The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-06-22

that we Independents would have made, but
on the whole, Mr.. Arthur isn':a bad man
The only thing know Of against him is that
he represents the anti civil service section of
the party. don't like the idea, and good
many other Republicans don't, but he Is Just as
much entitled to his view as we are. At the
worst he only represents the avowed Demo-
cratic doctrine on that point. But to return to
Garfield. One who admires true man must
"enthuse" over him. He is a great man In
everything. In size, in education, in culture,
in honesty, in liberalism, in politics, in relig.
ion. He is certainly most satisfactory man
in Massachusetts, and you know the old Bay
State is fussy about politics. Whoever may bo
the Democratic candidate, Garfield is as sure
of the electoral vote of the State as of any
State in the Union. The Boston Globe has
disgusted all decent men with its scurrilous
attack on Garfield the morning after the NOM
ination, and which it has since followed
up with characteristic recklessness. T. j.
Gargan, a leading Democrat of this State, says
Garfield is good man and strong man, and
| the Democrats need their strongest man to
beat him. e,.F
Our other topic of exciting interest has been
| the disaster on the Sound. can only say Of
this that instead of wondering at the collision,
1 wonder that more have not happened Five
boats on the Sound each way every night.
year after year, passing and repassing, and
how few are the accidents. do not know the
condition of the Nalrlgansett on this particular
night;-of her life preseryers and life boats
but unless they were immeasurably superior to
any have ever seen on our home boats they
| were not what they should have been. This
applies more particularly 10 the life boats.
Usually there are life preservers enough, and
they are good enough, but people either do not
know how to put them on, or else are too ex-
cited to do it. | wonder people who travel by
boat do not try on a life preserver some time so
as to know just how the thing is to be used in
case of emergency. As for boats, they usually
get upset in lowering. What should be done
on every steamer is to drill the crews in lower
ing boats. Every man should be assigned @
certain position at a certain boat in case OF
emergency, as is done on ocean steamers.
People will be shy of boats during the next
few months; perhaps more so of this unfor-
tunate line than any other. And why? Sound
travel is safer to-day than ever before. The
managers are now resorting to every expedient
to restore confidence, and none are more eager
in this direction than the old Stonington line.
The accident has been lesson to them all, and
a sad one, but rest assured they will profit by
it. The Stonington line, which has been tho
"old reliable for more than generation is
temporarily suspended, but will soon be re-
newed with better boats and better equip
ments. In the meantime the Providence ser
vice will be continued. The Massachusetts
of this line, on which had the pleasure Of
trip to New York a short time ago, is beyond
question the finest boat in the world. cer-
tainly never saw such grandeur afoat in my
life. The furniture throughout is OF mahog-
any trimmed with dark cherry and upholstered
in soft red leather. She is lighted throughout
with the electric light, and at night her par
lors and saloons remind me of the brilliant
grand opera house in Paris. / believe the
newspapers are suggesting the general adop-
tion of the electric light as the best signal
light.
Attention is turned towards Cincinnati this
week. People are wondering what the Demo-
Gratis are going to do. Their characteristic
ability for laundering is expected to stand out
prominently before they get through. What
golden opportunities that party has thrown
away! With decent management and half
honesty of purpose the Democrats could have
elected the next President but they have per-
sistently supported everything bad and driven
thousands OF good men away, until their pros
pect is not near as good as it was four years
ago Greenbackism, coalitions, obstruction. Of
legislation, aud prolongation OF Congressional
sessions are among the more prominent blum
ders. The real crime has been in quasi en-
dorsement Of the Maine steal That is a crime
in the rebellion, In 1861 the men Of the South
thought they were right and fought for prin-
ciple. In 1880 the fusionists of Maine knew
they were thieves and had no rights whatever.
To-day no man can be deemed both honest
and ordinarily intelligent who does not con-
denim the whole proceeding by voting for the
Republican gubernatorial nominee.
can't say what will be done in this State
this Fall, further than that Gov. Long will be
renomnated without opposition. He he's made
good governor and kept up the standard to
which Massachusetts so often "points with
pride" Ben Butler having been repudiated
by the Greenbackers as a Presidential candi-
date the Greenback 5fervor here has been
materially checked. OF course the old man is
out of the question as q gubernatorial candi-
date this Fall. The two wings of the Demo-
cratic party must unite and probably will.
The Butler Democrats without Butler have
no money. Butler will not give them money
to elect Weaver; or, pardon me for saying
elect, to throw away votes on him, mean.
All the money of the Massachusetts, Democra-
cy is in the anti-Butler coterie. So L say the
twofactions must unite as they probably will.
Who they will nominate l cannot say. C. p.
Thompson, while an ant-Butler man at heart,
has never handled the other crowd very rough
ly and if the Butler people will unite on him
he is by far the strongest man in the State.
therefore will amount to nothing. r..
This is great year for travel, both at home
and to foreign countries. Mr.. Jordan, the
New England agent of the Erie railroad in
forms me that he has never known so heavy
travel between the East and West over his
line. Mr.. Stewart of the Anchor line tells me
that his foreign travel is very large, all the
steamers going out full. Like reports come
from most other lines. SCOTT.