The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-09-28
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND.
Saturday Morning, September 28, 1867.
POR1LAND.
"A Radical Contemporary,


Every week some Copperhead son Of Belial,
in default of news of a rebel victory in
politics or in arms, quotes an ambiguous para
graph from the Springfield Republican, New
York Times, Commercial Advertiser, or some
other balf-hearted advocate OF Republican
truth, giving credit to Radical contempc-
rary." A Radical fiddlestick! The word is
too sacred, as understood in modern parlance,
to be prostituted to such base uses. The
sheets above uamed. and their imitators, are
no more entitled to be called Radical papers
than the Herald is, on the day when it rests
from its nine days labor in the service of
Satan and gives damaging support to the
Lord on the tenth. They IRE papers that oc-
casionally try to run some compromising
36o 3Oi line through the principles of eternal
justice. There is shadow of the Philadel-
phia convention hanging over them, more
baletul than that which elouded all the sub
sequent life OF the men who went to Hart
ford in the early part of this century. They
are the mouthpeces of the Trimmers. This
is not only true of the papers named, but
there are many others of the same stamp in
this country, and moIe than one of them in
New England.
These publications do harm to the party
which they profess to support; not by the
truths which they tell and the faults in the
party organization that they expose, but by
their cold, vacillating and Indifferent manner
of dealing with the most important ques-
tions that it ever became incumbent upon
people TO decide. A partizan is not bound to
lie, to equivocate, to cheat or to shrek for the
political association to which he belongs;
but if he thinks it worth while to belong to
it at all, there is every reason why he should
put his soul into it, and give firm and un-
wavering support to its cardinal principles.
Let him be as severe as he will, and as frank
as he will, in denouncing its mistakes, and
spare no pains to bring to light its corrup-
tions; but all this can be done without leav
ing any one to doubt which side he is en-.
This lukewarmness in politics arises from
various causes. 1t may be oecasioned by a
sordid desire to please every body and secure a
large circulation, as in the case OF the New York
Herald; morbid wish TO secure a reputation
for candor may be at the bottom of it all; or
it may arise merely from a GOODNESS of the
circulating fluids, as seems to be the case
with "a Massachusetts contemporary" But
whatever may be the motive, these bodies
hanging ON the verge of the party are worse
than useless to it. There is no excuse fol
lukewarmness in the present political contest
The Republican party is strong enough to he
able to dispense with the services of unfaith-
full servants.
Thurlow Weed and his satellites sent up a
delegation to the Republican Convention at
Syracuse, N. V, on Wednesday. The Radi-
Gals also sent delegation. The Convention
settled their conflicting claims by giving the
Weed men its consent to return to New York
by the shortest practicable route and by the
earliest train. Would that this treatment
were emblematic of the universal rejection OF
all who bring cold hearts and uncertain minds
TO the work Of establishing equal rights in
America, and through America redeeming
the world.