Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-05-04
RECKLESS JOURNALISM.

mr. IN LIZ 90 OOt HAdLIDM
In its zeal to 'tladuce and abuse the
Speaker of the House of representatives.,
the Portland Daily Adrertiser is manifest
" and purposely reckless as to facts. In
one of its recent issues that paper charges
that Mr. Blaine Intentionally failed TO vote
AGAINST President Johnson's two famous
yetoes of the Civil Rights Bill and the
Freednen's Bureau Bill. The Advertiser
quotes freely from the Globe to show just
how the yetoesa Were overritiden and adds
that "Mr. Blaine sat silent IN The debate
and at The roll call" Happily the Globe is
as accessible to us as it is to the Editor of
the Advertiser and we shall endeavor to
make a more honest use of its records.
And now let us see how the case stands.
First, as to the Civil Rights Bill! After a
somewhat prolonged debate a test vote
was reached on that measure on the 9th OF
March 1866, ON the motion of Mr.. Ell
bridge OF Wisconsin, to ''lay the bill on
the table, This was defeated by ayes 81,
noes lIS.S Mr.. Blaine's name is recorded
among the noes. Two more test votes
were had shortly after, on both of which
Mr.. Blaine is recorded with the friends OF
the bill. On the 18th of March the bill
finally passed the House by III to 3S, end
Mr. Blaine is recorded rs voting for it.
President Johnsons veto of the bill was
acted upon in the House on the 9th of
April. and it is true that Mr.. Blaine's name
is not found recorded. But why9 Let
the Congressional Globe answer. Two
or three days before the vote was taken
Gen. Schenck stated that "the gentleman
from Maine, (llfr. Blaine) had been called
array suddenly to Boston by The death Of a
near connection, and as he learned dy let
ter and telegraph rould be detained there a
period Of about eight days" Is this reason
enough for his absence? The Globe says
that Mr. Blaine was called away by the
sudden death of relative. The Portland
Advertiser with the Globe open almost at
the exact page where this record is made)
declares tl.... n, Bll1isss sat silent III his
seat during The debate and at the roll call"
And next OF the Freedmen's Bureau Bill.
The Globe shows that this bill was passed
on the 10Th of May, 1866, by vote of sc
to 81, and Mr.. Blaine's name is recorded
in the affirmative. Before reaching the
vote on the FINAL passage there had been
tbraa tnct vafas ;pyolyinu tho fata of tho
bill, on motions to postpone, ''lay on
the table, &c. On every one of these
votes Mr.. Blaine's name is recorded with
the friends of the measure. After passing
the House the bill was delayed for several
weeks in the Senate, and the Presidents
veto did NOT reach the House till July 10th.
A fortnight before that date, on the I'd of
July. Mr.. Blaine had procured leave of
absence and left Washington on account
of sickness, and when the veto was acted
on in the House. Mr.. Blaine was actually
confined TO his residence in this city by i'll
ness. The cause Of his absence from the
House was well understood both in Wash
ilGtOh anu Ia sAttAiiN, aiA or0 INV hSSo W oC
specially announced on every vote, though
to prevent Misrepresentation his colleague,
Mr. Pike, had two or three times made the
usual statement respecting absentees. But
with all these facts spread out plainly in
the Globe. and with the Globe open before
the Editor of the Advertiser, that paper
has the rccklessness to declare that " Mr..
Blaine sat silent IN has seat during the de-
bate and at the roll call"
1t is idle of course to expect that the
Advertiser will make any correction of its
misstatements, and it only remains for us
to advertise to the people of Maine the ex-
traordinary conduct of a paper that actu-
ally makes professions of fairness and can
dor. Such reckless journalism has not
before been known in the Republican
press of this Statet