The Portland daily press., 1874-03-26
Political Devil WOrshipers.


The members of the sect called Devil Wor-
shippers hold that il is idle to direct theil
prayers, or offer their devotions to the good
God, because his benevolent disposition will
in any event cause him to feel and act kindly
toward mankind. They accordingly address
their supplications to the evil power, in the
hope that he may be induced by their homage
and reverent submission to forego his malig-
nant purposes toward them. So the Devil re-
ceive all the offerings by sheer force of his
wckedness and cruelty, without taking the
trouble to deserve or earn anything whatever.
On the other hand, lie bon Dieu, to whom
his ungrateful benefciaries owe such happl-
ness and prosperity as they enjoy, looks
down on empty temples and deserted affairs
no hymns of praise salute his ear at morning
or evening; no prisons ascend to him and the
incense of no smoking sacrifice comes up as
a testimonial of gratitude and love. If the
Devil should become less wicked, he would
find his supplies cut off in exact proportion to
the improvement in his manners; should he
make the mistake of becoming wholly good,
he would find his late suppliants caring not a
silver for him and he might hover in vain
with distended nostris over the affairs whence
sweet SAVIOR was wont to regale him; but if
he should become utterly implacable and re-
morselessly cruel his revenues would instant
ly double. In his business profit is in inverse
proportion to the sum invested and he would
be a verv stupid fiend indeed if he did not
make himself as disagreeable as possible.
"The Modern Cleon," as the poet of Old
and Neac not inaptly calls B. F. Butler, has
evidently taken his cue from the astute ORR
entail Satan we have described.
Laugh not at him, nor count puny foe;
The land its Evil Genius yet may know
For the past six months, he has seemed to
progress with reasonable success. One after
another his fellow members are reported to
have given in their adherence to him because
they are afraid of him. They neither love
nor respect him, but they fear him. An aw-
full dread of his diabolcal leer, his brutally
unfeeling retort, his coarse jest O: personality
shadows the whole House. 1t has come to
thls-that not more than dozen or so of
members of the entire body dare expose
themselves to his terrific onslaught. They
therefore keep quiet, and escape through
their insignficance or enrol themselves in
his body guard, as Mr.. Frye is, no doubt
falsely, declared to have DONE The terror
ism has been complete. Encouraged by the
brilliant success that steady perseverance in
recklessness and brutality has brought him,
he grows each day more lacking in self-re-
spect-his diatriDes Astounding in rufianism
and not being always devoid of obscenty.
He finds men becoming plant and conciliato-
ry under his rod, whom his kindly allure
ments and friendly patronage could
never win. The new member creeps
into the House with his offering ready. Ee
brings his first fruits, his lambs and his kids,
without being hidden. The sound Dawes,
the decent Garfield, the eminent Hoar or the
noble Hawley may find themselves with few
followers. 1t is known that opposition to
them may be safely INDUCED, even when they
are right. tits known, too, that pronounced
hostility to Butler, however flagrantly wrong
he may be, involves public recital of all one's
personal history, the humiliation of receiving
foul epithets and the pitiless application of a
lash that has tasted ere now the best blood
in America. So Cleon has made apparent
progress every month.
There is an end somewhere to this kind of
thing. 1t is, after all, discreditable in most
parts of tine world to worship the Devil and
people conceal any devotion they may desire
to offer in that direction and strictly seclude
it from their public acts. So in Congress
and elsewhere it is becoming markedly dis
reputable to be "Butler man. and the ex-
preston is used by public men as term of
reproach against their enemies. When the
matter has come to this pass, the end is not
far distant. Once the prestige of his ter
rorism is broken there is nothing potent left.
There are bright, manly and plucky men in
Congress who will not long submit to bully
ing or dictation from anybody and the vile
epithets, in whose creation Butler is an
adept, are losing their harmfulness. It is
really getting to be popular thing to sspitch
into' Butler and his assailants are strong in
the support of the people