Daily Democrat And News

Pearls Before Swine.—The German paper of this city, in its Saturday's issue, reads the Gazette editors a pretty severe lesson upon their political dishonesty and want of character. We are astonished that Der Demokrat did not ascertain the want of truth and principle in the conduct of that sheet years ago.
Its editors are both bound by the strongest oaths which man can take upon himself to hate and oppose the foreign element at all times and upon all occasions. Regardless of its dark lantern instincts, it bent the knee of fawning to the Germans a few years since, to obtain their votes and their co-operation.
Though in 1855, it stigmatized them as unworthy of confidence in political matters; as unworthy of support or countenance, yet it learned another tune because it was for its interest to do so, and lauded them to the skies.
But the day came when the Know Nothing Americans of that party, and the editors of the Gazette among the number, thought they could hold the German element any way, or instead of allowing them an equal division of offices, as for several years past, denied them the smallest crumb. They thought the thing was safe; the Gazette said amen, and instead of insisting as in former years, upon the Germans having their share of the positions to be gained, used its influence against it. Here the cloven foot came out, and the Germans saw it; and the consequences of it are to be seen to-day. Now the Gazette accuses Der Demokrat of dishonesty! Shame upon such miserable demagogueism. We re-produce the article from Saturday's Der Demokrat, for the benefit of the American public:
Mansell Gazette In Her Wrath.—Mansell yesterday made a desperate effort to pour on our devoted head the vials of her wrath. But instead of hitting us she has only discharged their contents upon her own head, and made herself a public laughing stock. Mansell re-proaches us with having misrepresented the Germans, because the Germans as a body are opposed to slavery. By that, she means that we are in favor of slavery. No one will easily believe that of us. But still we will declare that we rank ourselves among the most decided and radical of Abolitionists, and that we for that reason, are opposed to the Administration and its party, because it supports slavery, degrades our patriotic soldiers to negro catchers, and in its cowardly and pitiful apprehensions for "its Southern brethren," has, by crippling the proclamation of Fremont, parried the only decided blow that has been struck against this institution which is undermining Liberty and the Republic. Does Mansell no longer remember that two weeks ago she, together with the Republican office hunting clique in this place, adopted resolutions in which, in the face of this "Republican" piece of work, the incense of "an admiring people" was offered to Lincoln. Does not Mansell also know that Der Demokrat and the Union party knocked in pieces her urn of incense and pushed her forward to a more respectable position on the slavery question. She knows it. but still has the effrontery to point us out as retrograding on the same question! Shame!
We must still farther remind Mansell, that on the day previous to the election. we expressly designated Mr. Mast as our political opponent, and we gave clearly enough the different reasons why we supported Mast and not McCosh.
The Germans wished to have an honest management of the public moneys, which had not hitherto been the case under McCosh. The Germans have therefore supported the election of Mr. Mast, but without their aid the Republicans could not have elected Thorngton.
It will here be seen that the Mansell of the Gazette has as little regard for truth as for principle. Every means is right if it can make capital therefrom. But fortunately it has not prudence enough to hide its true character, or rather, its want of character.
But the best thing comes last. Mansell seizes us by the pocket book. She thinks that what she esteems to be the highest principle must also be the aim of all our efforts, and that the Germans, together with their organ, must either suffer ruin or obey. She may also think that by dividing she can rule us. We do not in this connection address every one, but only the German public. But we know well enough that those Germans who are conspiring against their own countrymen, in company with a sheet that publicly insults the German element as it has lately done, must be as mean and dishonest as the Gazette itself.
We would, in conclusion, remind our German countrymen, that the "Davenport Demokrat," having in view the interests and the general sentiments of the Germans, has in its earlier management strictly preserved its independence, and has never run with a party through thick and thin. We quote from earlier issues of the Demokrat the following declarations:
"We go with the Republican party only so far as we recognise in it a love of principle in respect to national matters. As far as the State Convention is concerned, on the contrary, we have nothing in common with the part representing the majority of the party and cannot therefore see why we should support their candidates. We are decided opponents of slavery, but we see no reason why we, on that account, should pick the nuts out of the fire for a pitiful clique who happen to share in these opinions."—Daily Demokrat, of Feb. 22d. 1857.
"We are induced, until the unclean elements are driven out of the Republican party, to maintain a strictly independent position in respect to the State election as we have hitherto done."—Daily Demokrat, of Feb. 26th, 1857.
By such a love of principle have the Germans hitherto earned esteem. Can they in the year 1861 be set down as retrugrading, simply because, in a county election, they preferred an honest Democrat to a dishonest Republican?