The Portland daily press., 1863-03-10
A Rebel craft Crippled and Flying Flag
of Distress.

The rebel clipper Eastern Argus" very
early after the establishment of the Press,
commenced by adroit maneuvers to harrass
and embarrass the new competitor for public
favor, and to display towards it anything but
friendly signals-to represent 1t as piraticai
concern, flying black flag, bent on mischief
to the Union, the Constitution and the Laws
was one of IT'S every day pastimes. As early
- the 18th of July, when the Press was but
half month old, it allowed a correspondent
to say it had published an article switch was
reasonable assault upon the government"
Less than month later it said, 'the Press is
laboring for the cause of JEFF. Davis" A few
"If anybody merits the muzzle Of q prison
they do"
We give these simply as samples Of It's
style and spirit. We could oil a column with
similar quotations, all going to show, accord
ing to that delectable sheet, that the Press and
its editors were base trihers with the peace of
the country, warning upon the constitution,
and laboring to make disunion an accomplish
ed fact by their radical, disloyal and treasona-
bic teachings.
A few days since that paper, not for the
first or second time, charged the Press with
having slapdered the citizens OF Portland by
representing that there were large numbers of
disloyal men in our midst. 1t has never, in
such cases, truthfully copied our language, but
It has garbled it to suit its own purposes, and
TO make 1t express what we had never uttered
As an example, in a recent issue it said, "The
are many disloyal Democrats in Portland"
Not word of the kind had we ever uttered
In its Issue yesterday it said, "Some time since
the Press made charge that a member Of the
Commute appointed to invite Gen. Mcclellan
TO visit Portland, was a traitor, guilty of what
Here was our language:
There are some men in the city that seem to
make no concealment Of their secession spirit
We know OF at least one man who was on the re-
cent Mcclellan Committee, whom we have heard
declare openly, in the presence Of several indi-
viduals, that be regarded JEFF. Davis no more of
usurper than Lincoln that he had not par
ticle Of sympathy for the administration in pros
ecuting the war; that he would not contribute
the war on and he might fight il out, and much
more Of the same character. Perhaps the dem
ocsats do not consider such talk indicative of
disloyalty, but II SO we differ from them. We
regard it IS treason Of the blacklist dye.
To this the Argus responded by demanding
tho name, intimating that our refusal to give
It would be considered as admission that we
stated what was false. OF course, we did not
feel allied upon to vindicate our veracity at
the call Of such paper-a paper with .Ly-
ing christian name.
On Friday last we were dared to name one
disloyal democrat, and informed that our conr-
age or our veracity was at a sad discount
Now we are not accustomed to refuse
challenge, even from rebel iron-clad. Copy
ing the challenge, we said:
II the author of the above quoted paragraph
means that We have not the courage to name one
Of the selt-sfyied Democrats OF Portland, whom
We consider disloyal, he is simply mistaken
Was never more 50 in his life. Of course we can
not look into mans heart and read his mo-
tyes, but it is pretty safe maxim that you can
tell what is in jug by what comes from it,
Grapes are no more gathered from thorns nor
hes IRON thistles now than they were two thou
sand years ago. Adopting this rule of judgment
the safest the case admits of-we dare name at
least one self-styled Democmt--a regular copper
head-whom we consider disloyal, and thai one
10 the editor Of disloyal paper styled the East
era Argus.
We did not, Of course, expect by single
shot, and that from an ordinary smooth-bore,
TO penetrate the mailed craft, and to send her
In sinking condition into port flying flag of
distress; but that shot, incidentally aimed,
seems to have taken effect between wind and
water, and like great crying. soldering boo
by, who has iDcautionsly but vauntingly run
his eye against his little school-feIlow's fist, he
runs of and threatens to tell the school-ma'am
and to salve his own sores by applying legal
poultice. Hear him:
The Press plainly and deliberately charges us
with being a traitor and that we publish paper
"reeking' with treason and with the sblood'' of
loyal men. II the charge be true, then we are
guilty Of the highest crime known to the law,
and deserving of the seyerest penalty which the
law can infict. Our readers, who have daily
perused the Argus, need not to be informed how
false is this charge in every respect-how utterly
ut variance with every impulse of our heart,
with every purpose and thought Of our mind;
for II there he any one purpose which we cherish
above other purposes il is ~ be zealously true to
our country, to her Constitution and her laws
As the issue thus raised is altogether TOO grace
ons for ssifismsnf IN newspaper columns zoe hare
REfERRED IIs ADJUDICATION TO THE PROPER TRI-
DUnAL.
What the 'proper tribunal means we do
not pretend exactly to know. 1t may mean
"cofes and pistols" in which case we shall
need some instruction as to the use of fire.
arms; 1t may mean referenc to twelve men,
IN which case we shall-not run, at any rate.
We insist, however, that it is rather humilia-
ting position In which our former esteemed
friend has placed himself Taken all in all,
the circumstances indicate that he challenged
Us 10 vindicate our yeracity by walking into
. trap which he had nicely adjusted for an I'M
suspecting victim. II guerrilla warfare or
savage ambushis his "style," SO be it, but we
would thousand times rather be convicted of
toomuch faankness in the use ofspeech than be
guilty Of coaxing a man into position in
which we could get clip at him with legal
club. Such warfare Is too much like that of
the pimp and informer to suit our notions of
honor.
We have expressed the opinion, based on
facts that we stated, that the editor af the Ar
gus was disloyaL We did not say he was a
traitor. A man may be disloyal without be-
ing traitor. Treason implies acts. Disloy-
atty may be eyinced in mere cords. Webster
defines disloyalty to be, not true to allegiance,
falseness TO a sovereign, faithless, DC. How