The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-04-06
GRAND REFORM RALLY
The Largest Temperance Meeting
ever held i'm Maine.
A NEW DEPARTURE In THE TEN.
PERANCE REFORM.
Great Enthusiasm.

The largest and grandest meeting for the
promotion of temperance reform that ever oc.
CURED in Milne took place last night at CITY
Hall. 1t is seldom that that great room has held
so enthusiastic an audience. The visitors from
abroad, who inaugurated the movement. brought
with them all the inspiration that has been
awakened by vigorous and excited campaign
OF the four weeks past in their own section of
the State. All the temperance organizations
in town were present in full force and hundreds
attended from motive of curiosity to see what
manner OF people We're coming and listen to
the promised stories of reformed drunkards
and rum-sellers. Long before the hour
appointed the crowd was enormous: and
shortly before eight o'clock the company
from the Kennebec towns, who had been detained
In consequence of a freight train getting off the
track at Woodford's Corner, came into the hall,
headed by the Augusta Band. The visitors
numbered about 800, divided equally betw cen
the residents of Gardiner, Hallowel and Au-
gusta, exclusive of small delegation from
Bath. The hall, which seemed full before was
literally jammed by this new accession of num-
bers, and every seat was occupied, while the
vacant spaces next to the walls were quite well
filled. a.ru
Mayor Kingsbury presided, and after prayer
by Rev. o. NJ. Cousins of Hallowell, and music
by the band, the Mayor gave the audience
a handsome welcome and paid the people from
the Kennebec graceful compliment they paid
our citizens by coming to Portland to impart to
her people the magnetism of their own great
success in the cause of total abstinence. 1t re-
1 I'D L Al ~ A :.
ing when 5000 were converted in single day.
1t was another Easter-a resurrection from the
thraldom of rum; an emancipation like that
which struck the shackles off the limbs of t.
| 100000 blacks and enabled them to stand up
| like men. The secret of this great agitation
down on the Kennebec is the pledge; and he
| appealed to the audience to come forward and
put their names to the pledge which he held in
| his hand ,et -- ST.. e.n
He announced that he would be the first man
| to sign, and asked those who would follow him
to signify it by raising their hands. A large
number of hands were shown, when the Mayor,
taking the pen wrote his name in the book, re-
marking Immediately afterwards, 81 have
signed that pledged and mean to keep it,
which movement was accompanied with cheers
first speaker, Joshua X. Osgood, President of
the Gardiner Reform Club.
Mr.. Osgood, President of the Gardiner Re-
form Club (the famous auctioneer of the Ken
nebec Valley reminded the audience that they
need not expect a fowery speech from man
who had just awakened from ten years drunk
but he had come to tell the people what he
knew about the misery and sorrow that the use
of rum had caused himself and family. He
then proceeded to give an account of his habits
for several years. Finally going home one
night with quart of whiskey under his jacket
his thoughts were busy and he resolved, God
being his helper, that no more liquor should
pass his lips Then he described his struggle the
next morning, with his bottle at home and his
jug at the store. Judge Chadwick, his COM
paniOn in drink, was reformed by his efforts
soon after, and together they with two others,
called on hard drinkers, moderate drinkers and
young men tempted to drink, to come up to a
meeting and hear what rum had done for them:
and the first night they had eight signers,, the
there are now 14O0 Reformers in the three
towns of Gardiner, Hallowell and Augusta
The way they deal with the rum shops down
on the Kennebec,is to starve them out. Eight of
his companions, including himself one day made
calculation of how much money they saw
ed by taking the pledge and it was found they
had spent daily an average of So each. They
had robbed one bar of $25 daily by quitting the
use of liquor. He said the cider clause in the
pledge saved him from relapse into intern
perance. And now, my friends, said he, the
people ON the Kennebec are all converted and
are singing the praises of total abstinence.
DIR. Brckett President of the Augusta Re-
form Club, followed Mr.. Osgood. We come
with love for the drinker and rum-seller. Others
may use law if they like. but the weapon of
ohaa =,
suasiOn. We propose to stop drinking and
that is the best way to shut up the rum shops.
Where hundreds of dollars were spent in Au-
gusta few weeks ago, there is not now dol
lar. We have three rum-sellers in our ranks.
He attributed the origin of the Reform move
ment in Augusta to Joshua Nye, in organizing
the Cold Water Templars, and who has, as he
he said, always been believer in moral suason
in connection with law. When the Club was
started in Augusta it numbered but IS; now it
numbered 615, and then the speaker went on
to explain that the Reform Clubs contained
clergymen, lawyers and doctors, who had be-
come awakenened to the responsibility of their
positions and had gone out into the highways
to save men; hard and moderate drinkers were
members as well. He had an idea that the
Reform movement was like the small-pox-it
is contagious; and all who are exposed to it are
sure to take it; and he hoped the presence OF
the Kennebecers would communicate it to
the people of Portland; and like the small pox
again, after once taken it lasted for life time
He hoped his audience would all take it kindly.
He trusted the effect of the movement would
spread all over the world, until every victim of
intoxicating drink was redeemed
Capt E. F. Wyman, lat President of the Au-
gusta Reform Club, began by expressing his in
ability to make speech, but had not proceeded
far when Henry Howe, of the 9th Maine-the
first man in the audience to follow Mayor
Kingsbury-came forward and put his name
the pledge under round of applause; and
Capt. Wyman's speech was constantly inter,
| rupted by similar incidents. He recommended
especially the formation of Cold Water Tenn
pies, and before you know it, said he, you will
all be reformed. He stated that the prime OBJ
ject of this visit to Portland was to organize
Club, and it is necessary to have pledged men,
bers. The Captain several times times during
the evening came to the front and by his energy
and few well-put remarks kept the stream of
people towards the platform in full flow.
Capt Wyman's speech was followed by
temperance song by a choir of little misses from
Ferry Village. The refrain of one of the stanzas
| was,
| IN We are down on Tom and Jerry
| And must elect Sheriff Perry.
| which brought down the house.
P. H. Weymouth, President of the Hallowel
Club, said they had come to Portland to show
what had been done in Halowell. In the spring
freshet is always looked for; but they had in
augurated temperance freshet that would
sweep every rumseller and rum-sympathizer
| into total abstinence. The Hallowell club now
numbers 2S6 members and their password is
''Stick! 1t includes three past rumsellers and
several ale dealers. The other day an internal
| revenue officer came to ascertain how many OF
our saloon keepers would renew their licenses
| (there are twelve saloons in town. but not one
renewed. We hope, he said, to close up the
city agency in about two week. voice-Thats
| soD. .......
David o. Foye, President of the Bath Club,
said there was complaint that the last speak
er did not speak loud enough. He meant to
make them all hear (cheers). They had come
up from Bath on half fare; and it was all that
it was worth, for they had to walk half way
Caughter). A club was organized in Hallowcll
two weeks ago, and it had held three meetings.
At the first meeting there was thirty members;
at the second q hundred; now there is three
hundred. He said he was formerly salesman
in Portland, and he had been looking around
the hall for some of his old companions whom
he use to drink with, but could not find one
They used to go down to place on a street that
he had forgotten the name of, and the keeper
used to supply their wants from bottles that he
| arr;ad II, his poclrat and somptimes he nulled