The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-12-20
thu PEOPLE SPEAK.
A MONSTER INDIGNATION
MEETING IN AUGUSTA.
The Governor and Council In
SDaTing|y Denounced,
AND THE VILLAINY HELD
UP TO PUBLIC EXECRA-
TION.
Speeches by Senator Blaine,
EX-Gov. Connor, 0. D.
Baker and Others.
Determination to Pre-
vent the Consumma-
ton of the Crime.
INTENSE EXCITEMENT IN
PENOBSCOT COUNTY.
INDIGNATION ME ETINGS TO
BE HELD AT BANGOR,
DEXER AND ETNA.
The People Determined to Thwart
the COpSpiratOrS.
Determination to Pre-
vent the Consumma-
ton of the Crime.
INTENSE EXCITEMENT IN
PENOBSCOT COUNTY.
INDIGNATION ME ETINGS TO
BE HELD AT BANGOR,
DEXER AND ETNA.
The People Determined to Thwart
the Conspirators.

the Conspirators.
EsAUaUsrA, Dec. 19.--Never was such a scene
before witnessed at this season of the year in
this city as was witnessed in Granite Hall this
evening. Over the crisp snow and through
the frosty atmosphere there gathered such a
crowd of people at the Indignation meeting in
Granite Hall as is seldom seen here except in
the summer season and the most intense polili-
cal excitement. Many were present from
towns several miles away. Fifty men were
here from Winthrop, large number from
Readfeld, and big delegations from Hallowe1
and Gardiner. The hall was packed full, and
hundreds went away who were unable to get
even comfortable standing room. II was also
a gathering of voters, scarcely woman being
present. and but few Toys. They were all earn
est men too, men who felt that q great wrong
had been perpetrated by the Governor and
Council and which they have no intention of
submitting to. Their indignation shone in
their countenances and Numbered in their ap-
plause at the denunciatory language of the
speakers Nearly every minister of the gospel
was on the stage and our best citizens were in
attendance. The speeches were roundly APP
plauded They were all stalwart
Ex-Governor Conner presided with grace and
dignity.
The meeting was called to order by Joseph
A. Homan, ESQ.,, who made the following re-
marks:
SPEECH OF MR.. Holman.
FELLOW Citizens.-In all great public exegen-
cies it has been the time honored custom and
the sacredly cherished habit and right of the
American people to assemble and take counsel
together. We are here tonight, fellow citi-
zens, for that purpose. Grave and unprece-
dented peril threatens the State. Men chosen
and sworn to support the constitution and to
administer the laws faithfully and impartially
have proved false to their duty. The will OF
the people, expressed freely and peaceably at
the ballot box, has been corruptly and shame
fully disregarded by Governor Garcelon and
his Council. Thirty-seven Senators and Rep
| resentatives elected to the Legislature of Maine
by full, open, unchallenged ballot, have been
by revolutionary and arbitrary decree OF this
Governor and Council denied their seats, and
they have been assigned to other men who
have not the slightest claim to them. Fellow
| citizens, how should this great wrong be
righted? You are here tonight to consider
| this question. To this end and for the purpose
of carrying out the objects of this meeting it is
| my duty, the duty assigned to me, to nominate
| the officers and to complete the organization
| of this meeting. And take great pleasure in
nominating for the presiding officer of this as
I semblage a gentleman who has formerly occu-
| pied the gubernatorial chair of this State,
| when it was a proud distinction to occupy 1t,
| Ex-Governor Selden Conner. (Applause)
At the close of his remarks, Mr.. Homan an
nounced the neutrality-suspicious., Selden
| Conner, and long list of Vice Presidents
| Rev Mr.. Tilden was then invited to offer
prayer. His prayer was fervent one, per-
fectly fitted to the occasion and found a ready
response in the hearts of the hearers.
SPEECH OF Ex-Goy. CoNNoR.
Ex-Governor Conner upon assuming the
chair said:
FellooO toaonsnen and olloao citizens Of the State
Never before in the more than half century
of the existence of our state has it seen an oc-
casion like this-an assemblage of its people
to take into consideration the practical over
throw of its established free form OF govern.
ment. There have been many hot political
campaigns Astounding in passionate discussions
and ending in exciting elections, but when the
result has been attained, there never has been
a thought of anything but submission to 1t.
The result has been promptly acquiesced IN
and the victorious party gracefully bowed into
power The campaign of last summer was one
of the most interesting and exciting III the po-
litical history of this state. The succession OF
Republican administrations for more than
twenty years had been broken at the previous
election by chance so narrow that twenty
| votes on election day would have bridged it
and secured continuance of Republican as
tendency. That change was wrought by de-
fusion so strange and so incredible to DO enter
tanned among people SO patriotic and lntelll-
gent and was withal so fraught with menace
and disaster to the whole country that every
possible effort was made to counterfeit 1t and
to keep Maine faithful to honest money and
to the fulfillment of the pledges which the
country had made in its hour OF deadly peril,
as the price of its life. When election had
come and gone, there was deep andiearnest
rejoicing throughout this country that Maine
had ranged herself once more among the con-
SENATORS off the country's honor and prosper
ity.
there came sly suggestions, knowing intima-
| tions and hints all pointing to the probability
that the Republican victory, which was every
where manifest and conceded, with the election
of both houses of the Legislature by decided
| majorities thus ensuring the election of Gov.
| Davis and Republican administration, would
| be overthrown. The suspicious were at first
hardly entertained by honest, candid, patriotic
men. They would not even in thought cast
upon men holding their high positions and ex-
ercising their high powers such injurious sus-
picions But as the indications and evidences
multiplied, and as the time grew less for bring
ing any hearing to counterfeit influences and
to do what justice and right demanded, the
representative men Of the state, men who will
be considered as representative men, through
their committee sought at the Executive cham
Der what any citizen has right to seek, to
know what action the Executive proposed to
take under the circumstances and to enable
those who had the right to be heard to have
that privilege accorded them.
II &c of jpta1lipnnpa with
what sccrn and contumely that committee was
et'and how their respectful petition was denied
Every avenue to power was besieged IN every
manner possible but all to no effect. The
great wrong has been consumnated. 1t IS idle
and useless now to undertake to bolster up and
support that action by bringing lin these film
sy excuses Iand reasons. The time for expla-
nation has gone by. The thing that should
have been in open day light done before the
public, before all interested, has been consum-
mated by mightnight plotters behind closed
doors. The question now put to you fellow
citizens is ''What are you going to DO about
| it?" 1t is for the purpose of inquiring what
we are to do that we have met this evening.
| The precedents for such action are fortunate
| " very few We remember back in puritan
England that when the rump parliament
sought to perpetuate itself there was Crom-
we'll who went in there and drove them forth
with hot words of indignation. Great applause.)
| That was more than two hundred years ago.
| fellow citizens And it is possible that we
| have become more forbearing than were our
| ancestors insthese days. But this much is sure;
we belong to a race who will take counsel to-
gether calmly, who vii submit when submits
sion is virtue and resist when resistance is
called for.
At the close of ex-Gov. Connor's speech Mr..
Homan moved the appointment of a commit
tee on resolutions, and the following persons
were appointed on that committee by the