The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-08-12
Theodore TiIt0m

The classical Theodore Tilton addressed the
Democracy at City Hall on Saturday evening
1t was very uncomfortable night for public
meeting, yet about fifteen hundred people gath
cred to listen to the political wisdom of the con-
frere and biographer of Victoria Woodruff, and
exponent of the advanced doctrines of the new
lights" in social and domestic reforms. Mr.
Titon is an elegant orator and has the ability
to attract and hold the attention of an audience
by his fine rhetoric and accurate acquaintance
with classical literature In opening his re-
marks on Saturday evening he paid handsome
compliment to the beauty and commodiousness
of City HalNjust to win the hearts of his hear
ers, he said; and then consumed ten minutes in
an oral essay on the relations of governments
and peoples. Coming to the purpose of his ora
ton he remarked that twenty months ago he
had said in his paper that Grants administra-
ton was too good to be bad and too bad to be
good. Since then the good had been growing
less and the bad had increased. He had divid-
ed his party and sent half of it to Cincinnati to
nominate an opposing candidate. Four years
ago Grant went into the White House by the
invitation of whole nation. few months
hence he would leave it by virtual popular ex-
pulson. The Philadelphia platform next re-
ceived the speakers attention. 1t demanded
second term for Gen. Grant in order to secure
civil service and financial reforms With
working majority in Congress the Administra-
ton had produced none; its retention of Leet
and Kramer and Casey in Office had proved its
socitude for civil service reform to be fraudu-
lent. 1t promises a restoration of State sover-
eipntv which ia a confession tbat State wronos
had been inflicted and elections carried by bay
onets. 1t pronounces against giving away the
public domain, but the Administration has do
mated 15O,0OO,0O0 acres of land to the Pacific
railroads. 1t declares for the abolition of the
franking privilege, while Congress votes down
bills suspending it, aud the administration uses
the privilege to circulate campaign documents.
plank favoring the revival of commerce and
shipbuilding was put into the platform to suit
Maine, but OF every three cargoes brought
from abroad two came in foreign bottoms The
administration used the navy to make war up
on HAyti and suppress liberty of speech in Lou
isana; it puts military secretaries in the White
House and invades the South with soldiers; vet
the Philadelphia platform declares the supre-
macy of the civil over the military power. The
tism and denied that the administration had
paid the national debt, or collected the reve-
nue. faithfully or settled the Alabama claims or
adjusted the Indian difficulties, or harmonized
the South. The only connection Gen. Grant
had had with the national debt was to augment
it. He had been speDd-thrift in money and
blood and lives. The people had paid the
debt-not he. He had not reduced taxation
Ihe decrease was a natural result of the close
OF the war Congress had made the reduction.
lMr. IIiton said just now that Congress failed
to effect any reforms. To maintain his asser-
ton that the revenue had not been faithfully
collected, Mr.. Titon cited the cases of four
Brooklyn whskey thieves who were detected
and punished before Gen. Grant came into
power ohly one penny in five goes to pay the
national debt, he SAID The administration
went to Geneva with preposterous Alabama
claim and stopped in London with an iono.
minious surrender Our entire Indian nonr1.-
tion can be contained in Central Park. and tho
government has failed to conquer this pitiable
enemy. Its policy has been against humanity
lSee John ID. Lang's letter. The frontier gives
token that we are on the eve of bloody war
Gen. Grants officers have cheated and murder
ed she Indians. He has harmonized the South
said Mr.. Tilton. No name is so cursed in that
section of the country as Grants. He has i'm
poverished the South in time of peace, stolen
their revenues and increased their debts fror
$75OOO,0 900 to $500 OOO, 900, or more than the
Indebtedness of the Northern States with theil
war debt included I'll tell you that where money