The Portland daily press., 1878-08-22
BIDDEFORD.
A Magnificent Republican Rally.
Speech of Senator Blaine on the
Financial Question.
SDecial 70 the Press

Inc dlstingulShod Senator was 5000 mahifeSt0d |
by the gathering of the people in the streets
near the residence of Judge Luques, to which
he had been driven on his arrival, and by the
imm ense gathering around City Hall, waiting
for the doors to be opened The Greenbackers
had been loud in their declarations that Mr..
Blaine would not speak to such crowd as
that which greeted Butler, but City Hall was
never SO crowded as it was tonight and Sem
ator Blaine has evidently lost nothing of his
old popularity. The distinguished Senator
kept his audience waiting for few moments
beyond the advertised hour, which caused some
impotence to be manifested, but the appear
ance of the Senator was greeted with storm
of applause.
Mr.. Ford called the meeting to order ard
nominated as the President of the evening r.
NJ. Chapman, Esq, who on coming forward
spoke as follows:
Speech Of Mr.. Chapman.
Felloau Citizens,-I had supposed that never
again should L appear before meeting like
this, held prior to an election. had thought
it better that the young men who are to help
govern this country shOuld 90 that, but at this
moment when such wild ideas in regard to Fl.
nance are being peddled out in school district
meetings by candidate for Congress, and by
OtL6rS, at CulS Jlmo, Wu0u SuCu VIII auu GULL
muuistic ideas are being scattered, and it may
be, in some cases believed, it has seemed to me
that at the time when such ideas are expressed
it was fit that should come forward and ask for
the right to speak few words of warning and
of entreaty; of warning that knowing the dam
ger of the nour you would shut your ears to
such appeals, and of entreaty that you will
vote such wild ideas down.
One Kearney and his brother Greenbacker,
Ben Butler talk of shooting down, but ask
mo n of Rd1 I asl Z m
caos, I ask you as lovers of your country,
ask, beg, implore you TO vote down this wild
delusion, and to help to save, to uphold, to pre-
serve the honor, the faith sacredly plighted,
the good name and the credit of the United
States of America. (Applause.) II is not for
me on this occasion to go into anything like an
argument on the currency question, as the Sem
atOr of the United States who'is to address you
will leave nothing unsaid that need be said on
that point. L need to say nothing in defence
of the noble man, the brave soldier, the tried
statesman who IS our candidate for reelection
to an Office which he honors today-that of
Governor of the State OF Maine. (Appause)
He needs no defence. he was true man in
the army, and he will be elected again. Yes,
and once more after that if he wants to be,
cloud applause) for if Wa are but true to our
selves, if we are but true to the patty, if We
are but true to the deathless principles of the
Republican party, all we shall have to do is to
nominate our candidate and vote for him.
Maine will not cease to keep step to the m usic
of the Union. Not yet will the Pine Tree
State cease to hold an honored place in the list
Of Republican States. l call upon you young
men, call upon you old men, to vote in Sop
TENDER to keep it there. (Applause)
But the local questions at issue and to be de-
cided in September are of little moment. The
importance of the election is the hold it has on
matters of national Importance. For the in
formation of the distinguished speaker tonight
will say word in regard to one of the candi-
dates for Congress. Two Of them he knows
all about, but of Mr.. 81 Cove, our fellow
townsman, he can know little. will say to
Mr.. Blaine that we have nothing whatever to
say against Mr.. Cove. We all know him to be
an honest, pure, true and sincere man. We
all rejoced when he went into the flower BUSH
ness. He seemed to be at home among the
floral beauties which were to adorn our homes.
But one day to the grief of all his brethren of
the church, he went over to the Greenback
craze-Greenback craze say, for it is nothing
else. He had read just enough of history to
make him familiar with the brilliant dreams of
those who started the theory of paper money,
resting on nothing, redeemed never. worth
nothing. He read too much, and then closing
the book of history, he has gone out to repeat
those dreams TO you working-men, to you farm
era, and it may be that you have listened to
him; it may be that some of you have believed
his story. Has he said nothing to you of the
disasters that have followed this currency of
which he dreams? No, not because he is not
honest but because he closed the book too soon.
We were all glad when Mr. Cove went into the
flower business, but wish the farmers he is
addressing in school districts would ride by the
deserted home of this Congressional candidate
of the Greenback party, to look at the grass
which covers that flower plat; to look at the
broken windows of his greenhouse, his ruined
farm and deserted family. which are a true
picture of what may be expected to follow the
triumph of this heresv of Greenbackism. [
would suggest to Mr.. Cove that he should take
q photograph of bis esta blishment with him. to
exhibit at his lectures
have confession to make in regard to Mr..
Reed. confess that when he was first nomi-
mated two years ago l did not think. ard
could not think him to be the man for the
place, but he has put to shame all my objcc-
tons. He will be found in Congress or out
honest. safe, and must be elected and he will
be, great applause.)
But, gentlemen, introduce to you the Hon.
James G. Blaine, Senator of the State of
Maine, no, but Senator of the whole United
States.
At the close of the stirring address of Mr..
Chapman, Mr.. Blaine came forward and was
received with perfect tempest of applause.
He was obliged to support himself by leaning
on the reporters table.
Senator Blaine's Speech
Mr.. Blaine said that he was not in good
condition physically owing to recent accident,
but he spoke clearly and logically for about oce
nOur anu uau, Hoiulng Inc CLOSEST aCtoLCl0n
of his audience HIS said:
By common consent the currency question is
the great question before the people This [
regret, because if there is one thing the people
cannot afford it is to have a political currency
question. Let us settle it and settle it right.
Let us review the circumstances that brought
us where we are now. In 1861 an extra ses-
sion of Congress was called and it authorized
the Treasurer to borrow $780, 100000 as there
was no money in the Treasury. Fifty millions
dollars of demand notes were also authorized,
and when Congress assembled after the Christ
mas holidays they assembled with an empty
Treasury. In this particular strait the govern
ment provided for the issuance of one hundred
and fifty million legal tender notes. That was
q measure of absolute necessity. 1t was useless
to staLd upon very fine drawn points at such
time. 1t was question of life. We declared
the notes legal tender. Before another year
had expired we were called to is ue another
one hundred and fifty millions, and when Com
gress assembled in December in 1868 the report
of the Secretary of the Treasury brought be-
government was without currency again. We
were at that time appealing to every civilized
nation of the world for money. Forty or fifty
million dollars we're due the army and relief in
ready cash was demanded. Out of this state of
affairs came the loan act which really supplied
the funds that were necessary for the salvation
of the nation. This loan act had not only the
authority of law, but in a peculiar and strong
sense it is binding upon Us. In this act was a
proviso as follows;
"That the total amount Of those notes issued and
to be issued shall never exceed four hundred |
million dollars"
1t was the price which in extreme urgency
we pledged ourselves to, and if there is any |
honor in the American people they wo uld as |
soon sign away their brthright as violate this |
pledge. The most fearful thing that could |
happen to this country would be the issuance
of an unlimited amount of currency.
How are you going to control the currency? |
Do you want Republican money or Democratic
money? Do you not want the constitutional
money of the people? Whatever else the
American people do with the currency let me
say to you that there is no body of men SO
little competent to determine the question of
money as Congressman. The Greenback
people say that we should not have any banks
For seven hundred years we have had banks
and we could not conduct the business of this
country for a minute without banks. Why
are banks a necessity? A bank is a place
where the borrower of money meets the lender,
where the surplus money is deposited. Sup.
pose a man wants TO borrow ten thousand
dollars to go into business with Greenbackers
would send him all over the country borrowing
doll boro nd ftu dolI III