State. Another made a
pillory of its unclean columns OH which to set
up as Ga drunkard" the foremost soldier of the
age and the hero who led our armies to
victory in the great struggle that saved the
nation. These samples of vigor and depravity
did very well for the time. When, however,
all the Jefferson Bricks together united to give
a complimentary dinner to Martin on the occa-
sion Of his departure for home, then, inspired
with Dclmonicos ''alc or viler liquors." with
his lager beer or his very cheap sherry, JEFF
ferson was suddenly found to be more on his
mciilc than his good behavior-to be, in fact,
Just the fellow that Martin had first known
him, with no other change than that all his bad
points were confirmed and aggravated by
increasing years. Immediately it was seen
that The old vocabulary had been fermenting
only 10 become fercer, and II burst the bung
one day with dreadful clamor Quite con-
sisicntly the more intense spirit was found to
flow from the quill Of that Senior jefferson who
presided nj the dinner and sat with Martin on
his right hand and Jefferson Junior on his left
His common style being simple scurrility--it
being his habit 10 express difference of opinion
In no other way than by dsparagcmcnt, Will
fca,ion and dctraction; bis mldest dissent
being vitupcration, stigma and calumny-
what words, what style, what means were left
20 such writer by which to vent a fresh
fury? None but 10 outrage propricty in
less reckless form than usual, even, and TO
transfer his malignant sudacity Of speech
from his usual subjects to men whose
names while In his senses he dared never men
ton save with decorum aud respect Hence
he assailcd the seven Senators Of the rcpub-
lican party who stand peculiarly distinguished
for purity Of purpose and incorrupable honesty,
as 'recrcants, ''outcasts," 'dastards;" a.
men with whom none could associate without
contamination az men Of Infamous notoricty,"
Judases; nay, as assassins whose acts might
bear comparison with the deed Of Wilkes
Booth.
And these are the mentors Of "a moral age
these are the instructors Of the time, the
ccnsors. the self appointed castigatorr Of vice
and evil, the moierators! There have been.
great eruptons lately at vesuvius and In the
Sandwich Islands. but none with such q
suIphurcous aud ubominabe odor. none with
such glimpse of The Internal regions, as this
eruption OF the bad temper OF jefferson Brick.
All this is The reaction from bis temporary
good behavior; the result of II festive dinner
and Delmonicos wine The next Legislature
should pass law 10 prevent Dclmonico fur