The Portland daily press., 1874-03-16
DE M0rtuis.

III was little girl who asked, as she
walked through the church-yard and read the
epltaphs on the tomb.stones, ''Where do all
the wicked people 90 when they def" Old
er and wiser persons when they read the
obituary orations of the ordinary Congress
man as pronounced by his surviving peers,
might ask the same question respecting our
public servants. That the greater portion OF
them are worthy of favorable mention we
have no doubt, but the Congressional orator
who is set apart to speak upon the lie and
character of public man who has passed
from life makes no distinction between the
good and bad, the worthy and the unworthy.
All are perfect men. The Essex statesman
and JEFF Davis will, we have no doubt, stand
forth at the close oflfes fitiul dream, spot
less and patriotic.
Our attention has been called to this sub
ject by the remarks of Mr.. Maynard in the
House of Representatives on the death of
ex-President Fillmore as published in the
Congressional Record:
Mr.. Maynard of Tennessee said that he re-
garded Mr.. Fillmore as more than citizen of
New York. He regarded him having been
adopted by the country at large When the
clash of arms resounded at the opening of the
rebellion and through the continuance of the
struggle his voice had been heard with no un-
certain sound to indicate the character of the
contest; and from that time to the day of his
death all the excitement of public affairs had
not drawn from him single utterance calcu-
lated to embarrass his successors in office.
His character has been singularly pure and his
conduct siugularly forbearing.
We make no objection to the senseless
gush, the idle twaddle about Mr.. Fillmore
having been adopted by the country at large,
though we cannot remember the time or oc-
casion; but we do object to Mr.. Maynard
Justification of history when he states that at
the opening of the rebellion and through the
continuance Of the struggle, ''his voice had
Teen heard with no uncertain sound to indi-
cate the character CT the CONTEST Now, it
is asserted that Mr.. Fillmore's voice was heard
on the wrong side at the beginning of the
war; but be this as it may, he failed to give
his influence positively and publicly for
the Union as did Dix, Stanton, Douglas and
scores of patriotic men who opposed the cleo
ton OF Mr.. Lincoln. He was content to put
himself in a position of friendly neutrality to
the rebellion as did his unworthy successors,
Pierce and Buchanan.
1t also occurs to Mr.. Maynard that it is a
virtue in a retiring president not to "embar-
ass his successor" which leaves one to infer
that in this country as in South America
and Hayti, the retiring president recruits and
arms band of conspirators to make the life
Of the incoming official a burden to him or,
like James Buchanan, bankrupts the treasury,
disnantles the forts, tells rebellious states that
he had no power or right to coerce them and
turns over to his successor nothing but
anarchy.
If we are to adopt the old motto, "Speak
nothing but good of the dead,' let us at the
same time remember that we are not obliged
to speak of them at all and there is no posi-
BILE excuse for lying about them. The pres
ent is not good time to inculcate loose no
lions about right ard wrong. 1t is not a
time to say that Congressman who take and
give brides and public men who have not
been patriotic in perilous times are honora-
bic men and worthy examples for the young.
1t may not be kind to say they were bad and
corrupt but it is pernicious to the last degree
to accord them virtues that they never pos
sessed. The public speaker and the public
Journal owe something to the present gener-
alton. They must at least say that black is
black IT they undertake to speak of moral
colors