The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-05-25
About Money.

There are many ways Of conducting poll
teal newspaper. The whole range of charac-
ter between gentleman and blackguard.
might easily be illustrated, by considering the
manner in which various journals choose to
conduct their political controversies. The ar
guments of honest opponents, eager only to
get to close hugs over questions at issue and
spurning an unfair advantage as unworthy
and needless, contribute 10 the public informa-
ton, and however mistaken and fallacious, de-
serve the consideration of all good men.
For such argument the Advertiser has late
ly shown its incapacity in at least two signal
instances. 1t has been compelled to retreat
from its foolhardy assertion that .s'preaching
politics. is modern invention, and has re-
ceived sufficient illumination respecting the
history of the constitutional question of ex-
ecutive patronage to see the propriety of hold
its peace, at least for season. Thereupon
the Advertiser, instead of looking up the real
arguments on this or any other question, re-
lapses into maudlin grooming about the inferi
GRITTY of the negro, repeating parrot-like its
well remembered phrases borrowed from the
Psychologists of the South, who have so long
been the laughing-stock of the scientific
world, that one wonders how the Advertiser
or any other newspaper published in an en-
lightened community ever happened to adopt
their still-bom theories.
The Advertiser does worse. 1t copies this
passage from the Pennington Chronicle, with
italics as we give them,-
The Hon. S. E. Spring is deservedly popu-
lar, and has host of friends. He is true,
earnest liberty man, and always ready to beck
his Union principles aoih ready cash. Few
men in the State have felt SO deep into the
pocket, as well as in heart as Mr.. Spring; and
no true man will regret his nomination
and proceeds under the caption, ''The Agen-
cy of Money in Politics." to intimate that the
Chronicle intended to convey the impression
that Mr.. Spring or his friends are using money
to secure his nomination. This is malevolence
run mad and degenerated into mere stupidity.
When the Chronicle speaks of Mr.. Springs
generous response to all the appeals of the
country, Of his readiness "to back his Union
principles with cash." nobody who is capable
of understanding English speech or drawing
a logical inference, would dream of or allow the
Interpretation which the Advertiser seeks to
put upon the words. 1t is as if compliment
to the military services of Gen. Chamberlain
should be interpreted to hint his intention of
selling upon the State government by military
force. l.lc
The Adoertise,'s opposition is doing Mr..
Spring genuine service. The unanimity of
the Portland delegation, Judging from the pop
ular feeling here, has never been doubtful
since his name was first suggested. The coun-
ty which he has represented in the Legsla-
ture, has not forgotten his services. His per-
sonal popularity at home and his wide acquain-
lance throughout the State conspired to bring
him favorabiy before the Republicans of Maine,
and the polite attentions of such journals as
the Advertiser are doing much to strengthen
his prestige. The Aduertiser is mistaken in
its assertion that ''money makes the man.
No amount of money will transmute bad logic
into good sense, or ignorance into wisdom, or
falsehood into truth, or a vulgar bIockhead IN
to a gentleman. Mr.. Springs honorable posi-
ton is due to the purity of his life, to his in
tegrity, to his patriotism and his sound, prac-
tical sense, and not to the Almighty Dollar
which so obscures the vision Of the Aduer-
kser 3