The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-03-15
THE PRESS.
Legitimate Argument.

Legitimate Argument.
To the Editor Of the Press;
There is no argument in denunciation; none
in vituperation or mere personal assaults up
on individual character. Itwould be well if this
q fact were never lost sight of in dealing with
important measures; measures having impor-
tant bearing upon the public veal At the pres
ent moment, in this State and Massachusetts
there is perhaps no subject involving moral Is
sues, engrossing more of public attention 'n"n
that of Temperance, or the means by WHICH IL
can be best promoted On this suDJect the pest
men are, divided in opinion In the latter
State this remark is particularly true. A
strong effort il being made TO change The poll
cv which for several years has obtained there,
NV substituting a stringent license system for
that of prohibition, and the readers of the
Press have had laid before them quite a full
synopsis of the testimony given by the pet
tioners,-those who oppose prohibition and ask
for Kcense,-and doubtless the other side, when
the testimony is all given, will be served up in
the same manner. ,a 81 It...t.
so far as have been able to discover. the
investigation has been conducted with the Mt
N-~N'N "iio Piopilcby, anu Tie JeSCllnO-
ny Oh witnesses has been singularly free from
offensive language or personal illusions They
have stated the facts and results of their own
observations, and given their own impressions
OF the workings of the law, and of what they
expect to gain by a change of policy All
this has been perfectly legitimate, and men oc-
cupying respectable positions in society, sum
moned before such an inquisition as that con-
stituted by the Massachusetts Legislature, have
a right to expect at least decent treatment
from those who take occasion to comment upon
their testimony and position. e 81 10 .ge.liI
1t is to be regretted that such has not in al
cases been the fact A paper before me,
respectable political paper, takes occasion
to represent the petitioners for change in the
law as liquor-dealers and their sympathizers.
and even the Witnesses lergymen, physi-
clans, college professors, men Of letters and
men of business, judges, mayors and ex-may
ors, &c. &c.,Care held up as men bought up by
the liquor-dealers' money! and the counsel en-
ployed by the petitioners are stigmatized in
the same elegant style. l have only to saw
that such is not argument; not even severe OF
smart, for its absurdity takes away both its
smartness and its severity. The same authori-
ty intimates that all the daily papers of Bos-
ton except one, the AdUertiser, the Transcript
and the Journal included, have been subsi-
died by the liquor Dealers and bought over
with their money to serve the interests Of rum
and ruin.
Now in offset to such wholesale denun-
citation, and such a convenient method of dis
posing of unpleasant facts, 1 wish to oppose
the courteous, gentlemanly and candid remarks
of Mr.. Huntington of Salem, when opening
the case for the friends of prohibition before
the legislative committee, 1 copy from the
Transcript: sasd i{ .lsai eG dli. bri
He had the highestrespect for the gentlemen
called to testify for the petitioners, represent
ing numerous body of the people Of the high
est character and responsibility in all parts OF
the Commonwealth. They and we are agreed
as to the necessity of suppressing dram shops
as they now exist in the State. These most
worthy gentlemen, having the same stake in
the community as we do, differ with us as to
the modes, means and devices. Mr. Hunting
ton averred that he had no sympathy with the
feeling that would deny to petitioners the adj
vantages of the best talents, and he would de-
fend the right of any counsel to advocate their
cause without censure or criticism.
Nothing is to be gained for any good cause
by misrepresenting the facts in the case, for
misrepresentation is not argument The cler-
gymen who have testified before the leeisla-
tive committee have been the objects of spe-
cial malediction for coming to the rescue of the
rum interests. Perhaps they deserve it. 1t is
none fmy business to enter upon their de-
fence, but when in order to bring marked re-
proach upon them facts are perverted it is
only fair that the statement Of the facts should
be set right. A few days since remonstranee
against a change of the law, headed by Rev.
DR.. Neale, was presented in the legislature, en-
dorsed as 'the petition of 156 clergymen of
Boston and its vicinity against license law
1t appears that many of the names attached
are those of clergymen from distant portions of
the State, and that Of 127 clergymen settled In
Boston only q signed the remonstrance. An
analysis of the remonstrance shows the follow
ing figures relating to the settled elergylmen of
Boston, of the leading sects. represented on it.
Of12 Baptist cfergymen 4 signed 8 did not;
Congregational Trinitaaians. signed and 6 did
not; Unitarans, signed, 10 did not; Method
lists, 10 signed, 6 did not; Presbyterians, sign
ed, did not; Univerealists, signed, 1 did not.
Out of IS Episcopal clergymen Of the city not
one signed the remonstrance. 'i'4 '''@ 't''lL'
do not give these facts to censure or to
praise the 'signers or the non-signer Whether
the action either way has been or is to be put
down to the credit Of the actors, express no
opinion, but do insist that such facts are
hardly consistent with the idea that all who
do notcome out in opposition to license are in
the interest of the liquor dealers and have
been corruptly bought up with their money. j
do not believe any such thing. If it be true
that the men who prefer license to prohition in
Massachusetts, are all corrupt, and have actual
ly sold themselves to the liquor dealers, then
there was never more occasion than at present
for the prayer-"God SAGE the Co,n,.o raaceaEM of
Massachusetts -i.A4i No''sii Z iii--ib s'isi