The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-11-15
More Comprehend Virus.

We felt called upon yesterday, in the dis
charge of simple duty, to notice the mahgnan'
course of reasonable sheet known as the
Eastern Arous-a sheet which disgraces our
loyal city and State-in its illusions TO one o.
President Johnson's cabinet; Hon. EDWIN M.
Stanton. We referred to the suggesuoh VI
lisa,aioa made by that paper as a SOLUTION Vi
our troubles, and the compositor, nis''hins
the word for discussion, took the 1orce ou' "
the paragraph. .,r ~
We refer to the matter to-day not Simply 70
correct this error but to give anotner ihs.'i-
mont from the same paper, of the same kind
Of MALIGNANT hate, aimed at President john
con through his efficient Secretary Of War
Here it is, from the argus of yesterday morn
inr. Abiding to the reported attempt of Mrs.
Wirz to supply her husband with poison, that
delectable sheet says:
The story was gotten up by the government detec-
tive, who has probably invented many similar ones
Tor like purposes. This one happened to GET Keu us
soon AZ nut forth he Others oored the desired mis-
chief Wirz has gone to his final account, anu ~ ~
as well to let him alone now Least OF an % te
nest of vpers whose business 1t has Deeu 70 sung iof
The nast four years. be allowed to continue their ma
lignant work unrebuked. The horrors OF Anuerson-
vile awfdl-a disgrace TO human nature; Me
of Washington. were such, and so implicated high
ociaIs that the poor tool who perpetrated the out
RACES pon prisoners not allowed to be tried and
punished for his crime 1t was mess that the Score
taryT Var would not al9oD to be stirred up.
The italics in the above are ours. Here we
have the allegation from Portland Copper
head, that the Government, ofwhich Andrew
johnson is the head, employed men to fabri-
cate falsehoods by which to procure the death
of such innocent men as Wirz. One of these
falsehoods miscarried, that about the poison
-"the other worked the desired mischief
that is, secured the conviction and death OIL
Wirz! This is the logic and intent of this
paragraph. Who are referred to as 'the nest
of vipers," or who those are who have been
"stung tor the past four years" we are not in
formed. We apprehend, however, that the
'nest" refers to Abraham Lincoln and An
drew johnson with their Cabinets, and that
those who have been strmg are the patri-
otto Democrats of the rebel States, and
their almost equally patriotic sympathisers
among the northern Copperheads.
What we would specially direct attention to
is the last part of the above extract. Ander-
sonville with its horrors, is coupled with 'the
doiugs at Alexandria, almost within a stones
throw of Washington" and the insinuation
and logic of the statement amount to this -
that alexandria doings" were equally horri-
BILE with Andersonville and its "dead line" !;
that the rebel prisoners received in that place
treatment quite as bad as the Union prisoners
did at this that the Andersonville Wirz has
been hung while the Alexandria Wirz "was
not allowed to be tried and punished for his
crimes" and that for all this outrage the Sec
rotary of War is to be held responsible!
Of the spirit that suggests such comparisons,
and makes such fngs at a faithful public Of
fcer, we have nothing to say at this time
We have no words sufficiently expressive to
characterize such meanness ard malignity.-
1t casts in the shade anything we have seen
printed at Richmond, Mobile or any other
southern city. 1t stamps its author with in
fanny, and proves him to be possessed of reb-
ell hearS 1t shows that paper protesting
respect for the administration is ready at ev-
cry moment to malign its chosen instruments.
1t shows that the lately developed sympathy of
CoppeIheads for Andrew Johnson's admins
tration, is the sympathy of traitors to all demo-
cratic principles; the sympathy that would be-
tray with kiss, and while in friendships en-
brace plant dagger beneath the fifth rib. In
comparison with spirit that inspires such at
tacks as. we have referred to in this and for
mer number of the Press, John Wilkes Booth
looms up in the magnanimity ola gentleman,
and his dagger becomes respectable along side
ofthe pen and heart employed in such a base
business.
In closing, we will say for the information o.
such persons as may not be aware of the fact
that no rebel prisoners were ever kept at Alex
andria, SO that the gross accusation noticed
above falls OF its own weight. There was
complaints there ofthe management of a few
of our own hospitals, particularly those for
convalescents, but the evil received the atten
tention of the Government and prompt correc.
tivcs were applied.