The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-12-17
The Tea Party.

| At an early hour last evening City Hall was
filed by people assembled to commemorate
the throwing over of the tea in Boston Harbor,
Dec 16, 1873. The exercises of the evening be-
| gan by a fine concert from the Portland Band,
| which lasted about half an hour ms was
followed by a concert from some members OF
| the Aged Brotherhood, who favored the au-
| dience with old-iime singing.
The President of the Monumental Associa-
| ton. DR.. S. C. Gordon, briefly announced the
| object of the meeting, and stated the desire of
| the Association to increase the number of its
| members.
Noses owen then recited to the great pleas
ure of the audience, his well known poems of
the 'Blttle-fags' and the SOLDIERS Monu-
ment"
Inc Chairman announced that some time
within two weeks a meeting of the Associa-
ton would be called to consider the matter of
incorporation and to adopt a constitution.
Officers will be elected on the second Monday
Of January. He then introduced the orator of
the evening, Gen. James A. Hall of Damaris-
Gotta.
Gen. Hall began by alluding in compliment
tary terms to the concerts and the poem, and
spoke OF the beverage to come-unpopuar in
Boston hundred years ago, but quite the
thing to drink now. 200 years ago two pounds
of tea We're sent to the English King Charles
by the East India Company. From that time
the Chinese plant came into very general use.
1t became such an article of trade, that in the
last half of the 18th Century, the British Par
Lament thought to raise great revenue from
it The speaker here proceeded to give an
count of the tea tax and the events which fol-
lowed it up to Dec. 16, 1913. According to his
idea the tea party was drunken row.
Gen. Hall then spoke at length of the oh.
jects of the Association by which he had been
invited to speak. In all recorded time, nay.
probably far back of human records now ex-
isting the nations and tribes of the earth COM
memorated their fallen heroes by erecting
monumental piles. Since the war of the re-
bellion, there has sprung mp sickly sentiment
tality which objects to the erection of monu-
menis for victories won over fellow citizens.
''Fellow citizens!' Great God! They were
idea out, you must Danish every man with an
empty sleeve, every widow who has lost sol
der son, from sight as unpleasant remembran-
ces. These fellow citizens" are the men who
plunged bayonets into uhe breasts of your
brothers and mine. | said ia an address last
night that Congress had passed law condor
ing jeff Davis's crimes and shielding his
cussed old head from The penalty due them.
A daily paper in this city, perhaps more in
sympathy with jeff. Davis than | am, says
passed it, and the House is the popular branch,
representing the people, The speaker went on
to give some more of his lecture delivered in
the India street course Monday evening", "a re-
port win be found in yeste rday' issue.) He ac-
eusee government of pusllanimity in the Cuban
business, and said the nation was too penurous
and sycophantic to support navy. He remarked
in this connection that we are children of our
posterity, -whereat the audience looked very
incredulous. He spoke strong words for the
monument and appealed to his hearers never to
let the widows and orphans of our dead SOL
diers suffer for the necessaries of life. in some
towns in this State soldiers children have
been knocked down under the auctioneers ham
mer for their yearly subsistence
He closed by advancing the novel theory that
the tea was not thrown into Boston harbor be.
cause of patriotism, but because a rum drink
ing people were afraid the harmless beverage
would become popular drink and displace the
use of ardent spirits.
At the conclusion of the address the audience
adjourned to Reception Hall, where tea was
served by the prettiest little waiter girls ever
seen. The evenings exercises wound up with
very pleasant promenade concert The COM
memoration was greatly enjoyed by all. Gen.
Halls speech furnished lots OF fun.