The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-06-06
The Natural Tendency OF Fanatlcism Blood
shed and Murder.

The Natural Tendency OF Faaatlcism-Bi00d-
shed and Murder.
Detailed accounts of the outrage committed
at Portland, Me-, on Saturday evening" confirm
in every particular the telegraphic report. 1t
seems quite certain, first, that Mr.. Neal Dow
by his casting vote as May or, induced the Com
mon Council of Portland to buy liquor of him,
the sale being apparently contrary to the law
he has spent his life in framing and trying to
execute; and secondly, that he ordered the
militia to fire on the people, when Others as
well able to judge as himself, saw no necessity
for any recourse to bloodshed.
With Mr.. Dow's personal character the world
has little to do. Whether he bought the liquor
in question with view to make money out of
it, by selling it to the Common Council of Port
land-as would appear to be the most likely
suppOstion-or not, is not material. So far as
the man himself is concerned, we have even
little concern with the accident which has set
over the cisy of Portland rash, headstrong
official, in whose eyes the lives of his fellow
citizens are not worth preserving. But both
the transaction in the Council room, and the
disaster in the street, are matters of interest as
illustrative Of the tendency ami effect Of the
modern fanatical temperance mania. It is in
structive to note that the man whom common
consent regards as the Joe Smith of compulsory
temperance, deals in liquor on the sly,
and votes, as Mayor, that the city
become his customer as rumseller. The dis
covery throws food of light on the early his
tory Of the prohibitory law movement; we may
learn from Neal Dow's actions what it was ORR
ginally intended to be. Again, it is useful to
watch the excuses into which man of Mr.
Dow's reputed amiability and good sense has
been hurried by the tanaticism OF his party.
1t is said that some years ago there was not q
man in the country of warmer heart or sounder
head than Neal Dow. Now we see him rushing
about the streets of Portland like msdman,
robbirg an organized body of militia OF their
arms, ordering armed men to fire on their fell
ow citizens apparently without the smallest
necessity, and altogether converting the peace
full town of Portland into perfect Bedlam.
All this is the natural end OF tanatical agita-
tor. Men who train their minds to work out
fanatical theoiss, generally lose whatever dis
erection and humanity they once possessed.
every faculty, and usurps the place of every
other topic of thought; they come to see the
world through it's medium only; and the most
cherished objects, the most sacred scruples cease
TO command any attention in comparison. Cot
ton Natber, Judge Sewall, and Phips were not
naturally II human men, or fools; on the con-
trary, the two former were men of extraordi-
nary requirements and capacities, and all three
were born and died with warm hearts; yet
they allowed fsnatical mania against witch
crsft-'be prototype of the present fanatical
mania against liquor to drown their sense and
their feelings so completely that, while the fit
lasted, no spectacle rejoiced their eyes so much
as the hanging of an unfortunate and innocent
woman Just so, Neal Dow, who ten years
ago would have been as shocked as any of us
at the slaughter of unoffendiDg citizens, orders
bis sJiyri to shoot down old men and young in
the streets Of Portland; and Mr.. Thomas Me FL
raih, who is said to have been man OF remark
able humanity before he commenced the manu-
facture of isms and quack medicines, gloats
over the massacre, and compares it, in his pa
per, to the Astor place riot.
We are anxious to know what DR.. Tying, Nc.
Chaplin, and the Rev. Henry W. Beecher think
of the scene just enacted at Portland. Some
of these gentlemen, we remember, told us, at
the meeting held at the Metropolitan theatre,
that under the working of the liquor law
the walls of sadness and anguish should be
changed into a note of thanksgiving" with
much more OF the same sort. Do they consider
the cries of murdered men notes of thanks
givingW DR.. Tying, il our memory serves ns,
referred complacently to his isolated position,
there being only three or four clergymen in the
ven of the fanatical movement. What does
be think now! Have they who staid away, or
he who urged with jets and puns the execu.
ton Of a measure already tracking its path
with blood best fulfilled their duty to God and
man? We hope these reverend gentleman will
preach next Sunday on the events at Portland.
We hope they will prove TO the satisfaction Of
their audience that il il rieht to make laws
which connot be enforced, and whose only fruits
are bloodshed and murder. We trust they will
oilate on the death of that unfortunate sailor
who was shot dead by Mayor Dow's partisan
troops- that they will picture with their accus-
toned eloquence the narrowing afllictioa Of his
young wife, In widowed lopeliDess-tbe blight
cast upon bis children, poor little things whose
prospects in life have been destroyed by Mayor
Dow and the probbtory iaw--that they will do
justice to the suferiDgs Of the other unfortu-
Ds'es Who are Low stretched on q bed of sick
mess. oscillatiDg between if. and death, as their
Wounos open ard closes that, having |
core this, and having narrated the story OF |
'he 81 GOO worth Of liquor bought ny Mayor
Dow from Neal Dow the rumseller, they will,
with their banr on the Bible, and their eyes on |