Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-10-29
Hon. VIM. r. HamiIfon'. speech.

As firm as rock, and as true as steel,
are terms which express our estimate OF
the Hon. VIM. T. Hamilton's political
character. His speech at Frederick, here
tofore referred to in these columns, was a
manly defense of the Democratic party and
of its standard bearers-Carrol!, Gwinn,
and Woolford. He has since made an
other very able speech in Carroll county,
a part of which We extract, regretting that
for want of space We cannot give the whole
of it. In this extract, Mr. Hamilton tells
us the true mode of reforming politics and
what honest Democrats can and will do
within the party. He plainly shows how
useless and vain it is to expect reform
from the combination, called the party of
Reform within our State. But we have no
room for further remark, and must be
content to refer the reader to the following
extract from the speech:
THE QUESTION IN MARYLAND.
In Maryland the controversy was considered
by some to be more as to individuals, and it
was thought that whoever was elected would
be Democrat. That might be true and might
not be. The question was whether the evils
alleged were sufficient TO justify a Democrat in
leaving the organization. The speaker had
voted in 1872 for Horace Greeley against his
will and better Judgment, and he would eau
ton his hearers against repetition of such ac-
ton. Would they abandon this great organi-
cation just upon the eve of grand battle?-
There were vagabonds and dishonest men in
every party, no one denied that. Troubles of
this kind were indispensable to parties. The
great duty of a Democrat was to hunt, not on
ly the
RASCALS OF THE RADICAL PARTY
but those of his own party, and to punish the
latter more harshly than the former. Having
so much light they should have known better.
There were only two things the party could
fear-corruption and the military power. The
speaker feared the former only.
NOTHING NEW.
There was really no new party; no new
ideas; no grievances founded on questions OF
finance, administration or political morality.
All these the Democratic party understood
and would solve, and when they solved 1t the
people would have the same kind of rule they
had in the palmiest days before the war. 1t
was said by some gentlemen on the other side
that Democrat should leave his organization
and vote for other gentlemen no less distin-
guished. They said that upon principles they
could not differ. They alleged that
THE BALTIMORE CONVENTION
did not represent the people in its action. The
speaker maintained that the Convention, by
the vote of sixty to fifty, had undoubtedly
nominated the Hon. John Lee Carroll. APP
plause.l If that was the sentiment of the Con-
vention, that was the end of it. If it be said
that the Convention did not represent the peo-
pie or the party, then there would be some
ground of quarrel with the party. But the
party had remained three months under that
nomination, qniescent for that period, and
there has been no movement made to
CALL ANOTHER CONVENTION,
that is, a recognized Convention called by the
authority of the regularly organized State an-
thorities. The speaker and all Democrats
were obliged to say, if they believed that the
Convention did not include and represent the
sentiment of the party, swell the candidate is
before us and the party is rallying to his sup