The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-10-28
The Presidents Grent Fauii.

Our Maine Democratic exchanges this week
amuse themselves by bestowing choice as
sortment of epithets on Gen. Grant, apropos
of his late visit, the grauamen OF all lhelr
charges being, of course, that the fresiuen.
can't make speech. But their store oi nard
names is not large, the most oil IL having peen
lovisbed IN Abraham Lincoln, whom they
babitually called an ape, gorilla, an idiot
and an assassin. 1t has but little effect on
nublic whose taste has been spoiled by such
high food as this to call Gen. Grant
a sphinx" "butcher" or an ''imbecile.n
Moreover it is much consolation to those
friends of Gen. Grant who are so foolish 40
to regret his speechlessness to remember the
fatal facility of Andrew johnson and other
Democratic statesmen for addressing tbe
public. If these latter had possessed some
thing OF President Grants "goden silence
it would have been better for them and
sometimes better for their country. Horatio
Seymour's speech to the draft rioters in 1868,
in which he addressed them as "my friends"
cooked his political goose then and there.
Gen. Blair's tipsy harangues in 1868 made
the defeat OF the Democratic ticket douby
certain. Andrew Johnson's insane TRADES
during his Presidential term kept the country
in continual excitement and alarm, to say
nothing of that inaugural address on the 4th
of March, 1865, which caused every Ameri-
can to blush for shame, and undoubtedly laid
the foundation OF the estran cement between
the impulsive Tennesseean and "the party Of
great moral IDEAS" The effect OF the mosaic
oratory of Gen. Nc Cook, Democratic can
dida!e for Governor of Ohio the present year,
is still fresh in the memory of ALL Had be
better initiated his former commanders ret
icence be would have brought less discredit
on himself aud his party than he did by ra-
wing about debt OF "twenty billion bushels"
Indeed the Conservative party is full of these
infelicitous orators. At this very moment
comes report ola speech made at Farm
vile, Va, by Walker, the Conservative Gov
ernor of Virginia. 1t will be seen that there
is dignifed reserve about the peroration
that recalls the best days of Virginian oratory
Gov. Walker said:
executive officer of our Commonwealth, anG
it is good fortune that Caesar himself might
have been proud of, yet feel deeply my fee
bleness in that exalted position my own un
worthiness OF its honors. There is no higher
position on earth, my friends, than the Gov
ernorship of Virginia. do not say this to
you because you are Virginians, but because
it is nothing more than just tribute to the
Old Commonwealth for her glories in the past
and for the higher tributes that await her in
the future. We have some people among us,
my fellow citizens, who should not be among
us-a class of people who to-day are sowing
the seeds of discomfort broadcast over the
State. Virginia, at the close OF the war, or
during the more disastrous period which i'm.
mediately followed, was like sick and bed
ridden patient convalescent, but whose recov-
Z cry would be slow and gradual. What would
you think, my friends, of a physician who
would go to such patient and croak to him
of death and the grave and the devourne
worm? Such are the men who are spread
lug dissatisfaction among our people, and
causing the more ready listeners to abandon
the homes of their nativity. They are the
men who tell us that things are getting worse
every day; that the treasury is being de-
pleted; that our lands are being exhausted
They are the owls of society. Hang 'em up
my friends, to the first lamp-post; scalp 'em
say to them, sect thee behind me, Satan, "
and put them away from you. 1 know that
Virginia is improving everywhere. Yesterday
l was at Lynchburg, and l saw before me
ten thousand people, and not woe-be-
gone countenance among them. Do not
let us lose confidence in ourselves. We
are recovering slowly but surely. hope
we shall hear no more of this talk about Vir-
ginia retrograding. L can whip any man who
says Virginia is retrogradng. Loud laugh
ter and applause The Governor, somewhat
embarrassed, resumed, l crave your pardon,
gentlemen. In the excitement OF the mo-
ment said more than meant. l desired to
say that feel as if L could whip any man