The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-03-26
A False Alarm.

/. Under the startling caption "Military Des-
resents the town of westbrook in the Legisla-
ture, In his paper yesterday morning raises a
dolefnl cry Of alarm against "the Republican
leaders," for having established military des-
potism in this State. We give below enough
of his article TO show its animus:
The Republican leaders are evidently alarm
ed at the spirits which they imagine will an
swer to their own invocations. A large
amount of arms and powder Is arriving daily
ct Augusta, and on Monday last the two
Houses OF the Legislature, by partisan rotes,
carried through bill delegating the whole
Legislative power of the Government to the
Governor and Council, to organize Divisions,
Brigades, Regiments and Companies through
out the State, under such rules and regua-
tions as he, with the consent of Council, shall
elect TO ordain! A military Dictator is inaug-
urated by submissive partisan Legislature,
and the whole constitution abrogated, so far
~ division of the Legislative and Executive
powers OF government was supposed to be Sc
cured by that instrument. The law Is mere
brutum .ful,nen, and we hope the first man at
tempted to be enrolled under it, will appeal to
the judiciary for protection, and test this inno-
walton upon the organic law Of the Govern
ment.
We have once published the bill, the passage
Of which has given our neighbor SO much
alarm, and as it is short we reproduce it, all
except the enacting clause:
The Governor and Commander in-Chief is
hereby authorized TO organize Companies,
Regiments and Bigades of Militia, and by
general and special orders to make such rules
and regulations for their CONTROL discipline, ar
manent and equipment as may be constttu-
tfonut and necessary, which rules and regula-
tions shall have the force Of law.
And all parts OF the statutes inconsistent
herewith are hereby repealed.
This bill, says the article above, was car
fied BY partisan potes through the two Houses
Of the Legislature. The writer knewt his was
false, when. he penned that sentence,
for he must have had before him the yeas and
nays in the Senate, on the passage of the bill
to be engrossed. The bill did not originate
With Republican 1t was presented as sub
stitute for long bill reported by the joint
standing Committee on Militia and Military
Afairs-a committee composed mainly of Re-
publicans-by Hon. JOHN A. PETERS, of Pc
nobscot, Democratic Senator, Mr.. Peters
drafted the bill and offered 1t on his own re-
sponsibility, and the vote passing it to be en-
crossed shows seven votes opposed to it, and
these were nearly all Republicans, including
Mr.. Spring of this city; and the seventeen
who voted for 1t embraced other Democrats
besides Mr.. Peters. Mr.. Wiggin, of York, ev-
idently saw no danger in the bill, for he with
drew from the chamber while it was under
consideration.
The story about "a large amount of arms
and powder" arriving daily at Augusta, is
probably fgment of disordered brain. We
hope, however, that the State is not to be left
entirely defenseless, and IL resistance to the
laws is offered by disorganizers and rebel
sympathizers that the authorities will not find
themselves unprepared to enforce the laws
and to preserve order.
When Mr.. Peters introduced his substitute
he gave his reasons for SO doing. The bill re-
ported by the Committee, it was estimated,
would involve an expenditure of at least
100000 TO put it in operation, and then it
was so complicated and cumbrous that, for
available purposes, 1t could not be put in OPP
cEation suort Oi from SIX months 10 year.
He did not believe such system was now
called for. The General government had wise
ly provided for raising its own troops without
the Intervention of State authority--one of
the wisest provisions, Mr.. Peters declared. that
had been made during the continuance of the
war. He did.not believe there would be the
slightest difficulty in carrying such regula-
tion into effect. The President had the pow-
er TO enforce it in his own hands. No one
would oppose it. The Senator from York, Mr..
Wiggin, had just avouched for the party he
represented, that they would obey the laws
and respond to all the demands Of rightful au-
thority. For himself Mr.. Peters had no fear
Of any resistance, should DRAFT become nee
essary, but he was aware that others differed
from him; that wide spread impression had
gained ground that, in some portions of
the State, the Government would be resist
ed, and for this reason he would place the
power in the hands Of the Executive to en-
force the law. He would give him an armed
police sufficient to meet any emergency that
may possibly arise. Such were the objects of
the bill authorizing the Governor, not to draft