The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-08-18
CID SACo AWAKE.
Glorious Reception to Congressman
Burrows.
A RINGING SPEECH ON THE CURREN-
CY QUESTION.
The Old Guard Out.



f. w. Guptill Esq, called the meeting to
order, and introduced Judge Chase as the pre-
siding officer. The Judge has taken but little
active interest in politics of late, and regards
himsef'and is regarded as one of the old guard,
but the old guard is out this year. Judge
Chase made no speech, but introduced Con-
gresham Burrows who on coming forward,
was received with applause lie spoke as fol-
| lows:
SPEECH OF HON. j. C. BURROWS.
| Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen Were
there only local issues involved in your state e,ec
| ton it would be of comparative unmportance,
and were there only state issues involved, l, a
stranger, should have no business upon your
platform addressing you. Were the question
merely who should be your governor, it could
Interest no one beyond your state lines, as 1
suppose and believe, each of the three gentle
men before the people as candidate for that
high Office are good, honest and honorable
citizens. But certain things have conspired to
make elections this fall in New York, in OHIO,
in Maine and in other states, in brief all the
fall elections, of national interest and of ma
tional Importance. First there is the approach
ing Presidential election of 1880. Then par
ties will battle, not alone for the control of
states, but of the Republic. and do not wish
to deny, but freely concede, that the party
carrying the elections this fall will win an adj
vantage that it will not be easy to overcome.
Tonight, gentlemen, we fight for the advan-
tage of position. But it is not this fact alone
that makes this an election of national impor
lance, but the issues discussed are national.
Did it ever occur to our Greenback Republi-
cans that if Maine is carried by their new party
that fact can have no possible effect on the
bearing of the currency question? The state of
Maine can issue no greenbacks. (Laughter.)
Then again / understand that you are discuss
ing the election laws. This is not a state but
Federal question Then the question of state
supremacy and state sovereignty echoing back
from the halls of Congress has shaken the ma
ton. Questions have been renewed that you
and | gentlemen supposed long ago settled. If
some of you are disposed to differ
with us on the currency question l ask that
you shall remember that in no way can the
currency question be affected by your vote.
Sir, with all due respect to my Greenback
friends / say that the President to be elected
in 1880, be he of Democratic or Republican an
tecedents. will be elected as Democrat or as
Republican, and the Greenback question will
not be considered. The Democratic party is
shrewd party, and it is an unit upon but one
point under heaven, and that is to beat the Re-
publican party, and they are not to blame. they
have been out q long time. Qaughter.) In
Greenbackers. In Michigan the Greenback
party is SO dead that neither the resurrection
of tn g just nor of the unjust will again revive
it. Here in Maine L am informed the Demo-
cratic party has very slight leaning over to-
ward its Greenback brother. The Democratic
party will unite with any party that can win
victory, principle OF no principle. respect
man who joins party because of devotion to
principle. l respect the man who for that
reason joins the Greenback party, but any man
who joins political party merely to gain po-
litical ascennency, does dishonorable act.
There is radical difference between the
parties There is as much difference between
a Democratic and Greenback party as be-
tween the Republican and the Democratic
party. 1 believe that as in 1860, when the old
flag went down over Sumter, pulled down by
Democratic treason, mere difference of opin-
ion will be forgotten and that hundreds and
thousands of honest Democrats will stand for
honest money as they stood for an honest flag.
Applause) The Democratic party has no
principle. If the majority of the states that
hold an election this fall decide for soft money
then the Democratic platform of 1880 will pro-
nounce for soft money. If the reverse you
will see an hard money platform, and the
Democratic party will be an hard money par
ty the original hard money party Qaughter).
If 1, stranger, We're to attempt to state the
issues of your state campaign you might well
say "What do you know about it?' but if
there be any Democrats here, q forgot, you
aren't Democrats you're Greenbackers) if
there are any Greenbackers here, Qaughter)
can err if read from the Eastern Argus?
l have here the Eastern Argus of Wednesday,
Aug. 10, 1879, displaying the paper.) The
leading article is entitled ''The Issues Before
the People, OF that article l will read one
single clause:
''Grave issues are now presented to the American
people for discussion and decision. The first we
will name is the extinction of greenbacks.'
