The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-03-09
As a Prophet.

49, ANi5AboA eAAO <AfJ0o, hao hduy
markable parts. 1t has vigorous and luxu-
RANT imagination which being wrongly un-
derstood by practical people has led them to
bestow upon it the title of the 'lying Argus."
In arithmetic it is more than remarkable, it
is wonderful. It can so use the four funda-
mental principles of arithmetic as to bring
out results just opposite those which the
old-fashioned, plodding accountant arrives
at. Not only does it dream dreams but it
can speak with tongues. But the gift which
the argus most glories in is that of prophe-
cy. 1t can scarcely get through day with
out chapter of.predictions. But we grieve
to remark that in this direction, the argus is
a failure. 1t must realize the fact itself; but,
having passion for prophecy, just as some
men have for attempting the culture of trop-
ical plants in Labrador climates, persists in
almost daily mounting the prophetic tripod.
We do not desire, in view of the fresh re-
suit of the municipal elections to infict fur.
ther pain upon our neighbor; but, as quite
number of pessons have had their faith
moved by argus prophesies, it is really
duty to call attention 10 few of its prophetic
utterances the past week relative to the re-
suit of the municipal election that they may
understand once for all that however excel
lent journal it may be in other respects, it
can lay no well grounded claim to the Gift of
prophesy.
For instance, the morning after Gen. Fes-
senden accepted the Republican nomination
for Mayor, the argus prophet said:
Gen Fessenden made the greatest mistake of his
life in accepting the nomination for Mayor, against
bis own better Judgment at the persistent solieita
non OF Col. Fred N. Dow and City Solicitor Reed
These gentlemen wan led help to lift themselves up
but the result will be to drag their Achilles down. as
this days work will show.
The result of the days work alluded to was
the polling of 1900 votes and a majority larg-
er than any received by Republican candi-
date since 1868 in warmly contested elec-
ton.
Again, in its repolt Of the Democratic
ratification meeting, held Sunday night, the
prophet said:
Some time before the meeting was called to order
City Hall was crowded to its utmost capacity, both
on the floor and in the galleries by earnest and
thoughtful citizens, who seemed determined
that the result of this municipal election shall speak
cal reformation which starting in the Pine Tree
State is destined to sweep with irresistible power
over the entire country.
The above is sample of fine writing but is
open to criticism on the ground of ambiguity.
If the writer intended to covey the idea that
the Democrats in the city were to set the
dreadfuly destructive political deluge a.going,
the Argus should never utter a prophesy
again. II, ON the other hand, the purpose of
the declaration was to foreshadow the Re-
publican triumph which did sweep the city
and prevailed in other cities. we submit if it
is fair to that Democracy who regard the
argus as its leading organ.
Not content with the above predictions re-
specting the determination of the ''thoughtful
citizens" at the Democratic meeting, in the
same issue, it mounts its tripod and predicts
of Republicans as follows:
Scores of intelligent and conservative Republicans
Will to-day follow the example of Collector Wash
burn, and absent themselves from the polls because
they cannot conscentiously endorse the scandalous
9eVel0pments at Washington, made public in the
downfall of Belknap.
Now it may be true that scores Of intelli-
gent andconservative Republicans did absent
snShiSCiFSo Hull 1uC pOilS ldSI MOuudy. Ii
so, we should like to know how manv such
scores sulked at home, because we then
could estimate approximately the strength of
the party in this city. We trust there wasn't
twenty or thirty scores of such stay-at- bones:
because if there were, quite number of
Democrats, after voting on their own names
must have swollen their party vote by acting
as proxies for Intelligent and conservative
Republicans"
OF course the argus will continue its pro-
phetic utterances. No one can object; and
we only call attention to its lamentable fail
ure.in this line; to caution people against being
led into difficulties by Argus predictions and
especially to warn such unwary members of
the Democratic fold as have heretofore held
to the entire infallibility of the argus dogmas
that it wont do to bet on its predictions dur
ing the pending campaign unless they wish
to have their spare cash transferred to Re.
publican pockets.