The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-08-31
The Two Candidates for Governor.

two parties. The men whose names have
been presented for various offices, from the
highest to the lowest, have been passed by
and one would almost say forgotten, in the
absorbing discussion of the principles for
which they stand. When Gen. Chamberlain
was nominated, after a warm canvass, the
Republican journals gave instant assurance OF
their unanimous and cheerful acceptance of
the result The Democratic press received
the announcement in silence, and that silence
has remained unbroken. When Lawyer
Pjlsbury was nominated, the intelligence was
received with general and chilling indiffer-
ence. Men asked one another who the man
was, and whether he was the same Pillsbury
who in 1858 received the Democratic nomina-
| ton and was defeated in the legislature, and
having satisfied a not very eager curiosity on
these points passed to more exciting topics.
There are several causes for this general
disposition to leave the candidates out of the
discussion. The fact, universally known and
accepted, that the Democratic nomination i;
| merely formality, neither leading nor ex-
pected to lead to any result, has its influence.
1t is law of mechanical forces, that action
and reaction are always equal; the same law
holds good to some extent of moral forces
Men are disposed to proportion their endeav-
ors to the resistance to be encountered
| Where victory is certain, there the assault is
| likely to be little weaker than might other
wise be expected.
OF course the Democrats have done wisely
in avoiding the comparison. That party in
this State finds itself out of fellowship with
the organization as it now exists elsewhere.
The most sagacions politicians of the old
Democratic party are now satisfied that its
course is run. Dean Richmond sat in the
Philadelphia convention. The Herald and
the World know no party except the ''Nation-
al Union" party. All this was foreordained
when the Democratic State convention OF
Maine met in this city. Men who had eyes
to see and ears TO hear were already aware
that the doctrines of the Chicago convention
were as obsolete as the Salem witchcraft.-
The grandest triumph ever enjoyed by any
party was on the point of falling to the Re-
publican Unionists. The Philadelphia plat
form, embracing almost every distinctive
principle of the Republican creed, was already
prepared. At this juncture the Democrats OF
Maine got together and adopted as their first
reso luton declaration of war upon the very
Congress which had forced its opponents to
adopt platform closely resembling its own
proflered constitutional ammendmenG. Upon
the hobby horse ofthis resolution they mount
ed a village lawyer, to be their candidate
for Governor-a man who owes the little no
toriety he possesses to his noisy opposition to
to the very principles adopted by the Philadel-
phia convention and now unwillingy acqui-
esced in by himself and his fellows. The
Democrats Of Maine were not prepared for
the Philadelphia movement. The men who
we re most prominent in the convention, n.
s. Littlefeld, Marcellus Emery, j. W. Brad
bury, Paul S. Merrill, Virgil Delphini Paris,
S. d. Clay, were the very men who opposed
the war in the beginning, who declared it
failure during its progress, and pronounced
the abolition of slavery an inexcusable out
rage. These men cannot accept platform
which acknowledges that the war 'has main
tanned the authority of the Constitution" dis
claims any desire to see slavery re-established,
and recognizes the services" of the soldiers.
Not one of them has proclaimed his accept
ance Of the Philadelphia doctrines. The Argus,
their organ, when challenged to express an
opinion of the Philadelphia resolutions, evad-
ed the issue. Mr.. Pillsbury is the man of
their choice. There is nothing in his record
worthy of note, except his opposition to the
embarrassing Philadelphia doctrines, and
that is the very last thing which just at this
moment they are willing to talk about.
But if they have good reasons for saying
nothing about their own candidate, they have
The people of Maine remember how General
Chamberlain left the peaceful routine of col
lege duties, the companionship of books and
friends, and the cain delights Of a happy
home, for toll and danger and if need be
death, for the cause which was his but also
ours. The people of Maine have sacrificed
much for the preservation of the Union
Here is one who gave himself with all his
brilliant prospects, to secure the victory
which at last came How, from Fredericks-
burg to Petersburg he bore himself steadily
and bravely; how he rose in the service, pro-
NOTED on the field in one instance-the only
instance during the war how faithfully he re-
garded the well-being of his men in camp,
I< loJ -
people of Maine well remember. They have
learned more recently, how the desperately
wounded soldier was borne on stretcher to
deposit his vote for Lincoln and johnson at
the last Presidential election, and that for
years before, the :quiet professor had voted
and sympathized with them. In every re-
spect he represents the party which in 1851
came with one accord to the rescue of the
country. II cannot" said Democrat the
other day, II cannot vote for Pillsbury, as
against Chamberlain / wish you hadn't NOM
mated him." The man had been a soldier,
and spoke from the bottom of an honest
heart.
: It is because the two men so represent
and are identified with the conflicting theo-
ries of their parties, that they have been so
generally left out of the discussion of those
theories. We believe the political power of
this government should not be uncondition-
ally entrusted to rebels taken with arms in
their hands. The Democrats see no objection
to such an act OF sublime confidence. We
believe this has been rebellion. They call it
family quarrel. Mr.. Pillsbury SO regarded it,
and would say SO now if he could get the
Philadelphia gag out of his mouth Gen.
Chamberlain did not intend, we may be sure,
to risk his life in mere brabble about triaes.
He believes and the Republican party to-day
believes, that there were principles at issue in
that conflict for Which men might well and
gladly lay down their lives. Mr.. Pillsbury
sees nothing there but miserable wrangle
from which it was the duty of every prudent
man to hold himself carefully aloof General
SndmDerlain hnliouoc that tho p,ip oiploc MI,