The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-05-11

1
were not present and did not take part in the
procession as was expected; but they will be in
attendance at the meetings to-day.
An hour before the time for the procession to
start there was quite a crowd in and about he
rooms of the club in Printers Exchange on Ex-
change street. At 2 o'clock the procession
formed in the following order.
G. B. Howard Chief Marshal
S. f. Pearson, Assistant Marshall
Chambers Band-22 pieces
Portland Reform Club-45 men.
First Carriage-Messrs. Bryant and Rideout of the
Lewiston Club, and their wives
Club; President Cobb, Gorham Club,
G. E. Kimball Esq, Simon Elder.
| Third Carriage-Captain Charles Choate, President
Potter, Gardiner Club, G. D. W. Shaw.
Sebago Lake.
The Club carried two new banners bearing
| the following inscription:
portland Temperance Reform Club.
| We Dare to do Right
"P. T. Reform Club.
We bend the knee
| But not the elbow"
| The procession proceeded down Exchange
street to Middle, up Middle to Free, up Free to
High, down High to Spring. up Spring to State,
through State to Congress, down Congress to
City Hall, when grand mass meeting was
held. The hall was not nearly filled bat those
present appeared very earnest. Chambers band
was stationed in the rear gallery and dispensed
unusually fine music during the meeting.
| President Pearson of the Portland Reform
Club called the meeting to order and invited
the Presidents. part Presidents and Vice Presi-
dents of the clubs represented to take seats on
the stage. The clubs at Bath, Auburn, Bow
doinham, Buckfeld, Casco, Gray, Freeport,
Damariscotta, Biddeford, Augusta, Lewiston,
Belfast, Gorham, Saccarappa, Scarboro and
Windham were represented by delegates.
The meeting opened with the singing of
sNearer nay God to Thee by the congregation.
Chaplain Perry of the Portland Club then read
the scriptures and offered prayer. The chair
man then appointed the following committee of
five to prepare list of speakers for the even
| ing meeting: Messrs FL. W. Bryant of Lewis
| ton, Chadbourn of Saco, Eastman of Lewiston,
Hinckleyof Auburn and Lefavor of Port
| land. President Pearson of the Portland Club
then welcomed the visiting clubs in few we'll
| chosen remarks He spoke of the origin of the
meeting being in Belfast two months ago at the
time of the State meeting of the clubs. The
object of the rally he stated was to try and
| wake up our citizens on the subject of temper
| ance, to convert drupkards, and we propose
| to work diligently to accomplish the result
We welcome you in the hope you will aid us and
| we trust that you have come prepared, wear
| ing your whole armor When we met at Bel
| fast we had labored hard but only numbered
| 113 members. Since that our membership has
nearly doubled and now we have oil members
| in the Portland club. He said that last year
there we're 476 less arrests than the year before
and he had been told that the Reform club and
Father Bradley's total abstinence society were
the direct of the falling off in the arrests.
| He closed the address with an invitation for all
| to attend the meetings. After music by the
band Mr.. Langley of Bangor was called to
| speak. A fine appearing gentleman stepped to
the edge of the platform and stated he had
| used Intoxicating liquors for thirty years but
two years ago through the labors of the Ladies
Crusade of Bangor he signed the Iron Clad
pledge and had been enabled to keep it ever
| since. He spoke in the highest terms of the
| labors of the ladies in Bangor. They found
| him miserable drinking man but by their
| prayers he had been saved from drunkard's
| grave
| AS the next speaker was introduced, every
| eye was turned toward the platform and all
| was quiet. A neatly dressed, well appearing
| man stepped forward and at once began the
recital of his past life. He had been a drink
| ing man for many years and very wicked man,
but seven months ago he signed the pledge and
has kept it ever SINCE He had found more
pleasure in being saved man that length o.
time than in being drunkard for twenty
years. He spoke strongly Of moral suasion
aud said it all that saved him. He
4 oJxa -, ~oI~I
| not one who heard him doubted but what he
meant what he said. He closed with few
| personal remarks. He said that he did not
| know any man better than he knew Nelson
Leighton,-tha notorious Nelse Leighton as it
has appeared in the papers so many times, but
he added, by the help of God it shall pever so
appear again.
Mr.. Chadbourne of Saco, was the next
| speaker, and very interesting one too. He
apparently had several little matters en- his
mind which troubled and so he made clean
breast and told few plain facts about the
l wicked city of Portland. He said he had been
| drinking man for several years, but since he
| signed the pledge he had kept it to the letter.
| He spoke of the great work done in York coun-
l ty. Two yeats ago there were SO open bars be-
sides the apothecary stores in the county, now
l there is not one. Moral suasion has done a
| large part of this work, and where that failed
| we took the law. The women of York county
| have been at work and have accomplished a
| splendid result. We in Biddeford do not think
that you in Portland are doing your duty. If
| you were our young men would not come here
and get intoxicated at your open bars. 1t seems
as though Portland has society for dragging
down men whom are trying to reform All this
is that few men can make money. The
speaker closed with a warm appeal for the
temperance cause
President Pearson refute1 the charge of Mr..
Chadbourne that Portland was such a wicked
place. He admitted that all was not as it
should be, but the Portland Reform Club is to
clear this all up if they are supported by our
| citizens.
Mr.. Eastman, President of the Lewiston
Club, was next called. He stated that he was
not public speaker but vas glad to be present
He was sorry the hall was not filled, and if the
meeting was held in Lewiston he was sure the
hall would be packed.
I'll. NJ. Bryant of Lewiston was the next
| speaker. He spoke of the procession and
| thought it was great honor to the club. He
said hat all recognized Portland as the rum
| shop of the whole state. He was in favor of
every system of closing up the rum shops
What we need here is the sympathy and sup
port of the public. He next referred to the
work of the pastors of churches. He thought
that every pastor should not miss an Oppor
tunity to speak of the temperance cause. He
| thought tnere was not a clergyman present.
[Thls was not correct, as the reporter could see
two clergymen from where he was seated He
wished the wine sellers on Bramhall Hill could
be cleaned out He next spoke of the breaking
up of the whisky RUG He hoped that the gov
eminent could never get cent from the manu-
facturers of liquors. He did not believe in car
rying the temperance question into politics, but
he was willing to vote for temperance every
time. He was applauded very often while
speaking.
Mr. Taylor of the Bowdoihham club, was the
next speaker. This club has not been organ
zed but-a short time, but is now in very
ifoulishing condition. There are 315 members