New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-24
DEBA7FS AND DOG-FTGH7S.

The public business at Washington has been
conducted of late with an amount of yulgarity
and bad temper which recalls old times. Even
Young mon can remember when threats of per-
sonal violence and still worse offences We're
ordinary incidents of debate in Congress +;
but we battered ourselves that better manners
lad been permanently established in the
Capitol when the race of swashbuckllng and
igger-0wming gentlemen who used to come uD
to Washington with their pistols and brandy
bottles disappeared from the stage OF affairs. 1t
is To bee feared that our fluctuations were pre-
mature The style of msbchaviOr has changed
bnt that is all. The Old-fashiOned bullying
and damning has given place to a modified
sort Of scandal euphemisticaly called a "per-
sonal cxplnatIon,7 III which honorable gem
tlcmcn Dcrate each other as thieyes" and
liars &c: aud after much foul and exciting Ian
euagc lie incident is brought to close by an
agreement to wipe the blackgualdlsm out of
the record As if that were possible.
Unfortunately there is no breach Of parlia-
mcntary decorum SO gross that newspapers are
not found ready TO applaud that part OF it
which has been committed by a man of their
own party. Mcssrs. Jones and Brown having
berlIcd each other like iishwiycs for an hour
81 49, both equally abusive and equally in the
wrong, Tie BhthcISkIte announces next morn
inc with stirring headlines that Jones has made
a scathing exposure of Browns villany, and
Brown has wrthcd under the merited castga-
ton. The Daly HamJug on the contrary, de
scrbes the affair as an outrageous partisan
assault upon the memory Of Browns grand
mother. and calls our attention to the magnii-
cent style in which Jones was crushed by the
indignant statesman. Next week perhaps both
papers will forget their encouragement Of
disorder and complain OF the scandalous scenes
in Congress. The fact is that "A certain class Of
journals uniformly act upon the assumption
that all men love fight. There is a funda-
mental brutality in human nature not yet en-
tirely suppressed by civilization; and that ex-
plains why the metropolis of America pays
so. ZOO to see a brace of ruilians pound each
other why Washington correspondents grow
wild with interest when Senators and Repre-
sentatives initiate the quarrelS of the bar-rOOm,
aud why Tie Family Spy and The Aew- York.
SabJef find profit in continual vituperation.
We please ourselves with tie reflection that
both journalism and politics are much more
decent than they were fifty years ago. but IN
IttlllN - my PE'' &C W. ~ N'~'' A'
Mar I0fi ScrG has prosperous successor
which continues to make business OF " show
ing up" some prominent person every day,
and TO vaunt The Se,rerS exposure Of the Wall
street gang. and The SeIrers exposure of the
Sc Washington gang, and The Se'cerS exclusive
account Of the fragrant act of dishonesty COM
United 10y the Secretary oil State when he was
eight years Old, now communicated at great
expense by his own nurse These papers
know the taste of their readers. There is IA
certain order OF intelligence which delights IN
seeing some body take the hide of II fellow,
without any regard TO the justice Of ;he case
which does not care tor arguments, but goats
over you're a liar' "loure a thiefm as a
knock down blow; which half consciously
resents decorum rs an anoctatlOn. and enjoy
a scandal that brings higher men down to its
| own level ami the readers of this order yield
their own papers a very handsome support.
If We have made progress since the days Of
| The Roirdg Journal it is not 10y pressing
! Colonel Diver and his kind, but 10y opposing tC
thea different style of public discussion
founded upon the principle that neither desk
| in newspaper office nor "A desk in Congress
| absulyes its occupant from the respousibilitle,