The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-09-19
Another Question Settled,

AS purely political journal the Argus
has been dismal failure. but when it has
left the political for the religious field it has
made its mark-among Democratic papers.
1t has not hesitated to rush in where ever the
pious and upright editor of the Bangor Com
tied good many religious questions after
the manner of the judge who proposed to
make sprinkling valid form of baptism by
issuing an order of the court to that effect
1t has never hesitated to take the response
bility of correcting every little mistake made
by Providence in the ordering of events, as
for example, when'i it hanged Mordecai, prob
ably under the mistaken idea that he was a
Republican official, and promoted Haman,
who wasnt,so very bad specimen of a
Democrat considering his opportunities, to
the vacant post of advisor to the king.
Recently our esteemed contemporary has
taken occasion to put itself on record as ac-
cepting the Bible account of tee creation,
and at the same time settle at once and for
ever the question of just what the late Col.
Adam was paid by his Badness the Devil
and aspirant to Supreme Executive Power
as the price of admitting sin and the Dem-
ocrauc party into the world. Speaking of a
case of Republican bribery (name and
place not given) it says:
A young man has wife and children and
his mother to support. He has $500 mort
gage on his farm, which be has been working
early and late, for years, to lift But his ex-
penses have eaten up his earnings, so that TO
pay the interest has been the utmost he could
do. A briber knew his Slaughtered circum.
stances, and his ambition to be out of debt.
Like the serpent in Eden, he went to the
young man and made him an offer of fifty dol.
lars to vote the Republican ticket, and if he
would not accept that to make a return propo-
sition. 1t was terrible temptation.
Passing by the case of the young man of
neither name nor habitation, we wish to
call special attention to the serpent and to
Adam. Up to the time when the snake
approached Adam we are led to suppose
that the Democratic party was solid;
there had never been split; there had
never been bolt; there had never been the
least necessity for counting out candidate.
But change was at hand, and Adam fell.
ne oeFp0uJ lOuuQ HlIu WH6U ne was IN
Strengthened circumstances; y in fact when
he hadn't cent in the world He offered
him fifty dollars to vote the Republican
ticket" Still Adam hesitated; he pre-
served his self-respect and he said
to the Devil, ''No sir, that offer
is declined. You must raise the bid" But
this the Devil declined to do, and prudent
ly suggested to Adam to make s'retu;n
proposition" We are thus left in doubt as
to what Adams exact price was; but having
the excellent Democratic authority of the
Argus for the belief that he was Democrat
in good standing, we may safely assert that
he demanded from two dollars and half to
three dollars more than the price named by
the serpent. "Every man has his price,
said the English statesman SO freely quoted
by Gov Plaisted in his speeches in the late
campaign, and while it is humiliating to be
obliged to acknowledge that Adam ''sold
ont'' it is still a comfort to know within
three dollars just what he got. The Argus
has anticipated the revisers of the Old Tesla
mont