The Portland daily press., 1870-04-30

Saturday Morning, April 80, 1870.


SaturiaV MOruluSJ u WI
M. L,nch's Relations with the Press.
James H. Mcmillan, ESQ.,, of Biddeford,
;publishes in the Journal of this week COM |
manication in which he complains that the |
PRESS did not print the note he addressed
to the editor inclosing his correspondence
with Nr. Lynch on the subject of the free ad.
mission of cotton machinery. AS Mr.. Nc
Mullan did not request US to publish his l. ole,
and as he relied upon the correspondence we
dtd publish as an explanation of his conduct
IN withholding from the public contradiction
OF an injurious report he had circulated, and
not at all upon his note to us, which contain
ed nothing OF the kind, we had no idea tha'
ne wanted it printed. If we had known his
wishes we could have felt no sort OF hesita-
ton in laying before our readers so Harmless
a production, What The writer desHeu
was to show that Mr.. Lynch had not de-
MED in anv letter to him that he favor
cd tho froe admission of cotton machinery.
If that is shown anywhere, it appears in the
correspondence we published. We were per-
fectly willing to submit that correspondence
to the public just as it stands, as vindica-
ton of Mr.. Lynch. 1t undoubtedly shows
that in his letter of April 10th Mr.. Lynch did
not quote with verbal accuracy his letter of
April 6th-supposing that no unintentional
mistake was made by Mr.. Mcmillan in tran
scribing it for publication. But this mere
verbal inaccuracy is absolutely all the wrong
doing that Mr.. Mcmillan and the editor of
the Union and Journal bring home to Mr..
Lynch, though they occupy nearly the entire
space Of one issue of that paper in attempting
something further. His letter of the Oil,
shows conclusively that he was lot only the
oretically opposed. to the free admission of
4 cotton machinery except upon conditions sat-
isiactory to Mr.. Mcmillan himself, but that
3 in pursuance of his theories he had already
been TO the committee having the matter in
charge and endeavored to impress his views
upon its members. This letter was in Mr..
McMulIans possession when we asserted that
having received an authoritative contradic-
,,tion of the statement he had made, it was in
cumbent upon him to give it to the public.
The correspondence shows that Mr.. Lynch
T. oCtCu III every lCopCCt VIC pdlI vi oil AOuOld-
BILE man, ard our Biddeford neighbor is at
perfect liberty to make what more it can Of
the whole affair by looking at it from all
points of view, twisting it, wringing it, or
turning it wrong side out.
1t appears that Mr.. Mcmillan was led into
his error concerning Mr.. Lynch's position on
the cotton machinery question by one J. Las
sci, Massachusetts, manufacturer, who wrote
to A. D. Lockwood, ESQ.,, of Lewiston that
Mr.. Lynch of the Biddeiord district was in
favor Of the scheme of Mr. Buckley of Ala
bama. What Mr.. Lassels standing is we do
not know, but in the absence of any further
information concerning him, his testimony
has not sufficient weight to authorize its use
against a gentleman who is known as an up-
right man by all the people of this district.
So far as Mr.. Mcmillan is concerned we
are disposed to ltake charitable view o;
the case. He has probably acted hastily, and
20 will no doubt when convinced thatl he is lin
=. error, make such reparation as he can. But
the course of the journal in which his COM
plant is given to the public is SO disingenuous
that it is not possible for us to regard it as en-
titled to quite SO much consideration. Utter
~ incapable OF producing an argument in
reference to the question concerning which If
n is now chiefly concerned 1t rests its case en-
trely upon constant 1eiteraton of the false
declaration that the PRESS is owned by MIR.
Lynch. The number Of its variations of this
simple theme would surprise Mr.. Disrael
who is supposed to know thing or two
about the curiosities of literature. "Mr
Lynch's organ" the "paper that Mr.. Lynch
bought to advocate his reelection" &c, haunt
its imagination week after week. Now we
have one or two suggestions to make on this
subject which we havana donht will afford
great relief to our uneasy contemporary.
First, If mr. Lynch had desired newspa-
per support he could have had it just where
it would have awaited HMM York county
without cost to himself by givingithe editor Of
the Union and Journal his price-the Bidde-
ford post Office. That paper supported him
more jealousy than the PRESS ever did, till
he refused to prostitute the patronage of the
government for tine promotion of his own pri-
vate interest. He certainly had nothing to
gain by retaining soldiers widow in the
Biddeford postofice, while he could have
o,cned the editor OF the Journal in fee simple
by giving the place to him.
Second, Mr.. Lynch only owns small inter-
est in the PRESS which he bought at a time
when there was danger that it would pass in
to the hands of persons hostile to the inter
ests of this city. He has at all times been
ready to dispose of his stock in the Portland
Publishing Company to his associates.
Third, The PRESS gave Mr.. Lynch much
more vigorous support before he became one
of its proprietors than it has since, and it has
RETAINED from advocating his reelection thus
far from the very reason Of his connection
with it.
Fourth, Mr., Lynch has never in any way
assumed the editorial management of this
paper or dictated the course it should pursue
on any question.
Fifth, If the Journal desires to prevent
Mr.. Lyneh's re election it must, in order not
to meet WITH disastrous failure, resort to ar
guments that do not SAVIOR so much of the
disappointed and enraged office-seeker.