The Portland daily press., 1868-09-19
The ksiot i'm Augusta.

AUGUSTA, Sept, 14th 1868.
To the Editor Of the Press:
You have already learned something of the
disgraceful and outrageous scenes enacted by
the defeated Democracy of this city on Mon.
day last. In the midst of our glorious tri-
umphs, there has been generous disposition To
publish simply the resulting facts, without
giving the instigators such attention as they
deserved. For the honor of the State capital
merciful silence has been invoked. But
when the Standard candidate for the office Of
Governor whose pretentions have been thrice
so signally rebhked, has the brazen- faced and
insulting impudence to come out in the last
issue of his organ, and charge upon the Repub
lican party the whole responsibility of those
rlotous proceedings, it seems proper that the
facts should be stated. "Mark now how a
plain tale will put him down"
Immediately after the polls were closed Mon.
day afternoon: large crowd of persons were
assembled near the telegraph office on Water
street, to Fear the returns of the election. A
few doors below was the clothing store of Mr.
Dolliver, who had just voted the Republican
ticket contrary to the hopes and expectations
of the Democracy. One of the crowd, Cop
perhead leader in Ward 5, exasperated by de-
feat and frenzied with rum, went along and
proceeded to abuse Mr.. d. in the most profane
and scandalous manner, Simply because he
had contributed to their defeat by voti ng
against them. One ofthe Copperhead s drunk
en- minions then came up and continued the
assault with more vigor By knocking Mr.. Dol
liver's hat down even with his head. Mr. D.
hninu paahaahla r,an Withdraw into
store without offAring any resistance, but was
still pursued by the drunken rowdies. A
friend of Mr.. DIS, an honest Republican who
never drank glass of intoxicating liquors in
his life, happened to be in the store at the
time, and declared that such treatment ought
not to be tolerated. He was thereupon throt-
tied and violently assaulted by one of the
drunken Copperheads; and another Republ-
can interfering to prevent further difficulty re-
ceived a severe blow from another rowdy, and
then endeavored to defend himself with the
Mr.. Dolliver succeeded in a few minutes in
clearing his store and getting the rowdies all
into the street, where, meanwhile, six or eight
hundred of the excited populace had congre-
gated. Then followed the general melee
Judge Rice did very soon appear in the crowd
and did make "judicious remarks. He ad-
dressed the rowdies, not as Republicans, but
as Democrats, saying substantially, "you have
been defeated in the election, you have been
fairly beaten, and it is your duty as men and
citizens to go peaceably to your homes" 1t
was doubtless through his influence that fur
Their violence was for the time arrested.
Not wishing to infame the exasperated De-
mocracy, the Republicans carefully abstained
from any cheering in the streets, but in the
evening assembled in Granite Hall, to listen
to the returns and rejoice over the results.
But even there they were not protected from
the aggressions of Copperhead ruffians. About
200 of them lowered about the hall, and finally
twenty-five or thirty entered the hall and set
up cheers for Seymour and Blair. They were
soon forcibly elected, however by volunteers
from the audience, the regular police force be-
ing valiantly in distant parts of the city. This
crowd was finally dispersed by the personal
efforts of the Mayor and Sheriff Hewins.s
The gross assault upon the commander of
the Tanners" in ward 8, was equally metro
politan in its character and equally without
provocation.
Yet hear this charming demagogue pirate
about the "ncendiary appeal" of the Radicals!
He earned them of the consequences! He first
suggested to his drunken mnions the idea of a
riot and by his warning" only invited that
mob violence which he so hypocritically dep
recated. 1t is notorious that every procession
of the Republicans during this campaign has
been assailed by the stones and brickbats of
dastardly Copperhead roughs and scoundrels,
while no Democratic procession has ever been
disturbed. Never before the arrival OF this
Kingfed demagogue and Republication of
the Maine Standard, has the fair city of the
Kennebec been disgraced by such scenes as
those of Monday last. And it ill-becomes the
man who, God help him, in the darkest hour
of his country's history, in the hour of its ex-
IRENE peril, was guilty of melting the only
open resistance to the laws which stained the
loyal record of Maine during the war,-it i'll
becomes such a man TO remove to the State
capitol, and after inviting new riots, to charge
the responsibility upon law-abiding Republi-
cans No weak lotion of the Lakes nor all the
waters of Neptune's ocean can wash away the
foul stains of his record. DAMON.