The Portland daily press., 1863-08-18
Masked Battery opened upon Gen.
eral Shepley.


conference of Copperhead sachems. it opened
upon him its batteries,masked,it is true, under
the pretense of friendship, respect and re-
greet. referring to the first part of the speech
in which Gen. Shepley alluded very briefly to
local and partizan questions, the Argus says
On reading this part of his speech, now in print
wewere struck with surprise and regret. II shows
the purpose for which this effort made. We had
gwen Mr. Shepey credit for having desired to avoid
party bias in his address, and for having succeeded
aswell, nay better, than to be expected of one
hoiding an important commission under an admins
tIaon which vigorously demands on the part Of It's
employees the most seryie submission to, and sup.
port OF, IFS policy and acts. We were mistaken. Mr.
Snepiey evidently made this speech in the interests
OF the authorities at Washington and for the pur.
pose of iniuring the Democratic party to which he
mas been indebted for so many donors and for SO
democratic purpose, his printed speech places him ia
that position. and we must treat IT accoI dinghy.
n, IN Inc hrs place Mt shepley with much sei-com-
jameson in 1851 We refer TO this statement only to
say that il took the leading Jameson men, so called.
OF this city by surprise. They had supposed before
that he voted for Mr.. Dana They knew that he re-
fused 10 take any active part with them in the cam
palgn-that he even refused an invitation TO address
their Convention, and therefore naturally concluded
that be was against them.
Gen. Shepley needs no defense at our hands
and we propose none of gentleman of his
hiSh Pooidoh, dcoauitSu as Hc 10 Ny u Ntldl
party sheet for his devotion to principle, his
abnegation of all mere party claims, and his
persistency in maintaining the ground he as
sumed more than two years since; and yet
there are certain facts known to us person.
ally that we are disposed to set right before
the public.
An intimation is thrown out that Gen.
Shepley played a double game iu 1861, in vot-
ing for Gen. Jameson while the Jameson men
- and of course the Dana men were led to
suppose he voted for Mr.. Dana. Now We claim
TO have been one of the original Jameson men
though not OF this city-for we were a MEM
Der OF the Convention that dominated Gen.
Jameson, and well do we remember how for
ward were such men as j. W. Bradbury and
Il. A. G. Fuller of Augusta, in denunciation of
the Copperheads at Winthrop Hall who NOM
mated Dana, and the emphasis with which
they declared that their leaving the disloyal
men in that Convention ,ras .fndlify. And
we remember, too, how Messrs Sweat and
kimball of this city, Bradbury Of Eastport
and Gould Of Thomaston, took up the refrain
afterwards, and with what JUNCTION they de-
nounced the men who controlled that con-
clave OF traitors.
Now we find these very men cheek-by.jowl
with those whom they then denounced, and
yet those men avow to-day more deadly hos
tility to the Government than they did them
We find them snugly tucked up in bed with
the very men ,cho then kicked them cut, ready
10 do the bidding Of those separation from
whom was then so positively declared to be a
" flnality."
This is not all; we know that in the part OF
the State where we then were, the position Of
Mr.. Shepley ,cds uell understood; we know
that one of the then leading Jameson men,
of this city, took special pains to communicate
TO a paper Of which we had charge-the Bath
Times-an exposure of the imposition prac-
ticed upon Mr. Shepley in the Dana Conven-
ton by Mr.. Mcdonald, ,cho ans,cered 10 his
lShepley's) name ,ohen the yeas and nays
were called on a cital question. We have
that communication before us as we write.
After exposing the trick of Mcdonald and
showing that Mr.. Shepley was in no way re-
sponsible for it, the writer went on 10 say:
do not know how Mr. Shepley feels about the
matter but think In justice TO him the should
that would in fact do severely condemn hi IN Tor an
act n rhich he ras in no ray responsible.
Il. y Since the above was written Mr.. SHEPLEY
In which HE CAMS UP TO OUR MARX IN EVERY
POINT. The speech was eloquent and patriotic, and
FULLY GIVES THE LIE TO THE PRETENsE THAT Nc
DONALD REPREsESTED HIN.
This letter was written August 81, 1851
exactly one week after the nomination of Gen.
Jameson; and to show that it was written by
one of "the leading Jameson men," we need
only state that he was a member of the Com
mittee to inform Gen. Jameson Of his nominal
ton, and member of the Jameson commit
tee to prepare an address to the people OF the
State" and further, to show that be was not
only one of the ''leading Jameson men," but
one of that kind Of men sin this city," who,
the Argus says, were "taken by surprise" by
that he was no other than CHAs. p. KIMBALL
Esq. We have authority for saying that this
letter was not only shown to Mr.. Shepey be-
fore it was published, but he was informed of
the purpose of the writer; that it was to cause
its publication in one Of the leading Jameson
papers of the state; and we have the same
authority for saying that Mr.. Shepley took no
exceptions either to the tone of the letter or its
proposed use. Lest false impression may be
created by this statement, we will add, that
our authority is man notc acting with the
Democratic party, and that no word has ever
passed between us and Geu. S. upon the sub
since the attack was made upon him in the
Argus to which this article refers.
So much in vindication Of Gen. Shepley,
against the implied charge of having played
double game. The intimation that Gen.
Shepley, in his late speech acted in "servle
submission to the administration, is piece of
baseness worthy of those who never exer-
cised a free thought in their lives, who
are the most abject slaves OF party, and
who, in obedience to the behests of slave
drivers stand ready to crawl upon their bel
lies, to lick the dust, and to slake their thirst
from the spitboxes Of rebellion. If Geo. f.
Shepley, while claiming to be loyal and advo-
eating cordial and vigorous support of the
Government in its efforts TO suppress rebel
lion, had at the same time left the impression
upon the minds of his hearers that he would
stand with and by party stepped TO its lips in
treason; a party that to-day, by its resolutions,
has made record as infamous as ever did
l,,I 10. l..