The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-08-01
Blanton Duncan
Hard Money Tildenism and Secession
Bourbonism.

1t is hardly to be supposed that when the
Greenbackers invited Colonel Blanton Duncan
who has attained certain notoriety as Demo-
cratic bolter, they understood just what his
talk would be- and still more astonished must
have been the Democrats who heard his full
limitations. The audience was not an encour-
aging one. AT the beginning of the meeting
not more than four hundred persons were in
City Hall, and at no time were more than five
hundred present. The reception given the
party which was marshalled by John nj. Todd
and consisted of Colonel Duncan, Colonel
Harper of Illinois, j. f. Turner, D. W. Hull,
Rev w. f. Eaton, G. B. Nash and three or
four others, was not very enthusiastic. The
audience was too scattered to permit very gem
eral applause. Mr.. Todd presided, and having
given some notices, repressed his evident de-
/, sire to make speech, and at once introduced
Mr.. Duncan as a rebel colonel who had ac-
cepted reconstruction. Col. Duncan has rather
pleasing voice and spoke rapidly from his
notes. In manner and dress he well repre-
sents the conventional Kentuckian. After
expressing his qualification at the audience,
which must have been sarcastic, he explained
time, saying he had been accustomed to joint
discussion. The most entertaining portions of
his speech are printed below. The part relat-
ing to finance was neither novel nor correct
Succintly I will state that the wishes of
Southern Greenbackers are. for coalition.
Now don't let anybody tear his hair before l
state its terms We all see and feel what
must come The vital issues in this nation are
the financial questions which must be squarely
placed before the people and plumply decided.
Two parties must be formed on that issue, and
we of the South are decidedly in favor of a
coalition between the Radicals and the hard
money Democrats. The Greenback party is
the real Democracy; and all those voters who
have intelligence to understand its true princi-
pies will come with us in the contest of 1880 just
at present many are blinded by partisanship
and cannot see their way clearly, so they still
cling to the miserable partisan machine which
is run in the interest of hard money Tildenism
and secession Bourbonism.
To avoid misrepresentation, he said, have
written out exactly what 1 propose to say about
southern matters:
AS these parties have attempted to ignore
financial and labor questions, and have planted
themselves upon sectionaliSm, it is necessary
that should briefly allude to such matters be-
fore discussing the financial and silver ques-
lions. The Bourbon leaders have undoubtedly
strengthened the Radical party by their vic
lent course. The Bourbons have taken the
place of the carpet-baggers, who oppressed the
South under Radical support, and they have
bulldozed and oppressed the negroes as much
as the Radicals previously robbed and outraged
the southern whites
The Radical leaders expressed great sympa-
thy for the negro fifteen years ago, because
they would use him for their purposes. They
were utterly derelict in their duty for they took
no steps in the days of their southern rule to
educate the black race and thus prepare them
for citizenship. They did not even protect
them from the spoliation of the whites and the
result is today that the negroes are race of
paupers, and in far more CALLING and cruel
slavery than they were before the war. Hence
their struggle to emigrate to another section
where they hope for better times and which
they would fail to find. But this exodus if en-
larged into great proportions would destroy
Southern commerce and agriculture, and would
ultimately react upon the North. The section
al leaders of both parties are so acting as to
increase the danger not only of material ruin,
but of another war. He'll it is said is paved
with good intentions. / may add that it is full
of the sort of sympathy which the Radical
leaders entertain for the welfare of the negro
race.
The Bourbon leaders of the South have
shown their hands. They wish to gain powor
by indirect means. The cowardly course of
notification has been upheld in the extra ses-
sion, and the Radicals have been thereby
strengthened by hundreds of thousands of
votes. The doctrine of States Rights has been
reasserted though the decision of the sword,
through long and bloody war should have
been enough to close all further agitation of
that issue
Machine Democracy talks different ways in
east and west ON the money question and on
tariff 1t processes extreme views in the South
and tones down to apprehension in the North.
The Daily PRESS of this city very unfairly
and untruthfully says of me HE is the Dem O.
GRAFT who refused to support Greeley in 1872,
because he was a Republi can" Now men
who believe in principles are not willing to be
transferred to the support OF any man who all
his life has opposed those principles and still
maintains his former views. 1t was because
of that that hundred of thousands of Demo
Gratis refused to support Mr.. Greeley, and we
didn't swallow Grant either.
The speaker then went on to give illustra-
lions of the inconsistency of the Democracy OF.
the currency question. In 1867 every Demo-
GRAFT in Congress but one, Voorhees, and Pendle-
ton included in the number, voted to sustain
McCulloch's contraction policy. In 1868 they
adopted the Pendeton initiation platform. In
1872 they got round to hard-money again. In
1876 they denounced the Republicans for not
in order to win votes and power in Maine they
are now coquetting with the greenbackers, but
instead of that he went on to depict the imagi-
nary evils of resumption. Then he went back
to he Democrats, said that to-day men calling
themselves Democrats do not control their own
minds. They still acknowledge the platform
of 1876. The caucus governs them.
Can you wonder that men like myself who
choose to do their own thinking refuse to sub
init to the arbitrary rule of such coetrie.
They have jumped from one position to an
other and it was time for stepping aside and
telling them jump where they belong, right
down into the bottomless pit. He then pro-
ceeded
What is the future of parties? The DEM
ocratic organization will be defeated this year
in every Northern State. I make no excep-
ton. Divided as it is into factions it is hopeless
to expect any other result. The Bible pro
nou nces its doom, ga house divided against it
self cannot stand"
Let the honest Democrat who supports prin-
ciples investigate this. What possible relief
could come to the country by the election of a
hard money Democrat next year? Mr. Tilden
and his friends control the organization and
will control the nomination. Such Greenback-
ers as those who swore they wouldn't support
Tilden and yet were loudeSt in their speeches
will again vote the ticket. But millions of the
rank and file will unite with us to elect man
who will do something for despairing people
AS the Congress stands today there are twelve
Democratic Senators who might just as well
call themselves Radicals, for they vote Oh
these great issues exactly like your Blaine and
Hamlin.
The Democratic organization will never de-
throne these men, but will continue to return
them to the Senate.
In the House there are % so-called Demo
Gratis, who will vote on every occasion with
your Reed and Frye where the impoverish-
ment of the people is to be maintained, and the
Democratic machine will nominate to con-
tinue the policy. The present House in my
Judgment will vote by nearly forty majority
against Greenback views whenever the test is
really made. The speaker closed with refer
ence to Maine and its motto.
Colonel Harper of Illinois then took the
floor and with tremendous voice denounced
the Republican party as vigorously as Colonel
Duncan had the Democratic. Then the meet
ing broke up. -
SEBAGO LAKE.