The Portland daily press., 1871-01-16
A Reply to the Comics, ions Of "a 2ejt cted
Contributor.

MONDAY, JANUARY l6, 1871.
A Reply 10 the Comics, ions of "a Rejected
Contributor.
Our readers will bear us witness that no
editor of the PRESS has ever unduly obtrud-
ed himself and his affairs upon their attention
For our part we can Imagine no greater sin
against good taste, and no more lnexcusable
disregard OF the canons OF good journalism
than that editor is guilty of who acts upon the
assumption that his own Insignificant person
ality and the details of his own life are more
interesting than the important events which
every day make up the great woild's history
The PRESS has been too busy in supporting
every good cause, every movement for the
amelioraton of the condition of mankind,
every reform intended to secure all men in
their rights and promote the virtue and hap
piness OF the race, to permit anyone 10 exhb-
it such silly vanity, even if they desired it.
In its warm championship Of the right, in TAX
ing the most advanced ground ON all ques-
tions OF morals and reform, in opposing fear.
lessly and without regard to those considera-
lions of policy and expediency which weigh
so much with journals of another stamp, all
enemies of justice, all advocates of wrong and
all the corrupt and INSCRIPTIONS politicians
whether Republicans or Democrats, that it
could reach, it is no wonder that.it has made
many enemies, some of them influential and
extremely bitter The question in the PRESS
l.. hoo 6ry;ll II h,,t g:, :.
r!eht?" The conventional objurgation of the
dissatisfied subscriber, stop my paper" has
never been allowed with all its Gorgon terrors
TO weak hearts, to compel even a compromise
oa matter of principle; but no credit can be
claimed for taking this course, for the paper
has thrived upon 1t, enlargipg its influence
and its subscription list, as might have been
anticipated.
Among the gentlemen whom it has been
the misfortune of the Press to displease is
the Hon. George F. Talbot, who was for many
years United States District Attorney. The
extremely violent personal attack which he
made In the Advertiser OF Friday, paying
for the privilege at the modest rate of three
thousand, dollars a column, as we shall here
after explain) will, we hope, appear to our
readers sufficient justification for indulsing
incidentally in something like personal ex-
PLANTATION in the course of a brief reply to the
abusive article.
Mr.. Talbot's shrill paragraphs arc crammed
with miss.atements to- which stronger man
with better cause would have found it un-
necessary to resort. For one of these he is
not responsible. Instead OF assailing him
with an "epithet," as he had some reason to
suppose, we spoke of him as Mr.. Blank, not
Black, having at that time no intention of
making the shameful selfshness of his polit-
lcal course the subject of anything more than
a passing allusion, which not more than
hundred people in The world could understand.
The excu Tor the ambitious essay that fol-
lows, the result Of three days and nights IN
elbation, is chat We have alleged that his po.
litical course is SO unprincipled as to excite
the disgust of all honorable men. He pe.u-
lantly exelaims that when Everybody that
has discretion above the grade of idiocy sees
the proprlety of using magnanimity, concilia-
ton and compliment" we seize the opporlu-
nifty "to indulge in indiscriminate denuncia-
tion." Alb; Mr.. Talbot, is this an emanation
from the whiteness of your soul? The course
you suggest as proper is exactly the one adopt
ed by the lowest grade Of politicians every
where. Your msincere ad 7enturer of the
sixth New York ward is loud in his criticism
ofmen and measures during the tendency of
conflict; but when it is decided he shrewd-
ly bethinks him that other contests are to
come, and he forthwith uses formulation and
compliment toward Uen and things that he
has just been denouncing in the sacre1 names
Of principle, justice and patriotism. He is
now willing to call black white and white
black. II meant nothing" he smilingly de-
clares,-"what said was merely called out
by the exigencies of the situation. 1 ALWAYS
at heart esteemed John Smith, and regarded
his robbery of the Metropolitan bank, to
which carelessly referred in the caucus,
as successful financial measure creditable
alike to hi. head and heart" This base code
Of political ethics Is not unworthy of the man
who for eight years, more or less, gorged him
self with the spoils of an Office which in his
time was extremely Profitable, and Tor which
he was indebted to his supposed fidelity to
the Republican party, and not at all to any
ability he ever displayed, either before or after
his assumption Of its duties, and who imme-
diately upon his removal became an open
enemy to that organization, and engaged ac-
lively in conspiracies to break it down. I'm
like his able successor, Mr.. Talbot obtained
his position by political influence, when an
obscure provincial attorney, and not by rea-
son of nybody's supposipg that he was quail
lied forit. Under all the circumstances he
has little reason to complain that we have
called his political course unprincipled. His
assertion that be ever attempted to promul-
gate the views he now holds through the COL
umns of the PRESS while he was still in office
10 preposterous. While possibility of retain
ing his Office existed the world heard nothing of
his dreadful misgivings in regard to the Re-
publican party. He did not say then, as now,
that he believes that "the distinctive pur-
poses of Republicanism no longer require a
political organization to promote them."-
Then he was as dumb as an oyster, and was
counted as of the most orthodox sect of the
party; now he sings out gaily, like Max and
Maurice
.'Ritze-ratze! Riddle-diddle!
Sawa cap right through the middle"
The exact coincidence of his enforced re-
tirement from Office with the framing OF his
Machayellian schemes to break up the party,
is too extraordinary 10 be reconcilable with
honorable motives. As to his attempt to
drag Gov. Chamberlain down with him, and
his abandonment of that gentleman upon his
refusal to engage in the plot, the friends of
the tempted party complain that the whole
transaction was dishonorable in the extreme.
These who were associated with Mr. Talbot
In the third party movement have since re-
turned, OR attempted to return, to their old DO
litical associations, but Talbot, as we are
informed, voted the Democratic ticket at the
September election. We do not vouch for
the truth of this report, ard indeed it is of
very little consequence, for no vagaries
that this ofice-huntng politician may
now be guilty of will surprise anybody.
We have by a curious chance just received
letter from prominent lawyer on the Ken
nebec river, who states that sit is we'll known
that Talbot went out of Office like whipped
cur, swapping at everything that came in his
way, and not showing his successor the Gus
tomary courtesies."
Calling Names Mr.. Talbot truly saws is