The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-09-26
Monday Morning, September rs, 1870.
Is Governor Chamberlain iae hess N"n

paramount Importance. They hadfor several
weeks been eXhorted by the friends OF Gov.
Chamberlain and by his newspaper organs,
subsidized by the pecuniary offerings of his
more ardent and wealthy supporters, to select
candidates favorable TO his election to the
Senate. Public meeting were laborously and
by hitherto untred methods assembled for the
purpose of stimulating the sp0ntaneity ofpop-
ular enthusiasm. 1t is impossible that there
should be dozen towns in the State where
reference was not had to the Senatocship in
selecting Representatives. In the County
conventions it is notorious that State Senators
were nominated as Chamberlain or anti-Cham-
berlain men. The general result is that the
Legislature is strongly anti-Chamberlain.
We supposed that the decision of the people
would be respected. But unfortunately it has
been discovered that there is an ambiguity
about the term people little suspected here
tofore-an ambiguity that would haze made
the head Of Thomas Aguinas dizzy, with all
his scholastic subtlety-yes, or OF Duns ScotuS
himself 1t has just come to lisht-through
the research of Gov. Chamberlains principal
managers-that the aj)rity are not entitled
to be reckened of the people at all! The MI
nority, if favorable to 'our candidate" are
the real, simon pure, only genuine people, I'M
contaminated by any knowledge or suspicion
OF politics, or any completely with naughty
caucuses aad kindred devices of the ungodly'
Their knowledge OF public men and measures
is not OF course obtained in the ordinary way
but IS evolved out OF their inner conscious
ness, by some sort of nice instinct which the
commonalty do not possess. How spotless,
how pure, how meek they are! The simiii-
tude is not in all respects exact, but in point
efinnocence and meekness we doubt if any
thing has ever been seen comparable with the
individuals of this minority, as described by
themselves, since the famous little roast pig,
SO eloquentlg introduced to the world by
Charles Lamb, lay smoking ON his platter.
SHOW meek he tiethl" says our author.
II we turn to the majority, who have sue
caeded in the elections, how unpleasant is the
contrast. They are somehow hypocritcal
pretenders; spurious people, as it were,
with no claim to respect as the legitimate
masters OF the commonwealth, the minority
being entitled to that distinction. The ma
jority are politicians, resorting to incredible
frauds to tnwart the minority, all out OF pure
malice, since they IN ght easily do so without
any fraud at ALL This is hard saying, only
understood by the esoteric school of Cham
berlain philosophers.
But since these things are so-since there is
to be another trd of strength, and the friends
of Gov. Chamberlain now rest their hopes ON
making proselytess in the ranks of his oppo-
nents, the whole case must be reopened and
the merits Of the candidates discussed We
are OF the opinion that there are better men
than Gen. Chamberlain to represent Maine in
the United States Senate, and we propose to
state our objections to him frankly without
being in the least embarrassed by the favorte
tactics OF his friends, who eagerly catch at ev
cry opportunity to excite sympathy for their
favorite by declaimins that an attack has
been made upon him. We are sure that the
Governor himself is two good and too brave
soldier to countenance such tactics, where an
opponent fairly and candidIy states the
grounds of his opposition, without malice and
without Justification
1t is difficult to CONCEIVE how any one can
have temperament SO phlegmatic as not to
be greatly moved by the record OF Gen. Cham
b1rlain's military career. The chvalry of
Blyard and the valor Of Sidney hardly excite
our admiration to a greater degree than the
recital OF the incidents OF his life in the army.
He is singularly fortunate not only in the
qualities that enabled him to attain SO great
distinction as brave man, patriotic citizen
and skIlliul officer, but in the wide spread
celebrity and appreciation that his achieve
ments have won. What Homer did for Acbil-
les Gen. Chamberlain has done for himself:
and neither Caesar nor Xenophon has related
his own exploits more modestly or elegantly
than our distinguished and honored fellow
citizen has told the story of his own and the ar
my's doines in his addresses, delivered at nu-
merous places in New England, and entitled
the Battle of Gettysburg" and the "Su1ren-
der of Lee"
Ii an honorable military career were all
that is required to entille man to political
honors Gen. Chamberlain's right would be
Unimpeachable. But his case is not different
from that of any other soldier; other things
being equal soldiers are to be preferred, but
as candidates for Office they must be tried by
other tests than their army record. This fact
is recognized in all cases except that of Cham
berlain. No one has suggested that there is
any impiety in rejecting Gen. Roberts as acan-
didate for Governor and giving a civilian the
preference. Gen. Hancock is perhaps more
distinguished soldier than even Gen. Cham
berlan, yet being Democrat, he has not been
showered with political honors. Moreover
Gen. Chamberlain has already received a
larger recompense for his services than any
other soldier whom Name sent to the field.
His comrades have langushed in obscuity,
while the army has been honored in his per-
son, and it has sometimes been whispered in
military circles that he has not been unwilling
that it should be so.
Conceding, then, all that the warmest friend
can demand with reference to bis merits as a
soder,the people of the State cherish the con-
viction that there are others who better rep
resent their political opinions, and who will
be OF more service to them in the Senate than
Gen. Chamberlain. They believe that he is
man OF strong conservative tendencies, and
this probably, is the chief ground of objection
to him. Those who have narrowly watched
his political course will admit that this obiec-
ton is we'll grounded.
Now the Republican party is nothing if not
radical. The intensity of It's moral conyic-
tions, and the Incorporating spirit it ha
evinced in its glorious warfare for the right
are what haveg given it power to effect so much
for the country and for the world. When it
becomes an association of trimmers, when il
consents to compromise with wrong, contents
Itself with halfway measures and is lukewarm
In the pursuit of reform, then its days of use
1ulness are over 1t is entirely certain that
Gov. Chamberlain is not in sympathy with
the vial principle Of Republicanism.-that is.
rauical'sm'-"ithout which the party is a |
body without a soul. 1t is the coldnesS Of III.
political sympathies that has 50 STRONGLY a.
tracted the members Of the opposition nar,v
They recognize congenial spirt a,d .ro
willing TO ignore mere nominal differences of
opinion. An attempt has been made to u,
scure the significance of the Democratic fond.
ness for Gov. Chamberlain by mentioning |
other prominent Republicans who have re-
ceived the like equivocal compliment. But
his case differs widely from all the rest. Other
Republicans in good standing have received
the support of individual Democrats who