The Portland daily press., 1876-08-30
Argus vs.. ArsuS.


The Argus is now declaring that Samuel
j. Tax-dodger exposed the rascalities of the
Tammany ring. In 1871 this same excellent
journal was denouncing the New York Times
in all those choice expletives which it pos
sesses for making raid upon the Democratic
government of the city OF New York.
About week after the Times made its
first exposure of the armory and courthouse
frauds by publishing the exorbitant bills of
the parties furnishing the same or doing the
work, the Argus remarks:
By the GRossEsT MISREPRESENTATION the radi-
cal papers endeavor to make the government Of the
city of New York appear model of disagreement
and corruption beyond comparison.
A few weeks after the argus makes an
other brief allusion to this topic which was
attracting public attention far and near:
The raid of the New YORK TIMES on the New
York city government was instigated by malice.
1t was a startling FABRICATION % and its
COMPLETE falsity HAS been ESTABLISHED.
Thus did the argus defend the Tammany
Ring in July 1871. In an article on this sub
ject in August the Argus in alluding to the ar
ticle in the New York Herald on this subject,
in condemnation of the course pursued by
the Times, says;
1t the Herald) further says that these alleged cor
rupt exposures were known when Mayor Hall was
elected and formed the BASIS OF THE COALITION OF
THE YOUNG DEMOCRACY AND REPUBLICANS
AGAINST HIM
This statement is unfortunate both for the
argus and Mr.. Tilden. 1t is unfortunate for
the argus because it was at that time de-
tending the Ring. 1t is unfortunate for Mr..
Tlden, because as a performer" he fought
the coalition and aided Tweed TO defeat it,
and in his testimony afterwards stated that
he had never heard anything of the Ring
robberies before he took hand in exposing
them. 1t is very strange that such frauds
could be made the "basis of coalition be-
tween two parties, and Mr.. Tilden, the lead
er of one of them, never hear word of it.
Very strange indeed! In the same issue the
argus remarks that ''the Times overloaded
its gun," showing again that it was the Times
and not Mr.. Tilden that exposed the Tam
many rascalities, and moreover that the
Argus was at that time Jealous defender of
Tweed & Co. Again the Argus discloses its
hostility to the course pursued by the Times
and its eagerness to aid Tweed by the follow
ing statement which appears in August 1871:
The RECKLESS RADICAL CONsPlRAToRs who have
recently attempted to iDure the credit of New York
city more desperate in their efforts than
was suspected at the time.
1t couldn't have been Mr.. Tilden who was
this reckless radical conspirator. 1t was the
New York Times . Mr.. Tilden and the
argus were at that time laboring to bolster
up Tweed & Co. and cover up their appalling
swindles. The best means of reiuting the
Argus of to-day is the argus of the past.
We might extend these extracts to greater
length, but doubtless these will suffice to jog
the memory of our venerable contemporary
and remind him that it was the New York
Times which exposed Tammany's monstrous
sins, and in exposing them called forth the
denunciations of the argus which was un-
questionably with Mr.. Tlden at that time.