The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-09-04

| good meeting.
The Dem Ocratic Rally.
The Democrats held meeting at City Hall
Saturday highland to-day ''they wish thew
hadn't The meeting was large one, the
procession was success,-but Bard was there
Bard the original third-termer, the man who
halls from three states and one territory, the
Governor" who never signed legislative &C,
and never saw his capitol the postmaster who
couldn't be trusted with the key of his own
| safe. The manner ia which he "sloshed
around on the platform quite justified Mr..
JEWELS picturesque description. Some time
before the meeting he escaped from his keep
ers, and when he began his rambling speech
| they began their regrets at their carelessness.
| He claimed that it was the inspiration of a
| great meeting that made him talk so. They
| feared that the inspiration was put up in a
much smaller package.
The hall was filled by all audience DESTROYS
to hear Bard talk of honesty and reform. The
comcality of the situation tickled the people.
Bard was introduced by Judge Howard and be-
| gan his speech about eight o'clock, addressing
himself part of the time to the people in front
| of him, part of the time talking in stage
whisper aside to the people on the platform.
Argument there was none. He began with an
onslaught on ga spirit abroad called bigotry,''
which he described in his vivid rhetoric as "a
toothlesS, bald-headed villain" He then ex-
pressed the opinion that the mission.of the Re
publican party is ended. This conviction came
to him when the post-ofice was taken away
he TOW 20
those gorgeous ere atures, the Tilden Zouaves,
| the men who wear citizens clothes in time of
war and military uniforms in time of peace,
filed in and took their seats. (They were COM
manded by man who was soldier and did
good service.) Then Bard resumed his extraor-
binary plea for a post-offce, and INDUCED in
performances which brought blush even to
| the brazen cheek of Democracy. He asserted
that ''there is communion of ssympathy be-
tween the whites and blacks of the South
which is perfectly marvellous" (For illustra-
ton see the Hamburg and score of other mas
| sacres.) For himself, whenever he "met a
Union soldier who lost an arm he always want
ed to shake the stump and shed tears" He
declared that 'the climate and everything in
nature has decided that the black and white are
one" This broad statement of amalgamation
theories rather startled our Celtic friends, who
have been laboring under the impression much
to the disgust of the negrOes) that the Republi-
can party wanted them all to "marry naygurs; p
but nevertheless they cheered. and the old abo-
litionists on the platform, Edward Payson,
Ezra Carter and others, were quite vociferous
| in applause. Bard then said that the South
longs for free schools (see Texas) and wants
the Democratic party to take up the work
where he left it, lin 1860. Even South Caro-
lima says we stand by the flag of the Democrat
| ic party" (the stars and bars). Some startling
gymnastics followed. Bard dropped on one
knee, and solemnly regretted the assassination
of Abraham Lincoln, while the stern old patri-
OTIS on the platform wept bitterly at the remem-
brance. Getting to his feet again he forgot on
which side the question he was speaking and
theoretically shouted "My God, the Democrats
are hungry enough to get into Office" follow
ing it up with the statement that the South is
much more prosperous since the war than be-
fore. Thanks to Republican rule)
This remarkable performance lasted: IAN hour
and half, much to the disgust of the thinking
Democrats. A deep gloom settled over the fine
face of the chairman, and the men on the plat
form grew sicker every moment. But the
Enjoys on the floor shrieked and whsted and
were vastly entertained.
Finally Bard was induced to subside, and P.
A. Collins was called to his feet Mr.. Collins
made good speech. though he disgraced him.
self by excusing the Hamburg massacre, liken-
ing it to murders in New Hampshire and else
where. The feeblest part of his effort was his
arraignment of the Republicans for not passing
measures to carry the resumption act into prac.
teal effect. He forgets the funding bill passed
by the Republican Senate and rejected by the
Democratic House. Under the resumption act
he said the currency has been inflated twenty
six millions. He forgets that the Democracy
do not call for the repeal Of the clause which
permits that imitation; they only ask the repeal
of the clause which sets day for resumption.
Mr.. Collins was followed by "Colonel Daw.
son OF New York, formerly Of Georgia. one of
the ex-Confederates who are travelling in the
North teaching our people their political duty.
The audience was pretty thin by this time, so
Col. Dawson entertained The few in the hall by
| telling them at great length that he should not
make speech.
The meeting closed at halfpast ten. 1t is
safe to assume that the Democrats don't banker
after another of the same kind.
The following from very recent issue of the
| Mobile Register shows how much reliance is to
| be placed on Bard's assurances of the accept
ance of the situation by the South:
1.-THE grave question to be settled at much
| cost is: What is to be done to get rid of the
/ negro as voter? Sooner or later, with more
| or less dispatch, he will be disfranchlsed and
thrust out of politics. White men of all parties
and of every grade of religious or moral convic'
| ton may as we'll come quickly to the consider.
alton how to get the negro out of politics with
| the least confusion and cost. He must 60 and
there is no profit in standing long upon the or
der of his going. The question of suffrage
belongs to the states respectively. When the
organized Democracy of 1876 goes into Office
each state shall be allowed to settle this and
other social and domestic issues for itself and
| in its own way, without any interference from
| the General Government. Then we can begin
| the work of resetting our shattered political
| aud our demoralized social institutions upon
correct foundations +"