The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-09-02
by TELEGRAPH.
BLAINE AT FREEPORT.
Grand Rally of the HardHanded
Farmers.
Earnest and Telling Address by Senator
Blaine.
Especial to the Press. |

EEEfOSl, CCpl. l.-IhO tOPNoAN. N--S
to-day was complete success. The attendance
was very large, which seems to be the case
wherever Senator Blaine speaks. lie Free
port Cornet Band was in attendance. The
number of the old men who have been OF late
years inactive in political work was very
large while the young men who vote Tor the
first time and the workers in the party were
all out Among the prominent Republicans
present from other sections of the State were
the Hon Roscoe L. Bowers of Saco, who pre-
diets Davis election by a very large vote.
Secretary of State Cove of Biddeford passed
through here to-day probably intent on find
ing an audience to whom he eould explain
what a correct" statement emenating from
his office would look like.
w. A. Mitchell, Esq, called the meeting to
ORDER and announced the following list of
officers
PRESIDENT
S. A. Thurlow of Freeport,
VICE PRESIDENTS.
Hon s. A. Holbrook. Frecport.
Washington Soule, Freeport
Samuel Bliss, Freeport.
Capt Mitchell, Freeport.
Giles Iorng, Yarmouth.
Geo. Toothaker, Yarmouth.
True Mcintyre Powna
John NJ. Libby, Gray.
John l.. Swift, Brunswick.
A G. Smith, Durham.
John Brown, Durham.
SECRETARIES.
G. C. Townsend, Freeport,
j. A. Davis, Freeport.
S. A. Thurlow came forward and said:
Ladies and gentlemen, we have with us, to-
day, gentleman who has been so long and SO
intimately connected with the politics OF this
country that we believe he understands the
Al. IL, l., hn cnaa
a gentleman who has been in the councils OF
our nation, and a friend of the greenback
from the time of its weakness and debasement,
to the time when it became worth the best
gold of the world dollar for dollar, in all the
great nations of the earth: gentleman, VINO
for years discharged the duties of the third
position within the gift of this nation, with
such fidelity to the country. and honor to HIM
self that the great mass of his party would
gladly have given him the first position in 1876,
and to whom, we believe, the great mass of
his party will give the first position in 1880.
Ladies and gentlemen, fellow voters OF the
town of Freeport:-If the principles and pur-
poses of the Republican party as set forth this
Judgment and sound common sense as the
truth then we ask you to heed it; if it does not
then reject it, for the Republican party desires
as followers only those who believe in its prln-
ciples and purposes and who will stand by
them.
Ladies and gentlemen, 1 have the honor and
pleasure of introducing to you Names favorite
son and Americas great statesman, James e.
Blaine.
The remarks of the presiding officer were re-
ceived with applause, in particular when he
referred to the Senator as Presidential can
didate.
The Senator was received with loud applause
and held the close attention to the end of his
argument. The Greenbackers, of whom many
were present, did not accept the challenge of
the Senator to name a single article which is
necessity of life, or which enters into ordinary
consumption on which any duty imposed by
the Republican party bears heavily, or which
would be reduced in price if the entire duty
should be abolished, or to show any one is
harmed by the present tariff. The Greenback
leaders, if any were present, had learned wis
dom by experience, and kept quiet, but the
rank and file were evidently impressed with
the force of the Senator's argument One man
remarked to the reporter of the PRESS that he
had never listened to a hard money speech and
had supposed that he was being taxed to
death, but if all he had to pay was the tax on
matches, he did not propose to vote the Green
back ticket but should vote for Mr.. Davis.
Another active Greenbacker said that if there
had been no Republican meetings held he
should have been very confident that the
Greenback vote would be very largely increas-
ed over that of last year, but he was compelled
to reluctantly admit that the speeches of Sena-
tor Blaine and others were likely to have some
effect.
A gentleman and prominent business man
of Knox county, who was here today, said that
the prospect of Republican success in his sec
ton of the state, is much better than had been
expected The vely general revival of bust
ness is making itself felt, and men who voted
for Smith last year, will vote for Davis this.
He says that this is true also of Waldo county.
A hard money Democrat remarked today
that he could not understand where hard
times and general depression of business that
the Argus talks about are, as he had travelled
over a large part of the state, and that without
finding it, but had found that business had re-
vived, and that men who were out of work
last year, are employed, and that debts are be-
ing paid.
The attendance today is variously estimated,
but probably exceeded 1000, as even the Green
hackers set it at 1900, and closer attention was
never paid 10 a speaker. Roy.