The Portland daily press., 1882-06-23
PORTLAND PUBLISHING CO.,
ORTLAND, ME.
Talk About a Nelghbor.

No subject of talk is more interesting as
rule than our neighbors; and when the talk
is good natured and free from malice and
unfairness it is innocent as well as enter
tanning Newspapers, like individuals, have
things to say of their neighbors, but, unlike
individuals, they cannot conduct the discus
sion without the knowledge of its subject.
The Evening Advertiser of this city is in
general well conducted and high toned pa
per- This fact has led to the assumption in
many quarters that it is Republican jour
nal, an error that calls for correction mas
much as it is likely to do harm. 1t is not, in
recent days certainly, the fault of the Ad-
vertiser that such mistake exists, for it
does not claim to be Republican. 1t is true
that during the Hayes epoch 1t stoutly sus-
tanned that regime and used facetiously to
insist that it was better party paper than
the great body of Republican journals; but
since the demise of Hayes it has readopted
the same attitude which it held before his
advent and is distinctly and avowedly not
Republican journal. Nor is it a Democrat
ic journal; it is simply Independent. 1t
seems to take rather more delight in fling
at Republican men and things than at DEM
ocratic, sympathizing with Death, perhaps,
in liking a shining mark. 1t has personal
relations with Plaisted which will probably
incline it to look rather more favorably up
on the Democratic than the Republican can
didate for Governor. 1t fayors free trade
and opposes Prohibition, which will cause it
to look Democraticward. Per contra, it IA
vors honest money, and the national bank
ing system, for sympathy in which views it
must look to the Republicans. Onthe whole,
its present leanings seem rather toward the
Democratic side of things, and yet it would
not be Justly classed as Democratic paper.
1t is independent, with all that the name i'm
plies.
This diagnosis of really esteemed con-
temporary is made in no spirit of complaint
or fault-fnding, but simply to correct
thing which may be harmful. The Demo-
cratic journals, with intent to deceive, are
frequently quoting from the Advertiser OBJ
servations unfriendly to Republicans, and al
leging that they come from Republican
source. these buIuSs, VI COuAoO, az Aie.SAA
more effective if they seem to be the con-
LESSONS of friend, evoked by sad necessity,
than if they are known to come from the
wanton freshness of independent journal
ism, which is always looking for head to
hit, and which is prone to create an oppor-
tunity for censure if it fails to find one
ready made Some journals, too, outside
the State, honestly class the Advertiser as
Republican ia memory of its jocular claims
made during the Hayes period Several news
papers in the State have commented on the
fact that the Advertiser seems unfriendly to
the Republicans in the State campaign, and
have attributed it to the defeat of Mr..
Thomas, whose nomination the Advertiser
eagerly advocated. Inasmuch as Mr.. Thorn
as and his friends generally are cordially
supporting the ticket this explanation is evil
IDENTIFY not correct, and we have felt i'm
PEELED to give statement of the real situa-
ton to avoid misunderstanding during the
rest of the campaign. Hereafter if the Ad-
yertiser is ever found classed as Republic
can paper, readers may be sure that it is for
some dishonest purpose. The Advertiser
will make no such classification.