The Portland Gazette

Major Russell, versus Major Russell

The Editor of the Centinel, has lately placed himself in rather an unpleasant dilemma, in applauding the recent appointments by the Executive of Maine, and then "by the way of Sagadahock," taking back all the praise he had so liberally bestowed. The Major has been so long in the habit of giving the first shout on all occasions where Maine has been concerned, that for fear he should not still continue to be the first, he sometimes shouts before he gets out of the woods. We cannot sympathize in the Major's mortification in this case, because he spoke of a subject of which he was well satisfied he knew nothing, and because being removed from the centre of information and feeling in this State, he ought not to interfere and make himself busy with its domestic concerns. In his eulogium of our executive appointments, he talks of judicious selections, "liberal maxims," and the "era of good feelings"; in his next paper, he comes out with a very tame retraction of all his praise, and acknowledges himself convinced by a mere statement of facts, which he ought to have known before, or not knowing, he ought to have remained silent, that his "remarks" were incorrect, or in his own words "too general." We hope for the future he will be more particular in his information before he makes such general remarks.