The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1862-08-11


The N. Y. Independent and Evening Post
the maligners ofour officers and the opponents
of the republican President. Its position is
among those so well defined by the Advertiser,
whose words we reproduced yesterday. In
brief, it is held by its contemporary as among
the traitors and those deserving of situation
in some fortress until after the war.
Putting all the foregoing extracts together
editorial in the Argus-we have this PROPOSE
ton, forming that papers "test of treason"
constituting the judgment-seat before which
to establishthe loyalty or treason ofevery man,
to wit: that wdnt Of respect for the Executive,
charging the President Nth stigma, and OPP
posing the republican President, prove that
those guilty of such disrespect, who charge
such stigma and who manifest such opposi-
ton, to be traitors. If anything were wanted
to convince the reader that this is the precise
meaning of our courteous contemporary, we
have it in that paper of the 9Th inst, in an ar
ticle headed Traitors Meeting" in which, to
i,rore the treason-bald and unqualified
of the speakers, it is said:
The President was ridiculed as "a moral cow
ard, ian automaton," "a tortoise" &c.
Nowhaving shown from the Argus itselfwh
it means by treason, what its "test of treason"
really is, we ask the readers attention to the
question whether, judged by its own test"
the Argus is to be regarded as loyal paper,
or disloyal and traitorous sheet. Remember
the Argus being authority, we ask the reader
carefully to scan the following cut from that
paper Of Friday morning. rre-trtsl s-...s
If the President could be endowed with
keen eye to discover the difference between
honesty and dishonesty, between ability and
incompetency, between success and failure, in
the management of our national affairs, and
would, with Jacksonian resolution, applaud
and promote the one and utterly and promptly
condemn the other, we are free to confess the
belief that the cause our country would soon
be on better and more hopeful footing. But
Mr.. Lincoln is President Tor his term and we
must make the best of it we can.
On this single paragraph we rest the whole
case, and claim a verdict from the clear-headed
reader adverse to the Argus. Never have we
seen anywhere more studied effort to make
the President out either knave, or fool, or
him as a man unworthy Of trust, much less of
respect He is denied even the ability or the
disposition to discover the difference bettceen
honesty and dishonesty, between ability and
incompetency, between success and failure,
and charged with an utter restitution of reso-
luton to applaud and promote the right and to
condemn the wrong! Such is the Portland
Argus one day whining and canting because
respect is not shown for the Executive, and
the next uttering ISLANDERS of the President
that would disgrace London fish woman!-
And this is in perfect keeping with the general
character of that paper for the last four years.
1t got down upon its knees to the Floyds and
Cobbs of traitorous cabinet; it never failed
to let off poisoned arrows at Douglas when its
masters told it to do SO, and at the same time
pointed to the public crib from which it was
feeding and fattening; it went in for the trea-
sonable organization of the Dana party, and
tried to keep in favor all round by crying
"Good Lord" to the Jameson men, and ignor-
ing few Of the planks in the Dana platform,
and now, while carping and fhult-finding with
every nuiS tidt ptouiises W saChsehSh
the power Of the government or unnerve
the arm of rebellion, it denounces as trait
ors those who, IL says, do not show proper
respect for President denied by it the abil-
ity to distinguish between right and wrong. We
hope the loyal people of Maine will appreciate
the hypocritical sympathy so often expressed
by the paper under notice for President Lin
coin; strip Off the wool skin drawn over the
jackall, and remember that, with all its pre-
tended regard for Mr.. Lincoln, and all its read
mess to fight "aboitionists" who think the
President over-cautious, and all its cries oftrea-
son against those who do not respect the Pres
ident according to its style-that with all these
it simply tolerates the President sfor his term"
and advises to snake the best of him.! When
the Argus is properly known as thousands of
old democrats already know it, its mission will
be ended, because its power for mischief will
be gone. cyl