The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-04-02

Comfy TO STRANGERS. = Foreign Capt.
tallsts and men of eminent enterprise run TO
our port one of the most important Ocean
Steamship lines in the world. One Of their
noble vessels, but partially insured, ireighted
with cargo Of immense value, in a dense
fog is wrecked upon our shores, at The very
entrance of the harbor. Instead of abandon
ing their property the owners take personal
charge of it, or employ agents to do so. They
work for the benefit of all parties concerned,
to raise the ship and bring its cargo into port.
A storm interrupts the progress Of their work,
breaks up the ship and strews the shore with
merchandise. Still they stick by the wreck,
employ men TO take charge Of the property
as 1t Is thrown upon the shore, as we'll as TO
grapple for that yet remaining in the bottom
of the hull. Guards are set TO prevent depre-
dations, and the officers OF the Government
are yigilant To protect property from theft, to
secure the rights OF the owners, and TO save
to the sufferers what may be saved of their
damaged property.
This is right. 1t is what comfy demands.
is what the moral sense OF an order loving
community demands. Less than this would
be discreditable to our people, to our port reg
ulations, to the efficiency of our government
officials, and discouraging TO those who send
their vessels to our harbor.
We confess to some surprise to find the
Courier administering consolation TO the
truckers, by using such language as the fol-
lowing, which is appended to q notice OF the
legal arrest OF parties for taking goods from
the Bohemian, and their Judgment in jail to
await judicial examination:
Now this may be all right, bat if large
amount of these goods are never recovered,
il will be attributed to the singular and I'M
generous course pursued by the agents and
those having the management of the affair.
When men who have labored hard to save a
portion of these goods, which otherwise might
have been entirely lost, and honestly deliver
them up, are not only refused compensation
or salvage, but are discharged from employ
ment, it is no wonder that men who pick
them up will keep them if they can. We
think we can serious difficulties growing
out OF this method of doing business.
This Is very singular language, applied to
the owners Of property, their agents and the
officers of the Government; particularly sin
gnlar when considered in connection with
the fact, that the Information was commune
Gated 10 the writer by an efficient officer, on
his own application for items of news, with q
request that the fact Of the arrest should be
Published as q caution TO other parties. To
say nothing of the notions of journalism
which Tins rafurns a etah for n saEcitad favor
we have only TO say that we regret to see any
thing, in any public journal, that looks like an
endorsement of, or even apology for, the
scandalous attempts to appropriate other peo-
PIES property which have been revealed in
connection with the Bohemian wreck The
owners of the property and the officers of the
Government had an undoubted right TO pur-
sne their own way in managing their own
business; and, so far as hs property under
their o,rn eye, or tritiin reach OF their oloa
agents is concerned, no outside party has any
more right TO interfere unasked, than he would
have to 60 into store and take goods there
from on one ofour streets or upon the wharves.
When goods are found abandoned, or floating
st sea beyond the knowledge of the owner,
the case is different. When such a case occurs,
or when aid is asked, then it is high time for
outside interference. Our neighbor may act
very unwisely in the management of his bust
ness, but that justiiies no interference of ours.
II man by his interference gets into trouble,
especially If he is found in possession Of
stolen goods al midnight, we have no sympa-
thy to expend upon him, nor shall We at
tempt "to see serious difficulties growing out"
Of legal attempts TO stop his depredations