The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-07-05
lTHE PRESS.
MONDAY MORNING, JULY 5. 1875
FOR GOVERNOR,
GEN. SELDEN CONNOR.
The sPatriOt SOldier'' Issue.

Nothing can be more absurd and impudent
than the cry that certain Democratic editors
have recently set up, that, to use term from
their own vocabulary, the Republicans propose
TO run the campaign on the 'bloody shirt
issue. Ii there is anything more absurd and
impudent, 1t is that these men of infamous
record should have the braze1ness to appear
as party leaders at all. To show the utter
falsity of this declaration, attention is called
to the fact that the Republican State Con-
vention declared that ''the most kindly and
iraternal relations should be cultivated be-
tween all sections of our common country"
IT thus far in the campaign there has been
any expression of hostility by Republican
paper toward the people of the South, in con-
nection with the pending election in Maine,
we have failed to see it.
Ii, however, the editors of the papers max
ing this complaint, intend to apply their
choice term of ''bloody Shirt issue to the ex-
posure of the political record of their candi-
date for Governor during the most critical
period of the war after he had left the army,
they have only themselves to thank for it.
Ii their is any shirt of this sort, it is theirs.
If it is bloody they have made it so. If the
ghost of their infamous record during that
terrible crisis confronts them, it is by their
special invocation. 1t is no seeking of ours.
Republican papers generally and the PRESS
in particular were conspicuously free from
any extended reference to GEN. CoNNoR's
most faithful and brilliant military record.
The PRESS found In his most admirable
speech of acceptance, the fullest proof of his
fitness for and appreciation of the duties of
the position for which he is selected and to
which the ''well-nigh incapable" yeomanry
of Maine (Gen. Roberts term) will elect him.
In Gen. Connor's speech there is no refer
ence to the ''bloody shirt" and no ostenta-
tious parade of those war phrases and battle
orders with which Gen. Roberts letter of ac-
ceptance and that of the committee apprising
him Of his nomination so bristle that one
might mistake them for the field orders of
militia general of the stump oratory order in
time of great peril.
We repeat it; the simpl fact is, the Dem
OSAotiS iCouClo duu CullOlS udNC ldhGu buC
responsibility of throwing the war record of
the Maine Democracy into the campaign.
The day before the Republican State Con-
vention in this city, leading Democrat then
here said to US: "We can't afford to let you
fellows have all this war glory to yourselves.
We are going to pit Charley Roberts against
Gen. Connor." Upon its being remarked that
Gen. Roberts had written a letter declining
to be considered candidate, he replied: SIT
is all understood, he won't decline; we pro-
pose to divide this war business with you
this year." During the week before the
Augusta Convention, we frequently heard
similar remarks. Gen. Anderson, on taking
the chair of the Convention, in his rather
bitter speech, remarked that the war could
not have been ended as it was without the
aid of the Democratic party. The argus,
confident that the arrangement of the leaders
consummated week before in this city,
would be ratified by the Convention, hunted
up the Adjutant Generals report and had
the military record of Gen. Roberts put in
type, while in leader it most censpicuously
put forth his war record, as will be seen from
the following extract:
Gen. Rooerts IS chiefly known to and remem-
bered by our people in this section OF the state
for his brilliant military record. He entered
the service as Lieut. Col. of the gallant 2nd
Maine, a regiment recruited by himself and the
lamented Col. Jameson, chiefly from the PEN
obscot lumbefmen, and who were as fine
body of men and as brave as any who marched
to the war His GOODNESS and valor in numer-
Gus hard fought battles were the admiration of
all, and not less his steady devotion to duty in
all the perls of the camp. Tho bref but sig
nlhcant record which we copy in another col
umn from the Adjutant Generals report elo-
quently tells the story of his gallantry, which
we repeat chiefly made him known and re-
membered by the people of this section OF the
state. e
The resolution of the Convention which
presents the name of Gen. Roberts to the
people gives, as his first qualification, the til
tie OF patriot soldier" Aud from that day
until this, the Democratic papers of the state
have been extolling Gen. Roberts as the
"patriot soldier" On the other hand, some
of those papers have been pleased to speak
of the Republican candidate as Mr.. Selden
Connor and applying to him all those belit-
tling epithets in which the Democratic vo-
cabulary is so elaborate.
In view OF this there wa no other alterna.
tive but for Republican journals to meet
Messrs. Emery, Pilisbury & Co. on the bat
tie ground which they have selected. Should
we follow their tactics, our attack would be
directed against the personal character of
Gen. Roberts and his record as a soldier.
This would be simply outrageous, since he
was brave and faithful soldier so long as he
held command. 1t was, however, we'll un-
derstood by many that among other causes
which led Gen. Roberts to resign his COM
mission, were the same which led thousands
OF Democrats, who in 1861 were very loud in
their protestations of devotion to the govern
ment, to turn against it in the fall of 1862.
1t is hardly necessary to mention causes, but
among them were the Emancipation Procla-
nation OF President Lincoln, the charge that
the war was waged for the overthrow of slav-
cry and the declared opinion that the Union
cause from the administration standpoint.
was hopeless. The fact that Gen. Roberts
came home and Immediately so allied himself
"ieiA oho DOhioSi"eiS Pdlbyy ududSeu as 1T
was by the bitter anti-war leaders, that Mr..
Pillsbury could say of him that he had been
true to Democracy as he (Piilsbury) 'under
stood it IN all its vicissitudes," even during
the years 1868 and 1S64-the latter of which
years he run on the Emery ticket for Repre-
sentative to the Legislature in Bangor against
Col. George Varney and was beaten-is cor
roborative evidence, were it needed, that he
was no more in favor of the prosecution of
the war than any other anti-war man-than
perhaps Mr.. Emery himself.
To expose this deceit of the Democratic
leaders, to meet them on the ground thew
have selected, the open letter to Gen. Rob.
erts was prepared by the person who signed
it-at first, in a slightly modified form.
for an editorial for this paper: but
as Gen. Roberts had called for an s'acgres-
sive'' campaign, it was thought best to open
fire all along the line. OF course the writer
expected all the attention he has received
from the Democratic press and their allies
and is prepared for it. They do not attack
the facts. They dare not, except by lies. and