The Portland daily press., 1863-03-30
The Union Meeting--spirit of the Press.
At 7 Ia O'Clock

Inc Union meeting Oh rTiudy evening, WHICH
proved to be such a triumphant success, did
not seem TO please the conductors Of the Argus
and Advertiser. The notice Of the meeting in
the former paper is short crisp and ill-natured.
1t occupies one.fourth OF a column only. Capt
Herbert, the first speaker, received the chief
attention, probably because he was con-
servatye," and was procured without any in
Prevention Of" radicals" We believe the COM
mittee, one half of which were democrats, pro-
cured Capt. II. on their own account. Prof
Patterson is despatched in exactly four lines.
He is represented as fresh from the political
stump in New Hampshire" with "a speech
which he had practiced upon all winter" Prof
P. having but recently been elected to Con-
gress from the Old Granite State, was sup
posed TO be radical" and hence the short
notice with which he is turned off, OF the
other speaker-Major Burt-another represen-
tative Of conservatism" and an old Demo-
crat, the Argus speaks in terms of ordinary
respect. Probably the most Of the audience
came TO the conclusion that, If the military
gentlemen were conservative, radicalism might
afford TO surrender at discretion, for more rad
icai views were seldom ever heard in that hall,
or any where else, than were uttered by those
two representatives of the army. Probably the
Argus will admit that at least two of Uncle
Sans soldiers have no scruples about using
all the means that God and nature have Civ
en- US, to put down this unholy rebellion.
The same paper speaks of the calls for Mr..
Smith,. o. J.-and intimates that his failure
to respond was owing to the lateness of the
evening. Smith was there with his small corps
Of cldcquers, and his name was called by those
who had been scattered through the hall, evil
IDENTIFY for that very purpose. Mr.. s. knew
better, however, than to insult an audience
gathered in the name of Union by intruding
his voice upon them. He wisely refrained
from Drawing the overwhelming sentiment of
the meeting with note of opposition; and no
gentlemen present were evidently more I'M
willing to have him respond to the clamor of
the few malcontents who called for him, than
the high-mnded Democrats who had aided in
getting up the meeting. The Argus winds up
with an intmation that the Union cause has
received damage.
The Advertiser, in its report Of the meet
ing, carefully treads on both sides of the
fence. An article of a column and half, evil
IDENTIFY prepared by the reporter, presents
very fair and impartial view of the meeting.
1t does tolerable justice to the noble speech of
Prof. Patterson, and avoids all surs in its no.
tice Of the military gentleman" But an edi-
torial article, Enthusiastically from the pen of
Mr.. Smith, Is as full of bitterness as malignity
and disappointment could make it. Some
body is accused of unfairness in getting up the
meeting, and the gentlemen who had the con-
troll of it are represented as anything but men
Of honor and Independence. Somebody is al
90 accused Of "usurpation" in the matter, and
even held responsible for half dozen lines in
this paper, which editorially mentioned the
speakers expected to address the meeting.
Gen. Hamilton-the distinguished Texan ref
ugee, who was thought SO much of by the
Democrats in Congress in 1859 that they tried
hard to make him Speaker of the House-is
called ''the greatest liar and pimp in Texas"
Prof Patterson man taken from the classic
halls of "old Dartmouth" by the people, and
made their representative TO the next Con-
gress-is held up as "hypocrite,' accused of
misrepresenting the facts of history, and de-
nounced for taking advantage "before an au-
ditory that could not have an answer on the
spot, as he well knew, and as the managers
Of the meeting had yell contriced" The
italics In the foregoing are not ours. We only
hope +. 0. j. S. will shew his courage by call
ing Gen. Hamilton liar and pimp 10 his
face, when the General comes here, as he will
In afew days. Probably he will do it-"over
the left" as the boys say. In the demonstra-
ton Of Friday evening, the editor of the Ad-
vertiser can see only trap" set for sour in
telligent citizens" Sin respect to OUR APP
PRoAcHING CITY ELECTION" Small capitals
his and not ours. What kind of "intelligent''
citizens are SO foolish as to run into strap"
and need the counsels of demagogues to keep
them out Of harms way, we are not informed;
nor are we informed Of the degree of nodes
ty required to qualify non-resident--the rep
resentative of another town. notorious and
proverbal opponent of all the real interests of
our city-to feel so deep a solicitude on ac-
count of our approaching city election"
But enough. The meeting OF Friday eve
mig, upon the WHoe, was d glorious success.
Capt Herbert is blunt Western soldier. and
spoke in his own way and he doubtless
felt at liberty, as a soldier, to deal his blows
against the enemies of the country, north or
south; and as he remarked after the meet
ing, 1t is expected Of a soldier that he
should hurt somebody, and If he hurt any one
by his remarks, it should be attributed to the
necessities of his profession.
Major Burt is a gentleman and a scholar in
all respects; not an accomplished speaker
perhaps, but an interesting speaker, whose
heart is engaged 10 the cause, and who cares
not to study his words, but having an object
before him goes to work in the most direct
manner to accomplish it,
of Prof Patterson we need say nothing to
those who heard him. Polished, gentlemanly
and eloquent, he carried the audience even in