20 W. C. WOODWARD alluded to Gov. Andrew's threat that Massachusetts would give no more troops unless the slaves were emancipated, and intimated that those stood better by the Administration who criticized and acquiesced than those who coerced, overawed and bullied it against its convictions. He declared he should con- tinue to stand by the Administration in all matters of right and criticise it when he thought it was wrong. 10 In allusion to the offer of a bet which had been made that within three months Bush would be a red hot secessionist, he replied that while he was in favor of maintaining the Government at every hazard, he wouldn't destroy it, either to enslave or liberate "niggers;" that he believed it to be a government of white men, and that if the liberties of that race could be preserved, he regarded it of comparatively little consequence what fate might betide the "nigger." 11 He declared that the radicals' test of loyalty had become, not, "Are you for the Union?" but "Are you for Emancipation?" 12 As for him, he was for the Union first and the Union only. The Emancipation Proclamation 13 and the removal of McClellan were the two rocks on which broke the Statesman's loyalty to Lincoln. In March, 1863, Bush laid down his scepter as editor of the Statesman. C. P. Crandall and E. M. Waite secured the paper, the former acting as editor. The policy continued to be that which had been adopted by Bush that of criticism of the Ad- ministration. In November of the same year, the Argus and the Statesman were consolidated under the name of Statesman, the paper being published by the Oregon Printing & Publish- ing Company, the directors of which were J. W. P. Huntington, Rufus Mallory, D. W. Craig, C. P. Crandall and C. N Terry.'4 Radical Republicans and Douglas Democrats were thus asso- ciated together in the directorate. Loyalty to the Union was reaffirmed and with the change of management the tone of the 10 Statesman, Dec. i, 1862, editorial, "Standing by the Administration." 11 Ibid., Dec. 8. 12 Statesman, Dec. 15. 13 "After 12 o'clock to-night I suppose there will be no slaves in the rebellious states so Abraham's proclamation says. The shackles will fall at his word, I 'spect."- Bush to Deady, Dec. 31. 14 Statesman, Nov. 2.
