The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-05-01
Concerning Rehukes.

An innocent little paragraph in which the
PRESS defended the Hon. f. G. Burleigh
from the charge Of being sectional candl-
date is made the occasion OF a more or less
severe rebuke by oar esteemed contemporary
the Bangor Wing. 1t is described as a
''petty attack" and as in bad taste. As the
Wings rebuke seems to be administered in
sorrow rather than in anger it naturally
awakens In the Press spirit of contrition.
We hasten therefore to assure our esteemed
contemporary that we are profoundly sorry
that we have said anything that could give it
pain. Its sensitiveness, however, surprises
us. 1t was only week ago that the Wing
published an editorial in the interest of Mr.
Burleigh which contained practically the
same statements in regard to him that the
PRESS is now rebuked for publishing. "Mr.
Burleigh," said the Wing, sis not a sectional
candidate While officially located
in Augusta in the performance of his duties
as State Treasurer, Mr.. Burleigh holds a
residence in this city and represents one of
the most sturdy and influential families in
Aroostook." This is precisely the same
defence against the charge of being sec
| tional candidate that the PRESS made for
him. 1t pointed out, as did the Wing, that
Mr.. Burleigh lived in Augusta, that he
| owned a house in Bangor and that his ances-
tors lived in Aroostook. When the Wing
paraded these facts it did not, we presume,
consider that it was making petty attack"
on Mr. Burleigh or that it was violating
good taste Why then should the soul of
our esteemed contemporary be so deeply
grieved when the PRESS brings them out in
modest little paragraph of half dozen
lines? The Wing is altogether too sensitive
sometimes.
And now having displayed, we trust, a
| proper amount of contrition, we hope the
| Wing will pardon us if we administer to
| it little rebuke. 1t was with mingled
feelings of pain and establishment that we
| discovered in its editorial columns a few
| days ago a political paragraph copied
| with approval from that ancient enemy of
| the Republican party of Maine, the Eastern
| Argus That paragraph too had relation to
| to one of the candidates for the Republican
| gubernatorial omination-indeed it was de-
| signed to help the canvass of the Wings
own candidate, the Hon. E. G. Burleigh,
and that was the object of the Wing in trans
| ferring it to its columns. For some years
past the Wing has taught its contemporaries
that to parade the opinion of a Democratic
paper, or of person employed on Demo-
cratic paper, to assist Republican was little
short of treason, and it has been wont to
contend that favorable opinion from such
a source was certain to hurt candidate and
what is more, that it ought to hurt him.
Therefore, as we before remarked, we were
both astonished and panied, when we saw
| this paragraph from the Eastern Argus, in
| the editorial column of the Bangor Wing.
| We hope that the Wing can offer a satisfac-
tory explanation. We hope it may turn out
that the paragraph was Struggled in by some
wicked subordinate of Democratic procliyi-
ties after the editor had retired. If there be
any sufficient explanation surely the Wing
owes it both to its candidate whom the
paragraph must unfavorably affect as well as
to its Republican contemporaries, to make it
known forthwith.