The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-07-23
Gross Peryersion of Facts.

The Advertiser, months since, preached the
unpatriotic idea OF raising money by towns to
defeat the draft-to pay combinations and
leave the Government without soldiers Now,
Selling upon the recent action of our City Gov
eminent, it has the effrontery to inform its
readers that the city of Portland stands on
this reprehensible ground and has practically
adopted the suggestion referred to, when ex-
actly the opposite is the fact
In that paper yesterday, in an editorial we
read:
There had been presented. two petitions from the
conscrpted and another from those not conscrip-
ted asking that the city be allowed to vote ON the
question OF offering to the government the $500 in
stead u the conscfipf
No such petition, for the honor of our citi-
zens be it said, has been offered to the City
Council or circulated among our people. The
foreman in the Advertiser office, who is
member of one OF the boards, doubtless act
offer pompous order in the board OF which
he is member, embracing this unpatriotic
proposition, but it was summarily disposed of
by vote of IA to 3. The petition from "those
not conscripted" was simply in aid of the 9TH
or two, the prayer OF which was couehed in
these words:
The undersigned, &C., respectfully request you to
appropriate and raise amount sufficient TO pay to
each and every man who may be drafted into the
United states service under the present DRAFT, and
,ro shall be mastered into said serrice either 6y him
sell or substitute, the sum Of $500.
No intimaton has been made that money
should be paid to the government "iastead of
conscripts," except in the proposition before
referred to, which was so promptly and so
emphatieally voted down.
Not satisfied to misreprcsent the petition
ers, the Advertiser goes farther and distinctly
misrepresents the action of the City Council.
Here is its language:
We understand from the careful report Of the do
ings OF the city authorities last night cteh Ce pub
Hsh, that the Board of Aldermen, without dissent
81 any consequence worthy of notice. ordered on Pc
tition meeting OF citizens, to he held on Wednes-
day, 29th to act the matter Of the citys Offering
the sum OF $500 to all eonscripts prouisi0n 10
themselves, to elect whether that sum shall be paid
TO- substitute or to the government IN lieu of a
substitute.
The warrant for the meeting which has been
called, and which is referred to above contains
the following article:
2d-To see whether said citizens will vote to in
struct the City Council Of Portland 10 raise aud APP
propriate the sum Of Three Hundred Dollars for
each ana every drafted man rho DsdB BE- mustered in
20 ne military serUice of the United States under
said DRAFT, or rho may furnish substitute for said
service as required by law
How the Advertiser can reconcile sncb
gross misrepresentation of facts with its duty
to the public as journal claiming public con-
fidence, especially when all the facts were be-
fore 1t, we leave for others to decide We can
see no motive for such gross proceeding and
such unblushing falsehoods, unless it be found
in desire to influence action in a neighbor
ing town, where its pet scheme was to be
"tried on" before the opportunity would be
afforded TO correct the misrepresentation.