Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-04-19
WFSTFRy CORRESPONDENCE.
CHICAGO, ILL.,, April IA, l816


city charters are adopted. Among these are the
towns existing within the city limits, with their
officers, elections, taxes, frauds etc., carried on
within the city-a wheel within wheel-ot which
no one save Taxpayers and officers can possibly
conceive the need or use. The election OF these
town officers occurred on April 4th. In the oouth
Town the Moderator, after having the ballot ooH-
es kept in vault til Wednesday at p M, where
they were accessible to bummers, and were aclu
av depleted and filed to suit the tastes and as
piratiops of the thieves who had an eye to the
profits of political fidelity, brought them FORTH
and the votes of the several wards were poured
out in one pile, so that it impossible to tell
what frauds had been committed, or to what ex-
tent. But the proceeding which the guilty perpe-
traitors thought might be so easily palmed off up
on long-suffering people, has raised storm of
indignation such as has not shaken any city since
the beginning of our civil war. On Saturday
evening succeeding the election, grand mass
meeting was held at Farwell Hall 1t was ru-
mored that the gamblers who had stolen the cleo
ton had so perfected their organization that they
would take possession Of the place or make
deadly struggle so to do. But when the hour for
the meeting came a number of voters estimated
at ten thousand appeared about the place, and as
many of them entered as could possibly get in.
Among the many leading, law-abidng citizens
who appeared upon the platform were Judge
Otis, Rev. Arthur Mitchell, Prof. Swing, and
Thomas Hoyne, since nominated by much larger
meeting as a candidate for Mayor. A few concise,
expressive notices were displayed ECONOMY,
not city bankruptcy" "IIonest men to the front"
"War against the ballot box suffers, thieves, and
bummers.'' "Down with corruption, up with re-
form" "Only good men for Office "Away with
the primary system" "Besides these the Irib-
une POLITICALLY says, 1.-THE only decorations were
10, 900 eyes, eagerly watching the stage" The
meeting was addressed at length by Leonard
Sweet, Writ Dexter and Rev. Arthur Mitchell.
These gentlemen's remarks were very uncom-
promising, pungent and severe upon the swindle
and the swindlers. Mr.. SWEET spoke first, and
when he inquired. "What are you going to do
about it ;" the response was as the voice Of many
waters, chang them hang them!'
And not only in response to that question, but
whenever occasion offered the same demand pealed
forth in earnest and excited tones, till in reply,
Mr.. SWEET said: "But before we do anything, let
us reflect" in response to which an old man, with
pale face and long, white hair exclaimed in
husky voice, chang them first, and reflect after
wards
| The tone of the remarks may be inferred from
the alusion made to them by Prof Swing in de-
cning at late hour to address the meeting. lie
said
at is said that after the great Greek orator,
Demosthenes, had travelled over a subject, no
other speaker would dare discuss the theme the
same day or the same year. After three of these
Demosthenes men, SWEET, Dexter, and Mitchell,
have travelled over the ground, shall not attempt
for the fourth time to your feelings. can
only indorse every word that has been said by
those three orators. indorse the musket of
SWEET, the Cancellation OF Dexter, and the gospel
of Mitchell"
| like tone and temper in other South Town wards
the same evening; and these were but prelimina-
ny to another and much larger meeting held on
Tuesday evening, April l1th, to see what is to be
those who know to have been the largest indoor
assembly ever gathered in the city, was held in
Exposition Hall, and attended by from ZOO to
40, 900 people during the evening. A large num-
Der of the prominent professional and business
men of the city were on the platform, and the
great building was every moment crowded in
every part.
Long John Wentworth was chosen chairman
and made q stirring speech, after which several
other men gave earnest counsel as to what ought
to be done about it. The meeting was ground
swell that will be felt beyond the limits of this
city, and was appropriately followed by tremen-
dous thunder shower, which purified the air made
the buds swell rapidly, and the grass look beaut-
fully green. Not only was string OF resolution
signifying business, passed. but to give practical
turn to the deliberations of these 10000 40 900
voters, a committee of twenty-five South Town
citizens appointed to demand the resignation
of the villains who have been fraudulenlly de-
clared elected to office in that part Of the city, and
to report at future meeting. If they do not re-
sign-well, the air is thick with rumors as to
measures to be taken to compel them to vacate
but the method Of proceeding is left for the de-
termination of q future meeting. One thing Is
pretty certain the storm Will not subside and leave
these gentlemen in peaceable possession of the
spoils of office to which they have aspred nor
will it be possible for another such or similar fraud
to be repeated here for some time to come.
committee of hundred and fifty men was APP
pointed to go to the common council and demand
In the name of the people Of Chicago that such
men shall be appointed judges of election at the
next election shall secure an honest ballot.
Thirty thousand voted yes but when Long John
called on the opposition to stand out and be
counted, there was nary rogue with whom to
begin the count.
What is to be the result of this nice business is
more easily talked of than ascertained. The hon
est citizens expect the bummers to resign the OIL
ces they have fradulenty captured, but one of
these precious rascals already intimates that he
does not understand this as the way of duty They
do not believe that the respectable citizens Will
long remain at the chang them point of patriotic
virtue, if indeed they may be imagined in reality
to have reached that point at all Hence "what
are we going to do about it :" is the real conum-
drum Of the situation.
Among recent publications, the "Songs of Three
Centuries, " edited by the poet Whittier and pub
ished by James II. Osgood & Co., Boston, is a
well filed treasure house one need desire to
find. Five hundred poems, from more than three
hundred different au,hors-and such as Mr. Whit
tier thinks the best of the productions of three
hundred years The compiler need hardly have
said to those who know him that he had ''scrupu-
lousy endeavored TO avoid in his selections every
thing which seemed liable TO the charge of irrev-
erence questionable morality" or that his
"great effort has been to make a thoroughly read
able book" All his acquaintance could trust
him to make the effort, and also for its success on
both these points. success indeed it is, and the
debt the public owed to Mr. Whittier for the mel
odies of his muse, is largely increased by
the service he has rendered in placing these poetic
gems within the reach of multtudes who other
wise had never seen them or known that many OF
them existed. The book is printed on tinted pa
per, and beautifully bound and Il we can judge
correctly of the number OF people in the United
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