The Portland daily press., 1880-07-07
THE GREENBACKERS.
A Little "Onpleasantness" at Sc
bago Lake.
SOLON CHASE PUTS ON THEM COW
HIDE BOOTS
And Tramples on the Democracy.

Leader, and President of the Maine State Cir
Gle, b. P. L., Col. S. NJ Berry, Col John
Harper, Col. Lombard, Col. W. H. Sargent
and COL Gordon gathered, to celebrate the an
nlversary of their common country. Ex-
Deacon E. Il. Cove, candidate for Congress,
went up from Bddeford, Thomas B. Swan,
ESQ.,, the New Era-Leader will call him the
Hon. L. b. Swan, but as f. M. Fogg would say,
he isn't an honorable.-Gen. Plaisted was an
nounced to be on his way, and Scion Chase
wired his positive determination to bring on
them steers and to make the Republicans hear
the ring of their cowhide boots" rather
original idea if it were not understood that
them steers" means Scion himself
The exercises may be said to have been
opened on the arrival of the early train from
Portland, the local Greenbackers having as
sembled with view of welcoming the crowd
of Greenbackers who were expected to arrive
on 1t.
The New Era-Leader of last week, as we'll as
for several preceding weeks, had given notice
that there was to be grand rush of people to
the grove, that Weaver was to attend and
speak, and that a big time was to expected
and the Era-Leader while not an authority in
regard to Maine lumber, was supposed to
know something about Maine Greenbackers
The committee of arrangements had not in
deed made any very extensive preparation for
accommodating the crowd of visitors, but the
citizens had, and stands where ice cool lemon
ade was to be had abounded. As the train
stopped the crowd gathered, ready to cheer for
Weaver, and for several seconds Col. Berry,
the Cumberland county member of the Green
back state committee, was supposed to be the
Presidential candidate, but he explained who
he was, and led seven Greenbackers of Port
land through the crowd of at lease thirty men
and boys, to an express wagon, where the
Hon. l. F. Quinby had already arrived. The
seven with Col. Berry, ex-Deacon Cove and
Col. Quinby then started for Standish Corner,
to assist" in raising the flag there. Before
they left, however, one of the local Green
packers asked If any more were coming from
Portland. Coming" exclaimed the Colonel,
"of course they are, Turner will come on the
noon train, SO will Springer, and-and- Cap'n
Chase" Half way up the colonies informed a
native that Springer, Turner and Cap'n Chase
would arrive on the noon train, and at the
Corner" they relieved the feelings of the dis
appointed Greenbackers who were expecting a
crowd by informing them that Cap'n Chase
Turner and Springer were coming Oh the noon
train.
About fifty persons had assembled, and it
was thought best to run up the flag at once as
the crowd, such as it was, was rapidly thinning
out, and Mr.. j. d. Sawyer ran it up, and the
regular fusion flag struggled to its appointed
place and revealed the names of Weaver and
Chambers at the top and that of Plaisted at
the bottom. AS it appeared one man near the
flagstaff said that he should like to hear the
800 Greenbackers present give three cheers,
which was little rough, as there didn't hap
a oI1a of of hor r.
OF all grades OF politics. The speaker was
probably York county man, who had got his
ideas in regard to numbers slightly mixed by
attending the Greenback conventions of his
county.
