The Portland daily press., 1864-10-18
The Argus on the Elections.

The Argus of yesterday had, under its
editorial head, an article upon the Western
elections, In which the venom of the serpent
is more than usually apparent. The result in
Indiana, the cradle of the "Sons of Libertyn
and the supposed stronghold of disaffection
with the administration, is a bitter blow, and
causes 1t to display its poison tooth even more
boldly than usual. If the reelection of Mr..
Lincoln, which now seems an event morally
certain, does not result in civil war and blood
shed at the North, it will not be for lack of
effort on the part of the Argus and its COM
peers to bring apout such state of things.
That the towns and villages of Indiana are
not already the scenes of bloody strife is TO
it source of ll-concealed disappointment:
but it consoles itself with the idea that in
November there will be more resistance to the
lawful authorities. 1t says:
"Accounts by mail from Indiana Just before
election, Indicate u perfect reign of terror
there. The satrap' Hovey, had organized a
railroad expedition with which he traversed
the State, broke up Mcclellan meetings, cut
down the stars and stripes, and tore the flags
to fragments; dragged men from their homes
at midnight, without warning, without war
rant, or even charge against them except that
they were Mcclellan men. All this the con-
serUatiue men resotued to submit to, rather
than fight In the State election. But on the
9Th Of Novensber 1t aoill not be thus. Militia
ry naturalization ,ciU not succeed."
Now it is not SO much the statements con-
tanned in this extract. (which the writer
doubtless kneao to be false from beginning to
end) to which we wish to call attention, as it
Is the animus of the thing. IF anything were
yet wanting to show the entire and perfect
sympathy between the leaders of the rebellion
and these Northern Copperheads, such utter
ances as this must convince the most charita-
BILE. Previous to the election of 1850 the.
Southern fire-eating journals were filed with
just such stuff They raved of abolition out
RACES" and the ''rights OF the South" , and
they told us that the constitutional election
of man of Mr.. Lincoln's principles would
never be submitted to by them, but would be
deemed cause for revolt and civil war. The
election took place, and they did their best to
make their threats good. Now these North
ern secessionists and allies of JEFF. Davis, fol-
lowing closely in their footsteps, resort to the
same weapons of falsehood and SANDER in or
der to excite against the Government the
prejudices Of the ignorant; and they in turn
tell us that the constitutional reelection of
Mr.. Lincoln will be the signal for civil war in
the North! In other words, that they are
ready in case of the failure of their candidate
In the coming election, to re-enact on the
stage OF the Northern States the awful TRACE
dy of Southern secessionl And this to-day |
after three and a half years of agony and
bloodshed such as the world has seldom seen
Blood and tears have flowed in torrents, and
the pail Of mourning covers the land; yet
the Argus Is ready to. make the Northern
States also "pass through the fire to Moloch.''
This is the palpa5le animus Of the article in
question, and we know not what spirit can be
found to match it, unless it be that Of the low
est circle of the Inferno. Certainly it must
be admitted that those who, now and here,
thus cater to the morbid appetites and sordid
fears of the ignorant, and by intoxicating the
vilest sentiments and disseminating the most
unblushing falsehoods, seek to sow discomfort
foster sedition, foment disorder and riot, and
stimulate if possible to treason and civil war
are infinitely worse than the early secessionist:
of the South. THEY had at least the excuse
: that they knew not the mischief they were
doing when they opened the foodgates o
rebellion. Pulled up with vain eoncelt O
their own strength, with the slava-holder'
notion of his own omnipotence, the believed
in an easy victory. But these Eoehern al
lies Of theirs know better. They Aave hat
abundant opportunity to learn what inlnit.
disasters follow in the train of what such act
J as these incite to-; yet even while hypocriti
cally crying out for immediate "peace at an,
price, while never losing an occasion to ex
claim against the horrors of war brought OF
by those in political sympathy and allianc,
with themselves, they are laboring constant,
to spread those horrors over yet wider fields
to light in Northern homes the fire which ha,
made the South desolate waste! We have
no words adequately to express the turpituds
of a cause like this. 1t is source of consola
ton to know that the ultimate judgment O
an indignant people will surely assign to these
men their merited need of infamy.
EPSILON.