The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-06-26
THE DEMOCRA ATTIC STATE CON-
....... VENTION.
Reputation Openly Avowed!
WAR ON THE STATE OONsTABULARY

The annual festival OF the faithful Demo-
racy of Maine, was celebrated yesterday in
this city Tie hierarchy were in session in
the inner sanctuary, at No. IL in the Preble
House, on Monday and again yes
terday morning; but the first public demon
stration was little speech making at about
10 o'clock on the Preblo House steps, at a
meeting organized and addressed by dele
gate named Bray, from the town of Freeman
in Franklin county. Mr.. Bray had evidently
been illustrating his contempt for "sumptua-
ry" laws by investing repeatedly in pro-
hibited beverages, and was in an excellent
condition for the delivery of highly seasoned
denunciatOry speech, in which he paid his
respects to the past and prospective Democrat
ic candidate for governor, dwelling with
special emphasis upon Mr.. Pillsbury's ex-
I PLOTS at the time of the Kingfeld riots in
1868. When United States soldiers were sent
there to put out the "fire in the rear" Mr.
Bray declares that Pillsbury, instead of fight
ing for his affairs and his air-tight, ignomin.
iously took refuge in bed chamber and un.
derneath the very bed itself, emerging in q
| pitiabe state of "fuss and feathers" This per.
Torrance alone, in Mr.. Bray's opinion, wai
| sufficient to establish Pillsbury's unftness to
lead the "Unterrifed Democracy" in their fu-
ture struggles; but he went ON to declare that
he knew the whole Pillsbury stock, root and
branch, and that they are all without excep.
ton set of spoilsmen, looking for Office
clinging to Office, determined to draw thsil
rations by hook or by crook from tho public
treasury. 81 can prove what I say" cried Mr.
Bray, as he concluded, "and if 1 have stated
anything falsely, deserve to be read out Of
tho Democratic party!" The possibility thst
any man could recklessly expose himself to Sc
fearful penalty seemed to produce aprofound
sensation among the assembled delegates.
By this time it was half past 10, and the
Kennebec delegation was marching down
| Congress street, with that beautiful precision
| which always characterizes civic procession
to the music of the Augusta band. The move
ment towards Mechanics Hall was becoming
general, and by II o'clock the floor was well
covered though there was ample room for all
the delegates to be seated, and it was not diff
| fcult for tired men to find chance to lie
down without taking the floor for it.
| Precisely at IL, Mr.. Paul s. Merrill, chair
man of the State Committee, called the con-
,yention to order, and nominated Mr.. Charles
p. Kimball, for temporary President Mr.
Bird of Calais conducted Mr.. KiMball to the
chair. The temporary President then address
ed the convention, expressing his pleasure at
being called to preside over such patriotic
body of citizens, "who loved their country and
always stood by it in every danger!" At this
point returned volunteer in the gallery
thrust his tongue into his cheek and made a
horrible grmace. Mr.. Kimball went on to
speak of the devotion of his party to the con-
stitution ("amen, from a devout brother), and
to declare that this convention had met to reg
lister its opposition to "a military despotism in
all its paraphernalia more cursedthan any that
Expresses the nations Of Europe"-forgstting
that the Attorney-General of the United
States has just explained that the Military law
is very innocent law indeed and does not in
the least degree interfere with the provisional
governments of the Southern States. Mr..
Kimball also told the delegates that they were
opposed to taxing the poor for the benefit OF
the rich, and opposed to all sTpptS9nrsss y fnS
that "if the Democratic party is dead party,
such a life as we've had to lead for the last
few years is almost enough to wake the dead -
The speech was received with considerable en-
thusiam, the convention rising at the close and
giving three cheers, after which the band by
some mistake played "The Star Spangled Ban
ner" instead of "The Bonnie Blue Flag"
The Chairman of the State Committee, which
had already acted as committee on crsden-
tials, next reported the number of delegates
present from each county, as follows: