The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-01-22
REJOICING.
Enthusiastic Meeting of Re-
publicans in Augusta.
Speeches by Senator Blaine,
Hon. Eugene Hale and others.
GOV. DAVIS SERENADED.


AUGUSTA, Jan. 21.-A moster meeting was
held at Granite Hall this evening for the pur-
nose of rejoicing over the triumph OF law,
order and justice A special train brought
large number from Waterville. The hall was
crowded with earnest men. Ex-Gov. Arson
p. Morrill, presided, and called the meeting to
order, saying that he congratulated the people
that we have a government Daniel T. Davis
is Governor and has taken his seat, and fraud
and violence could not prevail. cloud APP
plause.)
Speech of Senator Blaine.
Senator Blaine was the first speaker and was
received with great enthusiasm. 1t was some
time before he could go on, the cheers were SO
loud and prolonged. Senator Blaine said:
Mr. Chairman and Felloac Citizens:
thank you most sincerely, most deeply for
the manner in which you receive me, and L
congratulate you that we meet as peaceful citi-
zens of Maine. under the protection OF legal
State government chosen by the people with
the validity of its title patent to the world.
We have had long and trying contest with
the desperate men who sought to diSfranchise
voters by the thousand. and to substitute q
false count for the honest ballot as the source
of power to state government. But for all
our trouble and trial and for all the wrongs we
have SO patiently endured, we are this day
richly repaid when we remember the lnstru-
mentalities by which we have triumphed
Without firing gun, without shedding drop
of blood, without striking single blow, with
out one disorderly aSsemblage-the people
have regained their own rights through the
might and majesty of their own laws. Friends
4 J,~t,x rlnfIrC
force and on the very first day of the session
seat the Republican members of the Legisa-
ture who were duly elected. That might
easily have been done, for the Republicans
were present in the proportion OF four to one.
But when we had got through with it we
should only have proved that we were physi-
cally the stronger party. We should only
have established the fact that our tribe could
give the loudest war-whoop and could assem-
Bile the largest number OF braves for given
battle, and after the battle was over we should
have been remanded to the courts for trial of
title
We preferred to go to the court and have
our title confirmed in advance, and it was our
belief that as plaintiffs we could not improve
our standing in court by committing breach
of the peace on the threshold of the chamber
of Justice. We remembered that we were a
New England community, and we believed of
all the New England states, Maine had been
the most exempt from its origin to the year
1879 from every form of defiance of law. A
law student in Yale when asked what he would
do in case of trespass and unlawful occupancy
of land, answered that in New England he
would proceed by writ of ejectment, and in
Texas he would take q double-barreled shot
gun. We agreed with the law student and
stuck fast to the writ OF ejectment. Mr.. Web
ster, in describing the expressions and suffer
ings of the New England people under the
embargo of Mr. Jefferson, said that the old
fashioned New England remedy for a wrong
was to 90 to law about it, And so we went to
law before an honest court, before a non-par-
tisan court, before court that could not be
used to promote the party interests OF any set
of men, before a court as able and upright, as
fearless and as learned as any as sits within
the limits Of this Union on federal or state
benches, and with the judgment of that court
in our hands we quietly took possession OF the
state government and firmly hold it today
with the right incontestabl y established, with
technicalities, evasions, bubbles, frauds, and
forgeries all brushed aside.
The administration of Daniel Il. Dayi is
stands to-day strong in the confidence OF the
people. Law has again asserted its supremacy
order rules. everywhere, and the people who
but yesterday crowded our streets in grim de-
termination that fraudulent government
should not be put over them, have quietly re-
turned to their farms and their work shops,
contented and secure in the possession of their
birthright and their inheritance. One painful
ana appalling feature LII UIlIS EculdEh5Dit pOllti-
cal tragedy is the unanimity of support it has
received from the Democratic and Greenback
leaders of Maine Those who protested are
scarcely more numerous than the fingers of my
two hands. William L. Putnam of Portland,
with his inheritance of Wing principles could
not endure the fraud. Wilder Farley with the
chivalry and honor of old cavalier repudi-
ated it. Reuben Cutler, son of an honorod ex-
Governor. of Maine, openly denounced it. Our
fellow citizen, Gov. Williams, not Democrat
long enough to hurt him, was from the first on
the right side, and Lewis Voter of Farming
ton and Daniel Snow of Skowhegan, refused
to accept fraudulent certificates of election,
and Ebenezer Sproul of VeazIe chosen DEM
ocrat to the Legislature, manfully and boldly
opposed the fraud from the beginning. Mr..
Cleaves and Mr.. Monlton in Cumberland hon
eStly refused to accept important county Off
ces to which they had been fraudulently count
ed in. If there be other leading Democrats in
this State who showed the least hostility to the
great fraud their names have escaped me and
l wrong them unintentionsily. In our own
city one could not in the entire Democratic
party procure signature to the petition TO re-
fer the question to the Supreme Court, except
Mr.. Lambard, President of the savings band,
who mus today regard his action as an honor
able distinction.
But while this was the attitude of the lead
ers, feel the confident assurance, indeed, [
have satisfactory evidence that among the
mass of honest Democratic and Greenback
voters at home are vast numbers opposed to
the fraud which their leaders attempted.
Many indeed have become utterly and perma-
nently estranged from the party leaders who
would concoct or would uphold that which has
been so persistently attempted. The masses
of the people in all parties want honest gov
eminent, and the attempt to intlict dlShon-
est government on the people of Maine by the
Democratic leaders has torn ansunder the
Democratic party as will become manifest
off Yt a1a tn 1y bpjr
shattered ranks at the polls.
The bafhed leaders now threaten an appeal
to Congress, though in what possible form
cannot conceive, and they boast that they will
so present their cause as to induce Congress to
recognize them as the proper government for
counting and declaring the electoral vote of
Maine next autumn. They even speak with
confidence of the already assured sympathy
and support of Democratic Senate Sir, if
should say they would receive it, 1 should feel
on my return to Washington that | had cast a
wanton insult upon Democratic Congress.
The Democratic party has, think, shown a
remarkable readiness to do the wrong thing,
and its record for the last twenty-five years has
been one of political sins and plumbers almost
past comprehension. But when the Maine
Democrats come to ask their brethren of the
nation to share and to carry the ugly load I'M
derswhich they are now groaning | venture to
think they have over estimated the temerity
and the folly of Democrats i'll other States.
When they ask them to approve the fiat and
fraudulent counting out Of 81 Republican
members of the Legislature out of the 109 that
were legally and indisputably elected l hazard
the opinion that the National Democratic
party will call a halt and ask to be excused
from that burden. Perhaps however the
Maine Democrats assume confidence from the
fact that during the prolonged strife over the
fraud even after its full exposure and when
it lay PROSTATE under the decree of justice
from Supreme Court no leading Democrat OF
tile nation was heard to utter one word in
remonstrance while away off from indianapolis
a message came greeting from Thos. A. Hen
bricks expressing admiration for the backbone
which Gov. Garcelon had displayed in the
counting out conspiracy The political friends
of Mr.. Hendricks have never accused him of
an extra supply of spinal strength and l desire
to say to him from pleasant acquaintance of
many years that do not think he ever posses
sed the backbone to do the acts on which he
congratulates Gov. Garcelon In saying that
no leading Democrat from abroad sent word
of help and hope to the friends Of good govern
ment or a word of rebuke to the authors of
fraud let me make honorable exceptions of
several Democratic editors of leading papers
who denounced with unsparing severity the
course of the Maine Democracy. Their words
brought cheer and courage to those who were
fighting for the right and we send them back
cheer for the courage of their manhood and
the consistency with which they upheld good
principles.