This information the Argus has exclusively,
but it doesn't happen to be true. The Republic
can party in favor of wiping out the green
backs! Let me read you the last act of the
Republican party on this subject. The reso-
luton passed in 1878, and at that time we had
$346, 600, 600 of greenbacks and in face of that
act absolutely forbidding the Secretory of the
Treasury retiring one dollar of that $346, 000,-
600 of greenbacks leaving him absolutely no
discretion ON the premises the editor of the
Eastern Argus is troubled by fear that the
greenback is about to become extinct. What
is the foundation of this statement? Does the
editor of that paper mean to mislead? Not a
single Republican in or out of Congress to my
knowledge has said one word in favor of retir-
ing the greenbacks. 1 will admit that it has
been the policy of the Republican party to pay
our national debt, and that it has been the
fixed and unalterable purpose of that party to
pay that debt, the solemn obligation OF the
American people to the last dollar (applause,) |
and when it abandons that principle, for one
will abandon that party and will go to some
party, if party there may be found, that will |
redeem the plighted faith of the American ma
ton. (Applause.)
What need is there of Greenback party? |
What is the matter with the greenback? 1t is
as good as gold, is it not? Can you make it |
any better? Last year the Greenback party |
demanded the immediate repeal of the resump- |
ton law, because that resumption could not be |
effected without national disaster, but to-day |
every greenback in your pocket OF in mine is |
worth one hundred cents on the dollar in gold. |
Is the greenback idea a mere man of straw |
put up to deceive, is there a principle in |
volved? Here is a two-dollar greenback, it is |
worth two dollars one hundred cents on the |
dollar The Republican party is greenback
party. We are all Greenbackers. Back in |
1862 we originated that party when we origin
ated the greenback, and we have sustained it |
until to-day, when it lacks $346 600 900 of being
extinct Do you want anything more? This |
Greenback matter has been very peculiar, and |
the course of the Democratic party towards it |
has been still more SO. When hear Demo
crat talking of the greenback L say "Hod on,
old fellow, haven't you experienced change,
or are you one of those Democrats who haven't |
got record?" Uaughter) When the war
began, and our boys went southwark to fight
for their country and for ours, for your country
and for mine, they thought that tlD pittance
Of thirteen dollars per month would be paid to
their families, but when six months pay was
due Uncle Sam was forced to say "Boys, I'd
like mighty well to pay you, but l can't.
Don't be hard on me, boys The Democratic
party went out little while ago and took the
asst dollar 1 had with them. I'll tell ye what
I'll do with you fellows. I'll give you my note
instead of paying you the money that those
Democrats have got. You shall give me the
money you've earned and I'll give yon my
note, and I'll pay you as soon as the war is
over. l can't pay till the job is DONE" and,
gentlemen, your representatives in Congress
pledged their word before high Heaven,
pied ged your faith, the faith of this great
people, that if the Rebellion should be put
Town the notes should be paid, and taking
hose notes, your note and mine, in one hand
md the glory of our common country in the
other, our brave boys went on to victory.
Applause) And this was sublime instance
If faith. | do not wish to be personal, (but
you have no Democrats here, they are sailing
lnder another name, they are fighting under
mother banner) but in Ohio the Democrats
aid to the soldiers wife who offered a green
Jack sent by her husband at the front in pay
nent for flour, II can't take this thing, it's
We were then young
,arty, and the Democrats gave us but little
ime to study the constitution, but Mr. Green
,acker, we gave our country the benefit of the
oubt and we saved it (applause) saved your
ountry and mine with what the Democrats
ou are asked to train with called ga Lincoln
cab" -
At the end of the war we had $3.50, 900, 900 of