The Portland daily press., 1863-04-21
Disadvantages of a Bad Memory.

memories should either be very careful of
what they write, or lay aside all sensitiveness
about the consistency Of their record 1t is
the misfortune of our neighbor OF the Argus
to be very garrulous upon all governmental
subjects. to be remarkably loose and indis-
Greet I'm his statements, to be extremely for
getful of what he has said, and all the time to
be exceedingly sensitive in relation to the
consistency of his record True, he usually
spreads a broad tail, and drags it very heavily,
and he may think, in his pilgrimage over the
quicksands of modern Democracy, that he
succeeds in oblterating his footprints, so that
no traces of his winding course can be found,
but in this he is not always successful We
are led to these remarks by the following,
clipped from yesterdays Argus;
The Press asserts that we "expostulated
against the war and pleaded for dissolution, that
the hayward sisters might be allowed to de-
mart in peace Ii is true that we expostulated
against the war We did SO, and urged the adop-
ton of the Crittenden compromise to avoid II;
but the other part of the assertion of the Press
is absolutely false, as our readers all well know,
and as the Press ought to know. We never
s'pleaded for dissolution nor that the South
might be saowed to depart in peace or other
wise. We never in any form expressed will
ingness even to assent to separation under
any circumstances. Will the Press have the fair
ness to correct its statement We shall see.
1t is only with the emphatic declaration,
'-tee neuer in any form expressed tcittingness
"eren TO assent 10 a separation under any cir
"cumstances," that we propose to deal at this
time If this declaration is true--is borne out
by facts-then we did our neighbor injustice,
"A "a ia f.aip md
er. But If different state of facts is found
to exst--if that paper has suggested peace
full dissolution of the Union in preference TO
Union maintained by force, then the reader will
decide if justice demands that we should cor
rect any statement of ours to which reference
is made in the above extract. We appeal to
the record.
As long ago as January, is61-after seces-
sion had become fact, and active prepare
tions were being made in South Carolina and
elsewhere to resist by force of arms the
thorty of the Federal Government, Mr.. Sher
man of Ohio advocated the use of force to put
down rebellion and to maintain the authority
of the Government. Mr.. Perry of this State
expressed sentiments in accordance with those
of Mr.. Sherman. On the 18th of that month
the Argus characterized the language of the
gentlemen referred to as "boyish,' weak and
Contemplate and then, to give It's idea of
the way to treat our Southern brethren"
quoted the language of Abram to Lot, as fol-
lows:
And there was strife between the herdmen of
Abrams cattle and the herdmen of Lots cat
tie. And Abram mid unto Lot, Let there be no
strife, Ipray thee, betreen me and thee, and be-
tween my herdmen and thy herdmen, for are
brethren. Is not the whole land before thee,
Separate Myself, | pray thee, from me. If
thou wilt take the left hand will 60 10 the right;
or, il thou depart to the right hand, then will
60 to the left.
Taking the Scriptural account of the pro-
posed settlement of feud between Abram
and Lot for the text, the Argus proceeds to
make its application as follows:
Perhaps this way of settling a quarrel in
rude age may not be considered ofmuch account
by the refined and Christian statesmen of the
Republican party and their followers; yet at the
risk Of mourning their disapprobation and unfa-
yorable criticism, we modestly submit that
the mode Of adjusting disputes proposed By
.dbram Is MORE WORTHY OF A STATESMAN, CHRIS
TIAN AND PATRIOT, than that proposed by Messrs.
Sherman and Perry.
Here we have the square-edged suggestion
that separation of the South from The North
one taking the right and the other the lefi,-in
short, the acknowledged independence of the
South, as mode of settling the then existing
difficulties, was more worthy of statesman
and patriot than an attempt to maintain the
integrity Of the Union by military authority;
and in the face of such plain suggestion,
made but little over two years since, the Ar
gus has the effrontery to declare that it "ney-
Ter in any form expressed willingness even
ito assent to a separation under any circum-
Stances
But we have one more item from the record,
to which we invite attention. Beauregard de-
manded the surrender of Fort Sumter on the
18th of April, 1861. Two days later, having
withstood murderous fire from the rebel bat
teries for eight and forty hours, the fort was
surrendered. The next day the Presidents
call for $4,000 men to defend the nations cap
ital, to maintain the authority of the govern
ment and to suppress the rebellion was issued,
and with reference to this very call the Argus
said:
1t is sickcning to think of the prospect that
bristles all over with horrors. We have been
opposed to this policy from the beginning We
do not, we cannot believe in il now.
But it is to its language on the 10th day of
April, 1s61-three days after the fall Of Sum
ter, when the rebel Secretary of War had
promised to float his rattesnake flag over the
Federal Capitolin sixty days, and had even in
timated that the flagstaff of Faneuil Hall shonld
be honered with the same emblem-only three
days before the first New England blood flow
ed in the streets of Baltimore, from the brave
sons of Massachusetts on their way to defend
the nations heart sit is to language used by
the Argus at that time that we invite special
attention. Then it was, at such juncture,
that we find in its columns this paragraph:
suspension of hostile oyements may doubt
less be obtained on both sides until the people can
be directly consulted. find V'it shall then appear
as the result, that they riH not agree TO terms
upon schich free and Stare States can lire togeth
err in peace, THEN LEI PEACEFUL SEPARA-
TON BE ARRANGED.
We close by quoting once more the en-
phatic declaration in yesteday's Argns, which
We would have read in connection with the
above extract
We never pleaded for dissolution, nor that the
South might be allowed to depart in peace, or
otherwise. We necer In any. form expressed a
willingness ereR TO assent 10 a separation under
any circumstances.
Ilaas the rons still wait 20 10 saa r. ,ha