The Portland daily press., 1865-05-25
The Moral Standard Of the ARGUS.

Ais fair in war and politics" seems to be
the accepted motto Of the Argus under its
present control. 1t does not stick at publish
ing falsehoods aginst its neighbors, knowing
them to be such, if by so doing it can mislead
its readers and prejudice-them against an OPP
ponent. For example, its yesterdays issue
contained the following paragraph:
AN ECHO FROM THE PAsT.-We assert that
the negro is simply an animal; that he is NOT
human being; that he does not belong to the
rational creation that els simply an ape or
o0urGng outdng endowed iuitk special More
IMAM this: We insist upon reducing the free
cot0fed people of the United States to sldueTU
as the true solution of the nagro p-oAlerr, GO
that no relation OF tile negro race shall be re-
cognized in this country, except that ofslavery
to the white man. js
To this infamous paragraph the name of the
editor of the Press was attached, when the ed
itor of the Argus KNEW, that in giving it pub
LEGATION with that name attached, he toas per
petrGting q practical fdIsehood; that did his
souls everlasting salvation depend upon sue
cess, he could not find single line, word or
syllable, written or printed, published or spolk-
en-, bearing the slightest resemblance to the
above, that ever received the countenance or
Endorsement in any way whatever, Of the per-
son to whom he fagitiously attributes it.
He KNOWS this; he knows that he has Civ
en- publicity to a base, malignant, unscrupu-
lous forgery. Even the man who first got IT
up and gave 1t publication, and to whom the
argus gives credit, has stated that he did not
suppose the editor Of the Press ever wrote the
paragraph, or entertained its atroclous senti-
ments, but that 1t ,oas copied from paper of
Witch he ooGs editori Possibly it may have
been copied from the New York Day Book
Q recognized Democratic paper which the ar
gus has often complimented, and recommend
ed to the Democracy of Maine, and with
which it is now in open fellowship and syr1-
pathy,--for it sounds precisely like that pa
per. But If the editor of the argus will find
1t copied into any paper edited by us, and not
for the cypress purpose of denouncinq its
atrocious teachings, we win pay him twenty
five dollars day for the time occupied in the
search, and facilitate his investigations bv fur
nishing him with bound files of all the papers
we have ever been editorially connected with.
NOW for another view of the matter. If
we had, as Democratic editor in this State,
enunciated the Infamous doctrines of the para
graph In question, what was the editor OF the
Argus about that he did not denounce the
act, and brand us, as we should have deserved
to be branded, as vile of-shoot Of despotism
seeking utilization with the Democratic house
hold ? How does he answer it to his party
that be would allow such iudignities to be
offered to Democracy without word Of re-
proof
II Is true, we have copied from the argus
the words gifts oton editor, uttered in the face
OF a giant conspiracy, and when traitor hands
were clutched at the throat of the nation.
and their deadly weapons were aimed at its
life, proposing at such a time to con,Dro-
mise on the basis Of disunien. to divide the
territory, to divide the assets of the nation n
administer upon its estate as upon the estate !
OF dead man, and to divide the effects eoni.
lady between those who had DESTROYED the
national life and those who had labored IN da.
fend 1t j This, precisely this, is what the A.
gus did In Iool-after war had been forced mn.
on us by the rebels and traitors of tho sontb
And does the editor Of that naner retort
upon us, and ask what we were abon. :, a..
time that, as Democratic editor. we a,d ~.
upbraid him and denounce his coursa - =,
sst that our silence made usa particina,or :.
his sin? Mol he will ask no suca oues,,on
for he has not so soon forgotten how like q
very rebel and traitor he was assailed BY the
Bath Times for his criminal recreancv to
every principle of sound Democracy as well
as to the highest demands of patriotism. He
knows that the scourge was applied to him
and those like him, without stint and wi,bopt
conjunction.
mat proposition Of the Argus, to divide
tne Union and distribute the property as the
Noman executioners would divide the gar.
-suS 81 crucifed malefactor. stands TO-DAY
snreeanted, unrepented of;-and vet the an.
~. = ! expects to be recognized and treated
ned Willingness rather than sbt As ~ aa.4sor
that national unity which 4 The das y aes'ioy
mony bequeathed by our father. 1e " patri-
NIT to the demands and exactiors ms ~ 70 SUD
VINO had insulted the flag, dethropsd ,s ~ men
stitution, and bathed their fratrIc,d. Sne Con-
IN the blood of our countrymen. nanoS