The Portland daily press., 1879-02-27
IN COUNCIL.
The Greenbackers Trying TO Agree Upon
An Issue.

We understand that large meeting of the
| Greenbackers was held last evening for the
purpose of agreeing if possible upon an issue to
| be made in the coming municipal election.
| The meeting was secret and no reporters were
allowed to be present so that we are unable to
give verbatim report of the proceedings.
Col. Ames was the first speaker. He was in
favor of making corruption the issue. "Cor-
ruption' said the Colonel in one of those bursts
of eloqueDce for which he is becoming
famous, Corruption is the anaconda which is
eating out the vitals of the Republic. Greece
| had her vltals eaten out by corruption, SO had
| Rome" Some one in the conference suggested
to Col. Ames that his knowledge of Natural
History was at fault, auacondas weren't fond
| OF vitals. Col. Ames said it was slip of the
tongue He meant to say that corruption was
tapeworm. H. felt quite sure that tape
worms ate vitals. If tapeworms didn't eat
vltals, then corruption was the canker-rash.
He knew canker rash ate vitals for he had had
| it himself. eve must make the issue on
corruption.''
Col. Waite said that the trouble with
Col. Ames was that he hadn't been vaccinated
| A man could be lnocalated for corruption.
He had just been inoculated himself, in other
| words he had been nominated for alderman,
| and ii it took he should have no fears of
| corruption. He used to feel about corruption
| pretty much the same as Col. Ames, but since
| incubation he had ceased to regard it as an
anaconda. Hs was opposed to making COR
| ruption the ISSUE
| Col. Todd said they should inscriba upon
thair ham -
While these 'haflots of Babylon lived there
was no safety. The danger was nearer than
they were aware of. he thought he noticed
/ Rothschild 10 the conference. All eyes in
stinctively turned to COL Donnell and the chair
man called COL Todd to order and ioformed
him that his remarks we're supplementary
Col. Todd explained that he did not refer to
| the gentleman from Ward Z. He said that the
ROtnschilds had sent a member of their firm to
the city and he thought he saw him in the
house. Toe Colonel was asked to point him
out which he did and the supposed culprit was
seized and brought uoder gasight when he
proved to be Co. Drnkwatar. The excite
ment Immediately subsidized.
Col. King said corruption was played out and
SO were the Rothschilds He hau heard COL
Ames and Col Todd talk about these subjects
until hs was sick of them. If men we've
losing their vitals, aud ne believed they were,
it was on account of the prohibitory law. He
knew men whose vitals, judging from their
external appearance, had shruak so per cent
and were still shrinking, and they we're men
too who never had anacondss or tapeworms or
even the canker rash. Nothing but a license
law would restore their deprecated vitals and
the people were bound to have it.
Col. Merry said the Chinese must go, and
the Greenbackers should make this cry their
inspiration on election day. So long as the
Cinnamon confined themselves to railroad
| bulldog, washing clothes aud uther useful en-
ploy ments he viewed their coming with COM
parative indifference, but be had recently
learned with alarm that they were becoming
expert at domnoes and checkers. He
reminded bis Greenback friends that the
principal occupation of many if not the most of
them wa, thus endangered by heathens from
over the sea. Col. Merry's remarks made
deep impression.
Col. Drinkwater was called upon but the
shock at being mistaken for Rothschild had
go unnerved him that he was unable to speak.
1t was now late and so it was decided to
postpone further discussion till some future