Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1874-10-16
Republican Meetinr.

vious announcement The attendance
was small, being principally composed of
colored people, and few Democrats, who,
like ourselves, attended out of curiosity.
DR.. VIM. r. Wilmer, in few remarks, in
troduced Mr.. Hagner, the Radical nomi-
nee for Congress, who then proceeded to
address the meeting, and we must, in JUS
tice to the reputation which this gentle
man has fairly earned at the bar, say that
his speech was most impotent and sig
nal failure. That he has ability and tai
ent we know, but he displayed neither
the one nor the other on this occasion. 1t
was evident to all who heard him that it
was an uphill business with him all the
way. He told us very little that was new,
and much of his speech abounded In I'M
fair assertion and misstatement. 1t GER
tainly was not such a one as we had
right to expect from a gentleman Of Mr..
Hagner's social standing. AS his whole
speech was most vulnerable, easily an
swered and susceptible Of successful con-
tradiction, we do not wonder any longer
that he did not challenge DR.. Henkle to
joint discussion throughout the District.
Among other things, he said that DR..
Henkle was an advocate for the repeal of
the 18th and 18th Amendments. Now Mr..
Hagner knows the Doctors views on this
question as we'll as any man in the land,
and it was unworthy of him to thus mis-
represent his opponent, even for the pur-
pose of exciting the prejudice of the negro
voters against him. Mr.. Hagner knew that
Dr.. Henkle was member of the National
Democratic Convention which nominated
Greeley for the Presidency, the platform of
which Convention pledged the party to
submission and acceptance of these very
amendments, which the Republican party
in power, through a violation of eorstitu
tional principles. through fraud and FEEDER
al bayonets, had forced upon the people.
And BECAUSE forsooth. Dr.. Henkle denoun-
ces the measures adopted by such impro
per means, and denounces the party which
initiated these measures and used these
means, Mr.. Hagner, not being willing or
able to meet legitimate and fair argument
on the responsibility of his party, seeks an
easy escape therefrom by disappearing
the position of bis opponent reHasRds
us of crab stirring mp the mud to facili
tate its escape from its pursuer.
He then spoke of finances and charged the
Democratic party with being party Of re
pudiation of the National debt and cited
the platforms of Indiana and Ohio in favor
of paying the fve-twenty bonds in cur
rency. Does not Mr.. Hagner know that
when Mr.. Pendleton first started this doc
trine, which has since been christened with
his name, that Mr.. Thad. Stevens and Gen.
Butler, both shining lights in the party OF
which Hagner is now but farthing candle.
declared on the floor of the House that
Mr.. P. was right, and advocated the pay
ment of these bonds in that way? BY
what hocus-pocus in this respect is the
Democratic party any more the party of
reputation than the Republican, But
Mr.. Hagner knows the further fact that
every leading Democrat in Indiana, headed
by Gov Hendricks himself, except cor
porars guard lead by Dan VOORHEES,, have
repudiated this plank, which had been
foisted by the latter into their platform.
He knows the same thing has been done
in Ohio. Mr.. Pendieton, saying that
whilst he was rights originally, that the
passage of the act of 1869, declaring these
bonds should be paid in gold has no lon
ger left it an open question Why then
should Mr.. Hagner come down here with
this miserable garbled statement and talk
to our tax-oppressed people about bonds
and bond holders? There are few If any
among us; our people arc too poor to own
ANYTHING of the sort. Why did he not talk
to us about that living, breathing, att-eon-
suminq issue, the Tariff, which is eating
ont the vitals of the farmersf Why did
not he tell us something about Grant and
his $4,000 salary, and Attorney General
Williams with his $1,000 landaulet, paid
for and kept by the Government for his
wife tn ride about in, and where the money
comes from to pay for all this, when far
mers can only get $1.2o for their wheat and
have to,pav ST. 80 for their brogans2 Thes
are things the people wantto hear and un-
derstand' about. A would-be statesman.
like Mr.. Hagner, ought to be able to ex
Main them to our untutored minds. But
No, not one word about the Tariff
The gentleman then branched off on the
Civil RIGHTS; bill. He said that this had
ALWAYS been a. favorite measure OF Mr.
Sumner. In fact, he rather insinuated
that Mr. Sumner was monomanlac on
the subiect-that during his life the Sen
ate had repeatedly refused to- pass his bill,
hut that after his death, in moment OF
weakness, 1--WE. do not pretend to give the
words of the or)-of sort OF reveren-
tial sentimentality-they passed this bill
hn0vinq 1t acoasld be defeated in the House,
This is positively the substance OF what
he said. The Senate, in moment OF
weakness and of hypocriticai reverence
for the memory of Mr.. Sumner, the great