Ex-Deacon Cove was called upon to make a
speech He wasn't prepared, he said, but evil
IDENTIFY expected to be taken in a Mark Twain
ish sense, as he Immediately pulled from his
pocket bundle containing it would seem, the
few unprecedented remarks that he proposed
to offer, an impression that was rather con-
firmed than otherwise be the fact that he made
pretty extensive use of it while speaking The
ex-deacon thought he ought to be excused be-
cause he had been hard at work getting in his
hay, and it was his belief that after man had
been at work for week in the field with his
hoe he would be apt to feel very little like
making speech. The audience applauded,
evidently thinking that a hoe was just the
thing to get in hay with, and the ex-deacon, by
his display OF agricultural knowledge, clearly
i
tinued MI. Cove, chad come to Standish to ask
what is to be done with the hay" 1t natural
ly occurred to the average farmer that it might
be we'll to get it into the barn, but some one
shouted, "Give it to Solon's steers!" Mr.. Cove
then shouted, We've got to fight for the hay"
against hay with a hoe would not be very
effective one, but they said nothing Mr. Cove
then entered upon discussion of that favorite
theme OF his-the currency-denouncing the
Republicans for preventing the free coinage of
silver and accusing them of the purpose to
withdraw all the greenbacks. In the course
of his remarks he undertook to recite the
''Star Spangled Banner but got stuck In
some mysterious way he associated sermon
he had heard the Sunday before on the text
Buy the truth and sell it not with the nom
nation of Weaver and Chambers and Plaist-
ed. He thought those men would fill inches
IN our history inches reserved for defeated
candidates no doubt
The last part of Mr.. Gove's address was &C.
cupied with discussion of the PROCEEDINGS of
the Greenback National Convention. He ap-
peared somewhat melancholy because the ex-
Confederate General West was not nominated
for vice president. He promised if the Green
hackers had the power they would enact
Weaver's back pay bill. Mr.. Gove's address
was badly confused, but the hot sun of a hay
field is not conducive to mental clearness.
DIR. Buzzell, of Deering, followed. He
thought the Democrats should vote for Weav-
er or the Greenbackers for Hancock, he wasn't
exactly certain yet
In the afternoon considerable delegation of
ladies, small boys and fire crackers arrived at
the Lake and the prospect became more en-
couraging 1t is possible that there may have
been from seven to eight hundred persons at
the time of the speaking in the afternoon, and
when the train from Portland arrived there
ouotbor ORC nd oh RI tho oto+;o,, x,,loro
the Steep Falls band was stationed to head the
procession to the grove. Col. r. M. Syringe r
first descended to the platform, and Gen.
Plaisted, but Immediately drew off with Col
Berry of Deering, and the procession to
have proceeded may be said not to have pro-
ceeded At about 230 p. M the speaking COM
menced, Plaisted leading off with an essay on
Daniel Websters Plymouth grafton delivered
in 1920 The general also fired, or tried to
for he did not meet with much success, the
Democratic heart by referring to Andrew
jackson.
Thomas B.iSwan followed, delivering his
last winters speech, and did not succeed even
in being amusing. While Swan was speaking
Scion Chase drove up in state in a two-horse
team, and was received with loud applause.
Swan kept pegging away at the money power
for some time and sat down at last amid calls
for Chase, and ex-Deacon Cove who presided
proceeded to introduce the wearer of "them
cowhide boots" Ex-Deacon Cove, it may be
remarked, had tried to be extremely witty in
his Introductory speeches. for instance when
he stated that Plaisted had been the very spin
al center of the Republican party, and he
made good point for Scion when he intro
duced him "as at once the father and brother
of the Greenbackers." Uncle Scion said that
he liked to come to Standish because he thad
the blood of the Cape Cod Indians in his veins
in his viens. The connection between Stand
ish and the Cape Cod Indians isn't exactly
plain, but it may be that when the Cape Cod
Indians wanted to hold grand pow-wow they
were in the habit of coming to Standish. I'm
Gle Scion then made vigorous attack on the
Republican party and the face of Cap'n Chase
was, in peaceful contentment, like unto the
face of the angel of contentment, and the
eyes of Col. Lyman had far off look as if he
were gazing backward to the time of Andrew
jackson or forward to the yet DINNER and
more distant time that will witness Demo-
cratic Presidential victory. Then suddenly
without warning, Mr.. Chase observed that if
the Greenbackers of this State disliked the
Republicans they also hated the Democrats.
"Just remember that, will your" said C base,
and several voices replied, Eve will" And
then he proceeded to carry war with vigor in
into the Democratic camD. Then it was that