The Portland daily press., 1869-12-03
The 1rrecOnciIab'es.

Last week the publishers of the Riverside
Echo, the temperance weekly that became the
official organ of the Hichborn party last sum-
mer, printed prospectus in which they with
drew their paper from the support of politi-
cal party, and announced that it would be
henceforth an independent family and tenn
Pe'"", s-.,~aal as it formerly was Tins week
hev. j. L. Z. Sawyer, now of Providence, X. L.,
publishes his valedctory, announcing that the
restrictions imposed upon him by the pupllsh-
ers make his Connection with the paper mn
pleasant
Mr.. Sawyer belongs to the " Irreconcilables- :"
as they would say in France, or FL" Bitter
Enders." as they would ~ in the South. He
believes in e5nIng the Hicbborn battle still.
IRE says: "The political arena is undoubtedly
more difficult one for the friends of Temper
ance than is any other, but it is here that this
great question must be ultimately settled, and
the more hotly the contest is waged the sooner
will it be over" He adds: "To our friends
who voted for Hon. N. G. Hichborn, we hope
will be given the same candidate and better
success next year."
He also formally withdraws the patronage
of the Grand Lodge from the Echo, and also
that of the Association at whose request he
undertook the editorial charge of the tem-
PEI, NJ department of that paper.
Copperfeld, he IS 81 aoe man, ouI, IKE DAVID
publishers of the Echo iep p' 80: :
sole warmth to his insinuations ~
DE less temperance paper on account OF ..s
withdrawal. They say that not half the ed
itorial matter in the temperance columns has
oeen prepared by Mr.. Sawyer, and that they
prefer to exercise their own judgment in adj
vocating the cause of temperance, rather
than to submit to the dictation of Mr.. Saw
yer whose Judgment they have the egotism
ID ragard as no better their own. We have
NJ doubt that they are right, and that the
Echo will continue to merit patronage as an
excellent family paper, that never wavers in
its supporter temperance.
But this matter would have little sgnif-
cance for the public if it were not for the
semtofficial announcement that the third
party is to be galvanized for another years
futile mischief and that Mr.. Hichborn will
probably be selected second time as its
standard bearer. We even hear it stated that
the association" that employed Mr.. Sawyer
to edit the Echo have made arrangements to
start another paper at Bath.
This year we have taken charitable view
ofthe third party movement, and of the mo-
tives of those who engaged in it. We mean
to do the same this year, if Hichbornism is to
be revived. But we cannot forbear to ask
these radical temperance men to count once
more the gains of their last years contest be-
fore entering upon a new one. Let them
first compare the condition of the temperance
cause now with its condition when they be-
gan their work. How many converts has the
movement made to the cause? How many
drunkards has it reclaimed? How much
public sentiment in favor of prohibition has it
created? And what are the prospects of bet
ter success this year, when at the yery start
the movement is staggered by the withdrawal
OF an able and popular journal that has been
its accredited organ?