The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-10-21
THURSDAY MORNING. OCT. Il.

tricks for political purposes. The State GER
tainly has reason to feel proud that the candi-
dates of the two leading parties are men wnom
the opposition honors and respects l had al
most forgotten the Greenback candidate-Gen.
II. B. Sargent. Bnt should not, because he
is well worthy to rank with the other two. he
is too good and too brilliant man TO lead such
a miserable cause. AS have SAID, II tnlS was
an off year and.. Ben Butler was out OF the way
Thompson would stand good chance OF an
election. The people OF massachusetts can
never forget that he was the first man to beat
Ben Butler which he did when he ran for
Congress in the old Essex districtin 1874. Ma
nv of them, regardless of party, would like to
substantially reward him for that signal SER
vice. With all his other qualities he is man
who doesn't like politics, who always tries to
keep out of it. He didn't want the nominal
ton for Congress in 1874, and least of all did
he desire the Democratic nomination for Gov
ernor this year. He knew he had no chance OF
an election But his own worst enemy and tine
man who is lighting him with the most inten-
sity and with most effect dwels within his
own Democratic fold. 1t is none other than
the prodigal Butler Butler and his followers
are seeking to have Thompson run behind his
ticket SO that next year they can say to the
p rty, Thompson can't poll the full strength
of his party: only Butter can do that; we must
nominate him this time" That is the old
trickster's game now, and he is PLAYING it
shrewdy, but hope not successfully. Demo-
cratic money and Democratic brains have
been sent out of the State and will he kept out
with this end in v,w. Butler has consecrated
his life to the one object of getting himself
elected Governor of this State
But he will find it difficult task to attain
his hearts 0esre through the Democratic par
y. The whole trouble with that party is that
1t has not one single principle save that of "a
change" in order that'its hungry hordes may
get the Off es. The fear of the South does not
affect the average voter half so much as does
the uncertainty as to what the Democratic
party would do if it should get into office
In Congressional matters our State is COM
paratively quiet The Democratic rnmpus in
the fourth district has been settled. The
trouble here was that Morse, the present men,
Der, Democrat, had principle and stuck to
It, even to voting in opposition to the party.
The party, therefore, sought to nominate
man who would be a weathercock nd sur
render principle for party. In the 9th district
the handsome and eloquent DIR. Loring will be
succe. ded by the old fashioned Col. Stow, that
is, unless Greanbacker Reynton gets elected.
The Republicans in the 9Th district are in an
unsettled state; with plenty of good and great
men they pick out small ones. The Democrats
are ten times worse. With plenty of good ma
tera they endorse the fanatic, Boynton.
Principles are nothing with them. Every
thing goes overheard for success. If Boynton
a Republican Greenbacker, is elected, they
will tell us about Democratic gain. But
must not express an opinion ON Essex politics.
Some of the newspapers down there think
they alone are entitled to print opinions on
politics in that section. One old great grand
mother of paper there, which has little Calm
to anything but age and ability to foretell the
course of the next squall and get in out of it,
actually had the cheek the other day to read
Boston paper column lecture because it al
lowed correspondent to state what public
sentiment was in a certain matter, public sem
timent happening to be the opposite of the pa
per IN question. And subsequent events
proved that the correspondent was correct and
thu the Essex county paper was only ventiat
ing some ones malice.
The disappearance of cashier Woodward of
the city treasurer's office with a deficit in his
accounts of $4,000 teaches a moral which
some people will heed by and by. 1t has been
more than once minated by those who
thought they knew him that he would bear
watching: that he had done some things
which didn't seem j st right: These doubtres
were quickly "slut up by the old, old argu-
ment; hes an honest man; he has always
borne good character; he is above suspicious
Everybody trusts him." Yes, and it is men
whom everybody ~ trusts that become de-
faulters. And why? Because namby. pamby
sentiment has been allowed to frown down
any word of suspicion uttered against certain
people, certain society idols If any one opens
his mouth to utter a word of warning he is
said to have some personal grivance. But by
and by the idol falls of its own rottenness and is
broken. l know certain official not far away
who appointed a tenant to office and had the
latter's salary assigned over to himself at once.
When his double dealing was exposed he de-
clared that the man didn't owe him (the Of
fciaD much, but he owed lot of other people
and they kept boIhering him by trusteeing his
wages, so said official had them assigned to
himself to keep the mans creditors from
bothering him. In other words he took an as
signment from man who didn't owe him
anything, TO prevent rightful creditors obtain
ing their money. This the law makes Grim
'mal offense. 1t is downright cheating. Yet
when the -windle was made public eminent
ly respectable" people denounced those who
would expose, and said, 80, we know Blank
wouldn't do any thing wrong: he's old and re-
spected; Everybody trusts him. The same
man would not pay bill to poor widow be-
cause it was a few weeks over six years old
And yet, people who preach, ard people who
pray in public loudly, and people who claim 70
be examples of morality and honesty only
said. 20, everybody trusts hsna; this is some
personal Spite" and boost him Up one step
higher. BY and by these men fall, and some
people can't understand It, He was always ~
honest; Ece'ybody trusted him. And so the
lesson is lost. SCOTT.