Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-08-28
Large and Enthusiastic Meet
ing of the Republicans Of
Augusta!
Senator WCrriH Presitics at TIC
Meeting.
Able and El0Gacnt Speeches by
Senator Morton and Gen. King.
Calm and Convincing Arguments.


Hall, and was most satisfactory in its results.
The people were out in large numbers to listen to
the distinguished Senator from Indiana, con-
pletey filling the hall so that when the hour for
speaking came the hall presented really compact
mass, ".ea Of upturned faces" of ladies and
gentlemen, lntclgcnt and thoughtful persons
Delegations were present from Hallowell, Gardi-
ner, Winthrop and other towns. Those who came
late had to content themselves with standing
| room.
4 At little past eight the appearance upon the
stand of Senator Morton, Senator morrill,, and
Mr.. Blaine, was the signal of applause.
Senator Morrill, presided and introduced the
speaker of the evening, remarking that We had
come together to listen to the discussion of the
| political topics Of the day. He would not dctain
| tie audience foH moment. The best compliment
he could pay to the audience and the distinguished
Senator was TO say, that Senator Morton Of In
diana needed no introduction.
| As Senator Morton moved forward his char to
take seat directly in front CT the audience, be-
fore beginning his speech, the audience applauded
| him enthusiast cally With brief predatory re-
| marks in reference TO this his frs. visit to the
State, the Senator proceeded at once to the solid
| arguments Of his speech.
He said that coming to this part of New Eng
| land from Indiana, more than thousand miles
| away, he realized the great distance which sepa
rated the two sections, but he allied too that they
| are integral parts of great nation. The north
| west is largely indebted to New England for her
population, for her institutions and above all for
! her system of free schools for the first time
in peril. lie came to Maine to speak Of National
politics, to frankly speak the truth as lie under
| stood It. lie should not deal IN personalities,
ho oh Eoft ba
| ocrauc party it deserved. Our government is
| government of parties. 1t always has been, it
always will be. Two great parties stand before
the people to-day, and between them The choice
must be made. There will be 10 third party.
Parties not made to order nor brought into be-
ing by conventions. Great necessities and chang
| es OF public opinion bring them forth. Parties have
| unwritten constitutions by which they are bound
No man ever yet got away from his history his
antecedents, his general character. They cling to
| and influence his whole life. So with political
parties, they cannot escape their past. As
they do they Of necessity die, for they drop their
principles. SO while the democratic party EXISTS
it must be the democracy of the past.
| lie then proceeded to examine the history Oh the
two parties. The democratic party bad been cduca"
ted in the theory Of State rights That point was
just important to it to-day That was the
doctrine OF the rebellion and led logically to IT,,
and if handed down to po,tcrity may make other
rebcliions possible, and this nation Will never be
safe unless the contrary doctrine--that we are one
| people, oil one DlOOu ana common
shah prevail. The democratic party was edu-
Gated to believe in slavery, and cannot escape
from the influences of that belief, though slavery
has passed away. The republican party was called
into being TO oppose slavery, to defend the
doctrine that all men are created free and
equal. The central idea of the republican party
is the belief in the rights Of man, AMI that liberty
| was common gilt Of God to man. The republI-
can party ha, accomplished its mission thus far,
in direct hostility to the democratic party. Not
| withstanding many thousands of gallant democrats
| fought and bravey laid down their lives Tor their
| country, that we have an undivided, free country
| to-day is due to the republican patty. lie chal-
lenged any to point to single good thing that
the democratic party had done for twenty-five
years.
Between these two parties, the party which
saved the L mon and the party which labcred to
destroy it, the party which attacked slavery and
the party which upheld it. the party which holds
| to the national idea and the party which holds to
state rights, the voters of Maine are called upon
to decide. The contest IN this state Is one OF ma
tonal significance. A vote for Gen. Common Is
| vote for the success of the republican party in
1876. vote for his opponent is vote for the
| >uccess of the democracy in that campaign. He
had the pleasure of meeting Gen Connor' and
admired his bravery and ability; bnt his triumph
will not be the triumph OF an !ndSd uai, but OF
principles.
He wished now to speak of the issues of the ma
tonal campaign Of 1876. The democrats clamor
for the obliteration OF the memories OF the war
This means that are to make no invidious dis
inctious between the Union soldier and the Con-
federate soldier. If one is pensioned, the other
must be. tell you there is not living issue, eX-
ccpt the currency, which does not grow out of the
war. The forgetting and forgivng is all on the
side Of the North. The South has forgotten moth
Ing. 1t gives no political nor social nor business
recognition TO the Southern republican or the
| Northern settler. The one is denoupced
scallawag, the other as earpet-bagger. A
Northern man may take to the South capital
and energy and business enterprise, but if
| he is a republican, he is ostracised. If he
be democrat, he must be of the most
violent, or he will be suspected. Service
in the Confederate army is tie test of
merit. Seventy -four Confederate officers take
their seats in the next House, and but twenty
two Union officers. The Southern democracy
has settled upon a line of policy. Dem
| ocrats of the North have none except want of
Office. The democrats Of Maine want hard mon
ey-n Ohio, soft money, and SO in other matters;
but in the South they have an earnest settled pol
icy, to which they will sacrifice everything. The
first is pensions to rebel soldiers. When they get
power do you think they will pay pensions to those
who crippled their own men and leave their own
| to suffering and d,tr IS /? Then their war claims
When they get power, will they pay northern
claims and not pay iur the + own properly destroy
ed Lastly, pay,nent ijr their Slavcs lnvento-
ries have been made ia every case and they are
| confident the time il ccme wien they Will re-
celve 1t. and the democrat party OF Name IS IN
| favor Of it,
| Place the democracy il rovos, an ticy viii at
once proceed to reconstruct the South on a white
basis. The democrats cry bloody shiIt," but the
stories OF violence in the South are true. The
damnlng evidence of crime there is piled noun
tain high They speak Of Grants interference,
! when it has saved thousands Ct lives. They do
| not propose to accept the negro, but to hedge him
about with vagrant laws and other checks which
shall make him helpless.
| lie spoke of the Alabama elections, where the
| violence of last year had reduced large republican
| votes to nulliiy. Also of Louisiana in 1865 when
the republicans carried the State by q 900 maj
| ity. Before the November election the bloody
deeds of the Ku-Kux had so frightened the ne
groes that the democrats carried the State by A.
900 majority. lie predicted that the democratic
party would not attempt to repeal the l4th and
18th Amendments, but trample them under foot.
The subject Of the finances was then discussed.
The government found that it must have money
and SO Issued greenbacks to the amount of
S400,O00,00O. The honor of the nation was
pleogcd to their payment; but fear seized
the people that by successive issues their value
might fall as fell the value of Continental and
Confederate currency To dispel that fear Con-
gress solemnly pledged itself that $500 900 600
should be the limit. The pledge is binding to-day.
Secretary McCulloch retired $44 900 900. At the
| time of the panic 500 600 900 were re-issued The