The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-06-19
Republican State Convention.

reported for the Press.l
AUGUSTA, June IS, 1874.
The heavy rain last night, which continued
until eight o'clock this morning, it was
thought would have tendency to make the
attendance on the Convention lighter than it
would otherwise have been but the trains came
in with good Numbers and the convention is
much larger. than that held in Lewiston in 1872
or in Portland in 1871. When the Convention
was called to order the body of Granite Hall
was we'll filled with delegates.
A little after eleven o'clock the Convention
was called to order by S. T. Pullen, Esq, act
ing chairman of the State Committee. After
the reading of the call, and prayer by Rev. Mr..
Beckwith of this city, Mr.. Pullen, as the rep
resentative of the State Committee, nominated
Hon. E. f. WEBB of Waterville for temporary
President and George E. Bracket of Belfast,
A. H. s, DAVIS of Pennington, Geo. X. Hatch
of Pembroke, and w. X. Moody of Skowhe-
gan as temporary Secretaries
The name of Mr.. Webb was received with
applause and in accepting the honor, he made
the following remarks which were listened to
with marked attention:
Gentlemen of the Convention:
Accept my Acknowledgements for the honor
of presiding over your deliberations to-day.
For the twentieth time in our poll tical history
the Republicans of Maine have met in mass
convention to nominate candidate for chief
magis trate of our state, and on the 14th of
next September the voters of this state will
elect the twentieth Republican Governor by an
overwhelming majority. There will be but two
candidates before the people-the one nomin-
ated by this convention to-day, and one to be
nominated hereafter by the Democratic party.
In these two great parties are marshalled the
100, 900 voters of the state, and for score of
years they have been c0ntending for the mas
terry; they have appealed to the people for sup
port. 1t has been a conflict of ideas, of prn
ciples, of policies and resulted in conflict of
arms.
Each party has to-day record familiar to
us all and which shall never be botted out while
the Republic shall last. The Democratic party
has existed since 1S01-a life of more than
three score years and ten; and as the life of
man, If continued by reason of strength, Le-
yOnd three score years and ten is full of labor
and sorrow because it is soon to be cut off and
wither away, so inCeed it seems to be with the
Democratic party.
Its early history is one of glorious deeds and
love of country-of watchfulness and care-of
integrity in office-of economy in busness-i5
was mindful of the wants of the country and
labored for its development and progress. But
its later history is one of corruption. of turp-
tude, of a gradual and persistent sinking into
the bottomless pit, and the lowest depth of the
bOttomleSs pit, until at last it unearthed and
brought forth the greatest nest of traitors that
has existed in one country since the morni ng
of creation.
1t began in 1858 when the victorious Democ-
racy received from the faltering hands of the
vanguished Wings, the administration of the
national government; when Mr.. Pierce went
into the White House and jeff Davis begun to
reign; and it continued from 1857 with Mr. Bu-
chanan in the White house. as Pres't and Mr.
Dav sstill continued TO control the destnies of
the nation-but be it remembered that it culmin-
ated in 1860, when Mr.. Lincoln was elected
President, for he was Republican, and The
Democracy were taken captive and carried to
Babylon. and they hung their harps upon the
willows by the streams of Babylon, and lifted
up their voices and wept, and for these long
years they have mourned the loss of federal
officers and federal power; and when those
were lost to them through the ballot, and be-
lieving that they held the empire of sea and
land through the sword, they attempted to de-
stroy the country they had ruled so long; and
| IN their frenzy and madness they hurled the
armies of rebellion against the defenders OF the
UNION, involved the country in long ind
oioody war, characterized by fendish barbar-
Isin never equalled since the beginning of time;
murdered hfty Thousand union soldiers by starv-
atoh ana cold, denying them fire by winter
| anu Sheltef by summer; burned cities and
spread pestllence, filled the country with wild
ows and orphans, carried anguish and desola-
ton to q million of hearth stones and assassin
ated the chief magistrate of the republic Yet
with this terrible record of blood and suffering.
with these marks of Cain upon them they now
ask to be placed once more in power.
For twenty years the Democratic party has
stood hostile to freedom and equal rights. 1t
has borne the banners of slavery, won its victo-
ries and shared its crimes.
Within that period of time there has not been
one patriotic act in favor of humanity that has