The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-08-14

able man because he was the Democratic candidate
for Governor? 1t looks like it. We have as vet no
evidence that that "hissng" anathema came from
beyond the PRESS office. But we are still waiting
New lies will not blot out old ones.--Argus.
1t is no affair of ours that the argus keeps
the fact of Mr.. Talbot's war record before the
people of Maine. 1t evidently hopes that by
shouting ''lie,' "le," and insinuating that
the charge and the proof were manufactured
in the PRESS office, it will avert the damage
which the proof of Mr.. ]. C. Talbot's disloy-
atty in perilous times will bring to his party
in September. The argus knows that Mr..
Talbot was in 1865 what is called "cop-
perhead." Does it expect to be able to make
intelligent voters believe that he was not? 1t
has the most difficult task that ever an editor
undertook.
But since the argus insists on further
proofs of Mr.. Talbot's unpa:riotic course dur
ing the war, we have no other alternative but
to accept it and offer further proofs. When
Mr., Talbot telegraphed his unqualified denial
of having said 'Let Lincoln's hire,ipgs
starve," or any words or acts which could be
construed to mean anything of that kind, the
attention of several leading gentlemen in Lu-
bee and other towns in Washington county
was called to that denial. In due course of
time we received a numter of letters from
that town and elsewhere stating that Mr..
Talbot did say to committee raising funds
to entertain two companies of the 9th Maine
in May, 61:-''NoT ONE CENT. IT is A
BLACK REPUBLICAN WAR, LET THE BLACK
Prp ~ VIC 1,uJU
GET ENOUGH OF IT BEFORE THEY GET
THROUGH, / CAN TELL YoU.'
These letters were written by such men as
Col. A. B. Sumner, Hon. Horace Harmon
and M. M. Foster, Esq. One of them alludes
to the fact that Mr.. Talbot was charged
with the above declaration in the Machias
Republican in December 1861, and that
neither Mr.. Talbot nor his friends denied it.
Hon. Horace Harmon writes:
There is no doubt of his QIr. Talbot refusing to
contribute to the 9Th Maine entertainment fund and
making the remark that it was Black Republican
war and that the Black Republicans would get
enough of before they got back and that he would
not pay one cent 1t was proclaimed all over the
town at that time and denied by him his po-
tical friends, and would not be had he not been
nominated for Governor. Here in this village are
the men he said it to and they are reliable men.
In July or August, 1852, we recruited twenty
eight men to fill the towns quota and called town
meeting to raise a bounty. Mr.. Talbot opposed it
with all the force he could command, but we got
majority of few votes to pay the recruits $50 each
or S14O0 in all. He then said we could not get
the money and the town orders issued for that pur-
pose neUer acould be paid Neither he nor his
tnok orvO Of fha for 4bat
purpose.
don't see how Mr.. Talbot can go back upon his
record. He must have poor memory politically.
The emphatic denial of Mr.. Talbot and his
organs arrested the attention of an old and
infrm gentleman, now residing in this city,
named William Lakeman, who for many
years was one of the leading business men in
Lubec, and until the breaking out of the
war was Democrat. Mr.. Talbot's sweeping
denial so surprised Mr.. Lakemen that he de-
sired to put in his testimony, which is as fol-
lows:
1 am surprised that Mr.. Talbot denies that he
made that remark about not contributing cent to a
Black Republican war, and that those who were for
carrying on the war would get enough of 1t. have
heard him say frequently and with evident satsfac-
ton that the South couldn't be conquered. He was
man of influence in the community ,ibeng lawyer
and town officer and his disloyal utterances had
very depressing effect. He was what 1 call "cop-
perhead," because his influence, votes and words
were in opposition TO the prosecution of the war;
used to hear him talk frequently but never heard
him utter good word for the Union cause.
Upon inquiry of gentlemen in this city, we
find that Mr.. Lakeman is most reliable
man, as his appearance indicates.
In his letter, Mr.. Harmon referred us to
Henry P. Dewey, Esq, of the well known
firm of Messrs. j. S. Winslow & Co., of this
city, who, at that time, was leading citizen
of Lubec, and took an active part in filling
the quotas of that town. Desiring to ascer-
tain bis recollection of the circumstance which
so agitates the argus, we called upon Mr..
Dewey. He frankly stated that the words,
"Not one cent. 1t is q Black Republican
avar," etc., were those which the men who
took the paper to Mr.. Talbot reported to him
and others as those used by Mr.. Talbot. He
could swear that the above was the express
sion as well as he could swear to ANYTHING
which occurred so long ago. He further stat
ed that Mr. Talbot was decided in his opposi.
ton to the war, and that his words and infiu.
ence were constant impediments 10 those en-
gagged in recruiting men to fill the towns
quotas. The only measure which he support.
ed was the proposition for the town to pay
each drafted man the $500 necessary to Sc
cure his release from service; or in other
words, Mr.. Talbot favored measure to keep
recruits from the war-thinned ranks of Maine
regiments in the field.
The Argus speaks of .he 'nfamous lle''
of the PRESS. We have proved that what
we have stated about Mr.. Talbot is true. 1t