The Portland daily press., 1869-04-07

The NEW FIRM AGAIN.-Were we proud,
easily fattered, given to self-congratulatio or
susceptible to the emotion Of vanity, we should
feel something of that kind in view of the res
pect with which we are treated by our two
morning contemporaries. They come at us
both together, plying their little weapons
with such vigor as they can. The Argus, be-
ing the senior member of the new copartner-
ship, is charged with the responsible duty OF
first breaking cover and advancing to the mu-
sic of tom toms; then the little Advertiser
comes on valantly under cover of the noise.
The ludicrous alliance of the bear and the flea,
mentioned in a certain popular ditty, must be
the model upon which this new combination
POUNDS ITSELF But common dangers and diff
culties often force people and things into
strange and unnatural companionship, just as
we see in the old englavings representing the
food, men, wild beasts, reptiles and birds con-
gregated together in unhappy and involuntary
association on the top of a wave-swept hill.
The contribution that the Argus brings to the
firm is an unlimited, but not at all valuable.
capacity for lying. This has given it sort
OF notorlety which has resulted in its being
known, where it is known at all, as the "Lying
Argus. Indeed, mendacity of the grossest
kind is its leading Characteristic 1t has given
birth within the last few months to man.
moth lie which has been seized upon by the
enemies of democratic institutions even in Eu-
rope as a means of disparaging the United
States, its people and its laws. The meeting
of prisoners under sentence of death at Thorn
aston, which it reported with great particular
ity, was supposed to be an actual occurrence
by intelligent and sharp-sighted journalists
who were deceived simply because they held it
inconceivable that a Maine journal could so
debase itself and sinsult its readers as to foist
such fabrication upon the public. Its COM
ments upon the letter of J. w. Simonton, ESQ.
General Agent of the Associated Press, can
only add to its already infamous reputation
Mr.. Simonton finds not word of fault with
the Press, but only with communication in
its columns signed Merchant which we
printed in the same issue with an editorial ar
ticle in which we most emphatically dissented
from all that our correspondent said.
As for you, Mr.. Advertiser, how shall we
describe you, or with what similitude shall we
| liken you? Having enlisted on the side Of the
| cut-throat Spaniards in the unholy cause o.
suppressing the Cuban revolt against slavery
| against the Bourbons, against a state church
and against tyranny, is it even in the little
ness of your nature to deny the validity as an
argument on the Cuban side Of a statement
Of the righteous grounds on which the patriots
base their revolt? Can you by giving good
illustration of what is not an argument but q
piece of idiocy, deliberately framed by your.
self, dsparage the reasoning of your neigh
bors9 If you think SO, go on. Erewhile
you drew your inspiration from Augusta; now
it is from the headquarters of His Excellency
Captain General Dulce at Havana-the same
that has raised the black flag, murdered wo
men and children, imprisoned American citi
| zens and made himself and his cause odious tt
all disinterested observers in the whole Chris
tian world.