The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-10-31
r. M. Springer and His Charges.

The New Era is frothing at the mouth
this week. Here are extracts from its issue
bearing date Of Oct. 80:
The PRESS grows meaner and nastier every
day. 1t is neither wise nor decent in its de-
fense of the traitors who tried to buy, steal and
corrupt their way into Office in this State
Knowing all to be true that's charged and
fearing the consequences may be the very
worst, it is striving to get up feeling against
those whose unpleasant duty it is to expose
the nefarious business. 1t is still troubled
about the Chicago Sentinel letter, and after
associating the writer thereof with Hon. w.
M. Springer of Illinois, breaks him all to
pieces with such sledge-hammer instruments
as 'foul-mouthed slanderer," "sucker" &c.
The PRESS knows, but it is too contemptibly
mean to let its readers know, that we said 2O,-
600 and not $4,000 votes were turned from the
Greenback column by the use of money, fraud,
intimidation &c. 1t knowingly adds 10000 to
the number, for the sole purpose OF injuring
the man who makes the charge, and to make
the charge look improbable. The PRESS can
not play these tactics on u.s. IJ can watiow iiI
its own filth. We stand by the state
ment as we made it, but the PRESS dare not
publish what we said. 1t is not obliged to fol-
low the injunction: open thy mouth and put
thy foot in it.
The Portland PRESS has undertaken to de-
fend Jim Blaine and his traitorous co-workers
in their attempt to steal the government OF
THIS STATE. ltS strongest weapon now 10 ulIty
slang and abuse of those who insist upon ex
posing the pirates who would destroy the old
ship of state. In order to make a probable
and reasonable statement look wholly 1mprob-
able and quite unreasonable 1T publishes VIII
full lie. For instance, Il. M. Springer states
that 10000 votes were deferred from voting
the Greenback ticket in this State by the use
of corrupt, forceable and unlawful means
Now this statement is based upon facts, figures
and estimates that will bear close analysis and
that stand entirely within the range OF proba-
biity. But this would not suit the purposes
of hireling PRESS, SO it added 10000 and
then INDUCED freely in vituperation and slang
toward the man who could make such state
ment. Mr.. Springer's statement would hurt
the Republican leaders, but the PREsss lie
would do them good. But the people Will
know how to estimate paper that will lie to
the extent OF 10000 votes in total OF l3o,ooo.
r. M. Springer, who now edits the New
Era. in letter published in the Chicago
Sentinel Oct. 2, asserted that the Maine
Republicans, at the September election,
voted boys under age, brought men from
foreign counties at great expense, repeated
and voted fraudulently, got almost the en-
tire liquor vote by threatening to prosecute
or by discontinuing prosecutions, made
scores of men drunk and marched them to
the polls in beastly state of intoxicatlon
compelled pensioners to vote against their
convictions on pain of losing their much
needed stipends, and ''did cut off many who
refused to sell their blrthrights." He also
charged that the Republicans "sent agents
into the slums and brothels of the cities to
buy the pimps and debased creatures to be
found there's" that ''they passed the word,
even on the Sabbath, that men who can be
bought must be bought; that men who can't
must be bull-dozed; that men who can be
used while drunk with rum must be made
drunk; that the jals must be cmptied OF
their convicts; absentees must be person
ated that repeating must be carried on in
the cities; that the count must be falsified,
and, in short, that the settled determination
of the people must be thwarted and theiI
verdict reversed. And all this was done,
strange as it may seem, to honest. law-fear-
ing people, He even went SO far as to say
that zone old man was worried so by his
effort to get his vote in that he died in a
few hours after he voted.''
AS soon as these charges came to the no
tice Of the PRESS it republished them and
called upon Mr.. Springer for his proofs.
The only answer he has ever made is SINH
lar to that above quoted from the New Era.
He has made the grossest charges against
the people of Maine He refuses to sub
stantiate those charges, and he has brought
upon himself the contempt of every honest
man in the State. There let him stand
piloried.
Mr. Springer asserts that he said O,OOO
votes, and not 10000 votes were turned
from the Greenback column by the use OF
money, fraud, intimidation, &C." Our rec
election is that in the letter to the Chicago
Sentinel he said $4,000. We have not the
copy Of that letter at hand. If he will send
to the PRESS the Sentinel of the End inst,
and if the figures there read 10000, we will
correct our quotation. We have no wish to
raise question as to the magnitude of the
lie Mr.. Springer has told, but we utterly re-
fuse to accept bis word or that of the New
Era in regard to the matter. Both are dis
credited witnesses.