The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-06-26
The District Convention.

The chief duty of the Convention which
meets to-day at Saco, is to nominate candi-
date for Representative of this District in Con-
gress. We have heard but one man named
for that honor, and have no doubt that the
Hon. JOHN LYNCH will be nominated and re-
turned to the place which he has filed with SO
much credit to himself and his constituency,
by popular vote as much larger than that
which first gave him the seat, as his addition
al experie fence and tried ability Deserve
We have no wish to interfere with the nomi-
nations in the Second and Fourth Districts,
and recognize fully the privilege and the
right of the people of Maine to change their
representatives whenever they see fit and for
reasons satisfactory to themselves. We are
nevertheless glad that at this time three at least
of the men who voted to submit the Constitu-
tional Amendment to the States, are likely to
be returned from Maine to the seats which
they honored by that act a" rilis9l '2s'l
Mr.. Lynch went to Washington at the be-
ginning of the present session, a "a new man."
His friends claimed for him rare business
qualities, capacity for affairs, indefatigabe APP
plication, rapid insight; they claimed for him
also fine faculty of expression, not indeed as
an orator but as practical debater, a bust
ness man talking about business and carrying
conviction in his words; they claimed for him,
above all, an unalterable devotion to the great
cause which has been entrusted to the Repub-
lican party-the equal rights of all Americans
before the laws. 1t is a fitting time now, look
ing forward and back, to consider how those
predictions have been fulfilled. 20 39asaaa
Mr. Lynch was appointed at the beginning
ofthe session, to serve on two committees, the
standing committee on banking and curren-
cy. and the special committee on a bankrupt
law. OF the faithful labor which has been
done in these important committees, the best
proof will be found in the measures which
they have recommended. The bill for bank
rupt law is still pending Mr.. Lynch did not
appear publicly in its support, yet we are as
sured that the measure engaged his earnest
attention and owes many suggestions to him
and to his constituents speaking through him.
The only elaborate speech which he has made
for the session, was upon the loan bill recon-
mended by Secretary Culloch, and has been
laid before our readers. In that speech Mr..
Lynch with great candor and fairness, pre-
sented the reasons which influenced his vote
refusing permission for the Secretary to retire
the legal-tender notes. The bill was lost, it
will be remembered, at the session during
which Mr.. Lynch spoke, but was afterwards
reconsidered with amendments admitting on
ly limited withdrawal of legal-tenders, and
passed. Mr.. Lynch's objections to the bill
were very clearly and forcibly presented and
had much weight at the time in preventing its
passage. ci s
In other cases, Mr.. Lynch has spoken before
the House only as debater, aiming always
at the main point in the discussion, striking
hard there, knowing that all the minor con-
s:derations will take care Of themselves. His
proposition forbidding vessels registered as
foreign during the rebellion, to be received
again under the American flag, was supported
by brief but exhaustive speech. at is a
cowardly argument" he said, "to say that the
country ought to protect these ship owners. 1t
is for the people to protect the country in time
OF war That sentence goes to the core of
the subject. When the appropriation for the
new custom house, so much needed for this
port, came up, an explanation of the facts as
d irect and simple as possible, saved the clause
in the House.
How carefully Mr.. Lynch has regarded the
claims of his constituents, we need not saw
They have at all times found him easy of ac-
cess, either personally or by letter, and ready
to render such assistance as might be pron-
erly in his power. Not to speak of private
claims and appointments, we may properly re-
fer to hissinfuence in securing appropriations
Tor the Saco river improvements, for the pur-
chase OF Seavey's Island at Kittery, for the
completion of the breakwater and improve
ment of the postoffice here, and finally to his
efforts to secure the examination of the site
for an ironclad station in this vicinity.
In this brief and imperfect review of Mr..
Lynch's services during the present session.
we are conscious of doing him some injustice
by the slight and unsatisfactory manner in
which we are compelled to treat the part he
has taken in SO many acts of legislation. If
he had brought forward only one measure, it
would be possible to review his action in that
one instance more fully. He has done so
much, that we can only refer briefly to one af-
ter another of his public acts. Happily our
readers can supply the details from their rec
election of the files of the Press. His judi
cious proposition, TO allow drawback of the
cotton tax to the small farmers of the South,
has been published in these columns. The
Senate, it has since besn observed, has felt
compelled to cut down the entire tax more
than one-half h