The Portland daily press., 1878-07-10
THE GREENBACKERs.
Gossip in the First District-The Demo o.
cratic Alliance.

The rumor Of "sell OUT of the Greenback
party Of the First Congressional District to the
Democrats having assumed an authoritative
form in the declaration made through the Bos.
ton Globe, by member of the Greenback State
Committee, that General S. J. Anderson is to
be nominated by the Greenback party for Con-
gress without any pledge on his part, SO as to
leave the way open for the "hard money DEM
ocrats to vote for him, the PRESS interviewed
one of the leading Greenbackers of this Con-
gressional District with the following results:
At the request of the gentleman interviewed
we suppress his name, he having no desire "to
be needlessly prominent I'm til the time comes
to act.''
Qaestion-Whar do you think of the move
ment to nominate General Anderson on the
very liberal platform indicated in the Globe
letter?
Answer-Thi5 50 called Anderson movement
is very old one. 1t dates back almost to the
commencement of the Greenback movement
in this district. The Democrats have been
helping on the thing from the start, meaning
to run it in the end. The Democratic party is
sort of political devil fish, such as Victor
Hugo described. 1t has arms in all directions
aud will absorb and take to itself any organi-
cation, any movement, any party, that it can
reach. This is history. There is no disputing
it. Look at the Free Soil movement which
nominated Van Buren, and Adams Why, al
most the W hole of that movement was captured
by the Democracy, either then, or since Van
Buren,. Tllden, Adams, Julian and the rest,
went in the end to the Democracy. No man
was ever more hated by the Democrats than
Horace Greeley and yet the party made him
its candidate for the Presidency. Look at the
late reform movement and its end, in the bos-
ON of the Democracy. That party is a party
of barter. 1t is like the proverbial Yankee,
always ready to swap" and it is doing it
am not blind. 1 understand this Anderson
matter. 1t is "a scratch my back and I'll
scratch yours" affair all through. Anderson,
Democrat, is to be supported for Congress and
and Cushman, Gr5enbacker, for sheriff. So it
goes, and the end is not yet. The prospect be-
fore the new party is not encouraging, but there
is comfort in one thing, if sold out to An
deTson and this political devil fish of Democ-
racy we are not yet delivered, and We won't be.
1t looks as though the Greenback party had
been got by our leaders Into the fix that the
negro preacher down South told his hearers
they were. Said he: "There is two ways out
of this world, one leads to hell and the other to
everlasting destruction. Now pick your path"
1t looks as though we were to be ted by our
leaders, "Here is two roads; one. leads to the
communism Of the Fifth District, the other to
the Democracy of the First; now pick your
path" And there don't appear to me to be
much choice. 1t is ruin to us as a party any
way.
Qdestior-If General Anderson is nominated
what will the Greenback Republicans do?
Answer-Vote for E. 81. Cove of Biddeford
Some who are personal friends of Mr.. Reed
may vote for him, but the most will go fol
Cove. Not single vote will be given to
Anderson. If Cove should decline to run,
then some other Greenback Republican will be
| voted for. Cove ought to be the candidate
| He is the ablest man 10 our ranks, and as
man, the most popular. The defeat of Cove in
the Congressional convention is the defeat
| of Greenbacksm in this District, and it is my
| conviction that Cove is doomed to defeat, un-
| less his friends put in the tallest kind of work
| and that they won't do, and don't know how to
do. This is pleasant to have to fix platform
to suit the "haId money Democrats" and te
nominate an unpledged candidate, SO thai
"hard money Democrats" can vote for him.
This is the interesting pass. to which brought
US. Fancy E. Fl. Cove asking the convention
to nominate him unpledged to us to secure
the votes of the hard money Republicans. NJ
sir, if it comes to Reed or Anderson, 1 say
for one, give me Reed.
Question-How about Clifford, would he d.
any better?
Answer-No, if anything he is worse. HI
comes the nearest to no candidate at ALL o
any man who has been spoken of in connec
ton with the nomination. L read novel once
in which one of the characters, was constant.
called Mrs. Somebody's son, and all that can b.