The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-09-09
Rousing Meeting.
The Last and Best of the
Campaign.
City Hall Packed.
Brilliant Speech of Gen. Swift,
Excellent Music by Portland
Band, ETC., etc.

| One of the largest meetings of the campaign
was held in City Hall on Saturday evening.
The hall was full to OVERLOOKING while the gal
leries presented brilliant array of beautiful
women" The Portland Band discoursed its
choicest airs. At the hour appointed the meet
| ing was called to order by Geo. w. True, ESQ.,,
| who proposed Hon. Nathan Webb as presiding
| officer Mr. Webb on assuming the chair ten
| dered his thanks for the honor in few felic-
! itous remarks and introduced Gen. John L.
| Swift of Massachusetts. The General was
greeted with rounds of applause, the Band add
ing its stirring strains to the enthusiastic greet
ing. Upon the subsistence of the applause the
General remarked that such music as he had
just listened to was great deal better than any
he could hope to make. but we have come here
to have good time. The hard work of the
campaign is over, and we may wisely devote
this evening to general good time. Everybody
may applaud, or shout, or cry amen!
L once spoke toTa large audience and could
draw no applause One old man who sat di-
recty in front of me sat like statue. Not
ripple of a smile could gain. talked direct
ly to him, told story after story, kept the house
In a continual roar of laughter, but not smile
from this imam. l gave up in despair After
the meeting adjourned the committee informed
me that he was as deaf as a post. daughter,
just so Greeley's campaign speech fell upon
the country, it elected no response. (Applause.)
The speaker sketched the career of Greeley dur
ing the way trying to patch sup an infamous
peace. The issue now is between Grant, the
soldier patriot, and Greeley. 1 give my prefer
epce freely tolthe man in blue uniform who took
Richmond rather than the man in the white hat
who took the cars for Niagara. l don't expect
to impress any man who believes in the suita-
bleness of Horace Greeley for President. If
you had followed his advice we should have had
a general financial ruin. 1 admit him to be a
man of brains as an editor, but his editorial ex-
perience has done little to fit him for the White
House. The speaker here quoted some of Gree
ley's opinions on Grant given year ago. If
any of my liberal Republican friends have stray
gled in here from the funeral outside Qsughter)
L want to say few words to you for tonight is
the last chance as next Monday decides the
canvass Do you believe the material interests of
the country will be benefited by the change?
There are some among you who are restless and
uneasy in the Republican ranks. One wants a
change for one reason and another for another
One man thinks if heiis bilious The is pious; but
if he is fair and candid he won't sleep well un.
till he has decided to vote for Grant
The speaker went into an able exposition of
the labor question. We have had, said he, no
crisis or panic since the Republicans came into
power No Greeley man would change the
present for the past. The Democrats have no
promising past, and no future except future
punishment. (Applause.) We cannot forget
the past there are too many grass covered |
graves, too many vacant chairs lonely house |
holds, bowed mothers, stricken fathers. Give
back what these have lost put arms in these |
empty sleeves before you ask us to GO over and |
vote for Greeley and the South. 1t is too much |
for us to blot out our memories. (Applause.) |
They are trying to make out of the sermon on
the Mount Greeley document While it bids us
to love enemies, it does not bid us make
them our friends or to curse them who stood by
us in time of peril. If young man breaks
into your house in the night and you catch him
at it at it you may listen to his cries for pardon
and let him so free. But would you pack up
and move out of the house and give that fellow
the property? (Applause.) We don't intend to
move. The great point at issue in the parties |
is on the internal policy-revenue reform 1t |
is warfare upon the interests and labor of the |
country. 1t would admit raw material against |
our products; it would destroy American indus |
tries; it is blow at the products of the sol-at |
the farm the mechanic, laboring man. Every |
conflict that seeks to elevate labor and bring it |
to higher ground has my best wishes for it's sue
cess. The mission of America is unfulfilled I'M |
til the masses reach the full result of their la |
Dor. 1t would be folly to Overturn the interests |
of labor aud destroy American industry. Give |
that party success and railroads, agriculture |
mining and mechanical interests will be de- |
stroyed as though the hand of death had smit-
ten them. would not needlessly alarm-but
there is mob behind us ready to hurl us down.
Let the people rise up and help us hurl back the
tide. The South, combined with New York
capital are struggling for this. Cheap labor is
a curse on any country. Look at Asia with |
her degradation; India with her starving mil
lions; France, stricken by war; England a |
smoking volcano, and learn the lesson of cheap
labor. What we want is an honest government
Haven't we got it?
Our reduced expenditures, reduced debt, re-
duced taxaton-these are facts. Whiskey and
tobacco we retain the taxes on, and we intend
to keep it on, to make our Democratic friends
help pay it. (Applause.) "Tammany Hall re-
spends to the nomination of Greeley is what
was sent from New York to the Baltimore Con-
vention. Tammany that taxes every man, wo-
man and child $40 head. Under whose rule
murder and crimes, and corrupt judiciary out
does monarchial Europe Do you think they have
forgotten how to steal? When brave old Far
ragut with the boys in blue were Wrestling Fort
Hudson from Southern rebels, Tammany was
helping rebellion in the rear. Let us not I'M
settle the issues by giving to them the reins of
government. See how glorously the Republi
can party is moving on. 1t has taught foreign
powers that republics can settle issues between
nations by the arts of peace. Look at our gen
osity to rebels; no confiscation, no life saerfc-
ed. "Waft, watt We winds the story
Our republic is Christianity in the laws and
principles of government. Our republic is the
brightest nation of sixty centuries Keep Maine
on the broad table land of republicanism-clsse
up the ranks for the charge upon the rank. of
the enemy under the old flag and the old cap
tain. See to it next Monday that the old Pine
Tree State stands by us with 10000 majority.
The General closed with an eloquent perora-
ton, and took his seat amidst enthusiastic APP
plause After music by the band, Col. w. o.
Mofft of New York, made some brief remarks.
AT ten o'clock the meeting broke up with rous-
| ing cheers for Grant and Wilson. Before the
| meeting adjourned the chairman announced
| the following ticket for Representatives, which
was unanimously accepted: Weston F. Milli-
ken, James d. Fessenden, George Trefethen,
Prentlss Loring, VIM. w. Thomas, jr.