The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-08-15
THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION
Joseph HI. Williams Nominated for Gov.
ernor-Tbe Ohio Resolution ReaGirmed
No Rum in Their,n.

| Oity dall discussing in vigorous language ant
with much supe1fuous gesture local option
the policy, fraud, and John G. Talbot. TIL,
men were all, apparently, in dead earnest, ant
seemed to think that their action would be O.
some consequence to the State and Nation
They were delegates to the Democratic Statt
Convention. lowering on the edge of these
disputatious groups, and dropping word o
| caution or advice now and then, were the fea
leaders of the party, the heroes OF hundred
| defeats, the Pillsburys and Madigans ant
| Andersons and Bradburys, the men whose
| names have appeared at the heads of Demo
cratic calls through twenty years of the bu
half-completed Democratic wandering in thu
| Wilderness. They are those who hope to be
come Senators, Governors and congressman In
| the bad time to which they confidently looI
| forward.
The more the delegates talked the more they
differed. They were, however, of one
| mind upon one thing, the necessity that
| John G. Talbot should withdraw his name as
| candidate before the convention. There was
one man however, who could not be brought to
| see this necessity, and that man was John c.
| Talbot. All the morning delegations sent from
| counties, and delegations self appointed, = allied
| upon Mr.. Talbot and entreated him to with
draw. He stubbornly declined. They piled
him with entreaties, and it was of no use; they
endeavored to ''intimidate" him, but he
wouldn't scare worth cent; they represented
to him that his obstinacy would ruin the party
and he told them that the only hope of victory
lay with him. Then they grew louder in tone
and more vigorous than polite in language and
told him that his nightmare must
be removed from their breasts. He
tumbled to the allusien at once and
answered that the war-worn steed would
yet carry him up the steps of the capitol at
Augusta They ssid.-these men who mistake
the flush that reddens the Western sky for the
sunburst-that the party was on the road tt
triumph, and that he was the only obstacle in
the way; that the Republican party was rent in
twain, and that one-half would follow any
Democratic standard-bearer except the aged
ensign from Machias. He laughed them to
corn. One member of one of the innumera.
BILE delegations, who had read the Arabian
Nights in his youth, accused Mr. Talbot of
being an old man of the sea. Mr.. Talbot
fiercely replied that Aroosto ok was not the
Sinbad that could shake him off. Then the
many committees withdrew in despair. The
convention conceded that the man from Ma
chias was entitled, according to all precedent,
to denomination if he desired it. 1t could i'll
endure the thought of departing from the old
traditions and striking out new path But
it swore in its many-voiced wrath, that it would
ot oipo to
In this mood it proceeded to business.
While the leaders were trudging to and fro
between Talbot's room and the City Hall, much
noise of contention made itself heard in the
corridors of the hall where the coDven ton was
to meet. The subjects of discussion were IL
cense law and 'the policy" There was small
minority, chiefly from Bangor and Portland,
which insisted upon license plank in the plat
form. But the general sense of the convention
was against touching the liquor question, the
majority reasoning that it would be better to
take the matter altogether out of party politics,
and accept prohibition as the settled policy of
the state To this view the convention, after
debate, readily came, and by its action affirmed
that the Democracy make no issue on that
point.
The other object of contention was the
Southern policy of President Hayes, and upon
this there was serious difference of opinion.
Some chung to the fraud policy others be-
lieved in eulogizing the President without re
servation; still others, remembering former ex
periences, refused to endorse ANY Republican,
whatever good or bad he might have done,
The sense of the majority, however, was voiced
in the advice of Somerset delegate, who said
he thought the convention ought to condemn
the fraud and applaud the frauder.'' After
long discussion the delegates came to t be con-
cluson that the vapid Ohio resolution met their
views. In this discussion the hours wore on
until nearly noon.
A few minutes before loon E. T. Pilsbury.
Esq, made his appearance upon the platform,
and long line of ghosts began to file into the
hall. The shades of politicians who have been
dead for twenty years made semblance of fill
ing the benches. One could not help recalling
the German fancy that the old soldiers of Ma
poleon meet every year on Mount st. Jean and
play over again tie melancholy drama of Wa.
terloo. The ghosts of men who more than
score of years ago ruled the state, and who died
in 1856, materialized and controlled the conven
ton. The naturalization was complete too,
for the voice of David Dunn, who was presi.
dent Of the Maine Senate forty years ago, rang
out as clear and trumpet-like as in the old Jack.
sonian days. But for the most part the old
men ehirped Ike grasshoppers, -grasshoppe
which the first frosts of September kill.
To make the convention appear real few
liUinU ip4r -
gave it reality enough, causing the dry bones to
rattle like an anatomical collection in the hands
of ayoupg medical student. In furtherance of
this plan of deceiyipg people, the chairman of
the State Committee, Mr.. Pillsbury, nominated
w. l.. Putnam, Esq, of Portland, for Presi-
dent, and John B. Redman of Ellsworth and
E. Q. Moody of York, for Secretaries. On tax.
ing the chair Mr.. Putnam entertained the con-
vention with disquisition Cd political econo-
my, saying:
Gentlemen Of the Conuention,- Il thank you for
the honor, and will endeavor to do nv dutv
as best may. We have assembled to-day for
the purpose OF seeing what we can fairly do to-
wards bringing Maine into line with tine Demo
cratic country of the United States. We find
sne country Democratic. unless we may
say some distant portions of it like Maine. left
70 WORK Its way into true and just position.
In looking over the matter we find, as we have
many times before, much to encourage US. We
ind the Republicans of our state in such con-
ditlon that they are not able to see what is es.
sentlal and what is nonessential But, gentle.
men, while we find much to encourage, and
while we may know and understand that the
people of the State of Maine do as a mass. have
their minds open to listen and receive as they
never have before, we mus also know that the
party, be it the Republican or the Democratic
party, which meets in the fairest and most
manly manner the needs of the day. will tri-
umpb. And L believe, gentlemen, If the Dem
ocrstlc party IS simply true to its great princi.
pies, and places those principles simply before
the people, and adheres to its old traditions
that the people will say that these pripcinias
are the principles which are required to solve
the difficulties and troubles Oar troubles to-
day, are principally of financial character II
is useless to say that any party or government
can entirely relieve the financial troubles of the
people The most they can do is to aid The most
and The best they can do in a Republican form of
government is to relieve, draw away the hand of
the government and leave the people relying up.
on themselves to work out their own finances.
we cannot, gentlemen, no party can give to the
country immediate relief. Neither can
we say that there is any policy or administra-
ton winch Will prevent the country from fall
ing into financial trouble. 1t is not simnlv the
fact that we to day have financial troubles that
is peculiar. We have had them before, They
have come upon us in the midst of prosperity
apparently, like the thunder storm from the
heavens. There is nothing in that fact that 10