The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-09-05
Speeches by Gen. King Of Maryland
and Prof. Langston Of Washington.
Excellent Spirit Manifested by the
Audience.


duced Gen. Adam E. King of Maryland.
Gen. King was greeted with applause. He
took no time for an introduction, but at once
began one of the finest platform speeches of
the campaign and with the first sentence en-
gagged and until the last held the attention of
his audience, speaking an hour and quarter.
He said that he had the honor to come from a
state from beyond the Susquehanna to address
his fellow citizens of Maine, who were his fell
| low citizens because of the Republican party.
Mr.. Tilden had declared for an aggressive cana
| paign and it began to look as if his desire
| would be gratifed. He did not desire to assail
any member of the Democratic party nor did he
claim perfection for his own party. 1t had it's
| own faults-what human association has not?
| But this he knew that the Republican party
| was the only party true to Union, to country to
| freedom.
| Two years since the country saw fit to to en-.
trust the popular branch of Congress to sthe
hands of the Democratic party. That Congress
has just adjourned. Its record is matter of
| history. The tabernacle has been made a den
of detectives. There isn't hummer, mean
man in any walk of life, a dsgraced ex-em-
| ploye of the government but who has been en-
| Outraged to come up and defame and SANDER
men who are in responsible positions. What
| has this Congress discovered? Nothing but the
vague charges of the basest of men. What
had it done for civil service reform? Old and
| experienced officers were dismissed; MANNED
Union soldiers were turned out to give room
| to confederates. No man suspected of loyalty
was allowed to remain. Had these places been
filled with Union Democratic soldiers, there
could have been no complaint. The Democrat
ic House showed that the old Bourbon element
controlled the organization. The old slave lord
came with his old arrogant air and at his feet
crouched the base and grovellng doughface of
the North to do his bidding and defend his
acts Point to one benef1cent act of legislation
by that Congress if you can-to one act remov-
ing burden in the way of taxation. They
have crippled the government by refusing ap.
preparations. They have set on foot a system
of legislation which will beggar this nation.
"Gov" Bard in his speech Saturday evening
said that the South had no claims to press up
on Congress. He is wrong. There are such
things as facts, and the records of Congress
show that the South has claims and has press
ed them. Every county in the South has them
ranging from hen-coop to meeting house.
from mule to railroad. The best authority
puts these claims at 5000, 100000. It is not
fact that the Constitution prohibits the pay
ment of these claims. 1t is debts incurred in
aid of the rebellion the payment of which is
prohibited by the Constitution. Gen. King
read from the Congressional Record an extract
from the speech of Mr.. Cooke of Georgia to the
effect that the Government had money in trust
which belonged to the South, and that the pc
titions of such claimants filled the desks of
committees He demanded the repayment of
the cotton tax imposed upon the South when
it had no voice in Congress-! He also read the
bill introduced by Mr.. Wiltshire of Arkansas
providing for the payment of claims for stores
taken by the u S. army, and that of Mr.. Rid
die OF Tennessee for the use and occupation of
lands, buildings. &C.. by United States troops,
He called attention to the fact that these
claims were not to be adjusted by the Court of
Claims, but upon single testimony in the o. S.
District Courts. There was no requirement
that the claimant should prove his loyalty.
The word "loyap' was left out. As it now
stands the claimant must prove his loyalty to
the Government during the rebellion. Suppose
the Democratic party has a majority in Con-
gress and a President and an influential South
ern member should introduce a bill in two
lines striking out the word 'loyaf" in the pres
ent act. Would that Congress and that Presi-
dent dare not to pass and approve it?
1t is true that the 18th amendment bars all
claims for emancipated slaves. Nevertheless,
those who have lost them have vague idea
that it is well to assert that claim. In his own
state of Maryland, the Republicans at the close
of the war adopted constitution which en-
bodied this prohibition. When the Democratic
party came into power, convention was called
| to revise the constitution of the state, and in
that constitution there is a declaration that
slavery having been abolished by the Federal
Government, the state of Maryland is entitled
to and makes the claim for the payment of
the value of such slaves as were emancipated.
Missouri makes the same claim. In Republic
can days in that state, the general Government
paid the war claims of Missouri and that fund
was made school fund. AS soon as the Dem
ocratic party came into power, it seized upon
that fund and used it for other purposes.
The Democratic party declare devotion to the
| Union. Why is it, then, that whenever the
Democratic party gets into power it selects men
for office who hold views against the Union,
the war for the preservation of the Union, or
who served in the rebel army? Why do they
| select copperheads for candidates for Governor
in New Hampshire and Maine? Why do they
send Bill Eaton to the q. s. Senate from Con-
necticut who, as soon as he gets there, unpacks
bis ancient baggage and takes out his old state
rights horn and toots it perpetualy? Why is
it that Cockrell is selected fol U. S. Senator
in Missouri? For the simple reason that he
was rebel general. The power behind that
moves the party must delight in honoring such
men. The loyal people are weary of these men
| who come back to insult the country with their
| state rights heresies, and he had no patience
with man who is not thrilled at the thought
that he is an American citizen. He was proud
of being citizen of Maryland, but he gloried
| above all that he was citizen of the United
States.
The Democratic party charge that the hard
times are due to the Republican party. 1t is
FALSE If the wolf is at the door of our citi-
| zens it is Democratic wolf. The hard
| times are due to the Democratic rebellion and
to the distrust which the hereses of Democrat
L
honesty. We have got to get back to hard PAN
The war has made US extravagant We have
imported too many luxuries. As the result of
war we have lived too fast. We have got to
suffer and to labor to the end. Already from
the great centres of trade there comes reports
of better things. The bond and the greenback
are the price of national existence and of ma
tional liberty. We must honor and redeem
them. The Democratic party is the last that
should cry out about taxation. OF the re-
sources of the general government last year
$176,OOO.0O0 went to pay the cost of Demo.
| cratic rebellion.
Another danger which lies in Democratic as
tendency is 10 the South. He would not get
on his knees ("Gov." Bard did) to tell the men
of the South that he has only good will for
them. His associations were with Southern
men. Many of his warmest friends are there:
but friend or foe, they must obey the laws. He
had seen the bloody shirt. He was presen at
| the Ku-Klux trials in South Carolina He had
l ~ tba Mid If