The Portland daily press., 1863-09-15
squaring the Books.

80
The state canvass is now over, and its re-
suits will go to the reader with this, though at
the time of wrting-Monday at 2 P. Nit is
impossible to conjecture by what majority vic
tories have been won or lost. We are not
sorry the great event is over. Personally we
have only to regret that we could not have
done more to correct public sentiment, and TO
strengthen the hands of the loyal men of the
state. We did what we could, with pen and
voice, in our paper and on the stump, and
shall feel amply compensated if the Union
cause receives the slightest aid therefrom.
Now that the contest is over we are not dis
posed to rekinde the fires of passion and to
fan the flames of strife. We do not expect to
90 through heated canvass without meeting
with much to condemn, and had we met only
with ordinary unfairness not word of com
plant would we utter. But truth compels us
to say that, in maignity and recklessness, the
canvass just closed, as conducted by portion
of the Copperheads, exceeded anything we
have ever met with. Papers have been issued
filled to repletion with the most malignant and
baseless falsehoods; lies of the blacklist hue
have been put in circulation by men who
knew them to be false, and heaven, earth and
any other wicked place you choose to add
have been moved with view to restore to
power party upon which rests the response
bility of all our calaniit;es.
Among the most malignant of these false
hoods is that circulated against Ex-Gov.
Washburn, - that to put down slavery he
would see every wife become widow and
every child an orphan,-when Gov. w. had
taken pains, respectfully, over his own name,
to assert his positive denial. This falsehood-
known to be such, and known to be as malig-
nant as sin itself-was published by such I'M
principled sheets as the Bath Courier and the
Portland Advertiser in their last issues before
election, and though the Argus did not insert
it in its regular issues, it did send it forth in
its "extra" incendiary publications. This is
sample Of the falsehoods with which it was
attempted to prejudice honest men.
Another of the malignant falsehoods was
the statement in relation to Gen. Busteed's
salary from the Government, as Brigadier
General, to pay him for stumping the state.
The Argus and other papers which have given
currency TO this falsehood know that Gen. b.
is not in commission, and that he has not been
for months, nor has he been drawing a cent
from the Government. A kindred lie, patented
for the use Of the Comprehend press, was that
Messrs. Wilson. Clark, Blaine and other men,
bers Of Congress, were stamping at the ex-
pense of the Government, when no duty have
they neglected, none could they neglect while
Congress is not in session, in consequence of
their efforts to secure loyal victory in this
state More than this while the Copperheads
have been Ringing about salaricd members of
Congress taking the stump, Mr.. Sweat, their
own member and under pay the same as any
other member, has been constantly on the
stump for the past month or more. We have
referred to these acts of meanness to show
that il the copperheads have failed of victory
sufficiently dirty to merit an infamous success.
One personal word and we have DONE The
Argus has discovered a great deal of wit in
assuming that certain statements in the Press
were false and then styling them "Gilmans."
We have seen no more wit than courtesy in
such course. Knowing, as the editor of that
paper does, that we have been absent from the
city almost continuously for the last three
weeks, sometimes for four consecutive days
being more than fifty miles from home, and on
no occasion during the time having been in
the office over an hour or two in twenty-four,
he has meanly used our name in connection
with every paragraph that he thought would
subserve his purpose to excite a prejudice or a
particle of ill-leeling at our expense. We are
told that even Mr.. Bradbury, the candidate
for Governor, revealed his lack of dignity by
copying the Argus in this respect, in his City
Hall speech.
We have not been disposed to notice these
small tricks-no better than fslsehoods in
those who knew of our absence--nor do we
do so now only to express our obligations to
those kind neighbors who have been SO court
eous in their manner of conducting the cam
paign.
Since the foregoing was in type the telegraph
has told its tale, showing how signally infamy
has been defeated, treason and disloyalty re-
buked, and fasehood and iniquity have reaped
their just reward We are satisfied.