The Portland daily press., 1880-09-08
BY TELEGRAPH.
FREEPORT.
One of the Biggest Demonstra-
tions of the Campaign.
SPEECHES BY GEN. GROSVE-
NOR AND HON. LEWIS
BARKER.
An Imposing T orchlight Process
sion.
An Imposing T orchlight Process
lspecial psspatch to the press.l

lSpecial Despatch 10 tne Press.l
FREEpoRr, Sept. Cone of the most i'm :
posing demonstrations ever seen in Freeport
was that by the Republicans tonight There
was great crowd in attendance, from this and
the neighboring towns. The speakers were
the Hon. Lewis Barker of Bangor who de-
livered stirring address which awakened
much enthusiasm. Gen. Gros venor of Ohio
during the campaign which has been rich in
eloquent speakers. In opening he referred to
the State steal speaking as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Coming among you from far distant state
to discuss with you the issues involved in the
current campaign do not deem it wise to en-
ter at any considerable length into discus
sion of the questions which have grown out
of your local difficulties here in the State of
Maine. There is, nevertheless, a general
feature to this controversy that occurs alike to
men of all parties and without distinction of
party. The course of the Fusion party in
Maine last winter is condemned to-day by the
decent men Of all parties throughout the
United States
1t does not often fall to my lot to speak
good word for the Democratic party of Ohio
1t has not been my fortune to find characteris-
tics in that party, ordinarily to approve; but
and the honest men of the Democratic party
of Ohio unanimously and unreservedly oon-
denim and execrate the course taken by the
Fusion leaders of Maine to wrest from the
people of Maine last winter their right of self
government.
In my own town in Ohio there is edited and
published leading, prominent Democratic
newspaper; its editor is one of the most dis
tinguished newspaper writers of the State of
Ohio, time tried in his devotion to the Demo-
cratic party, but on all occasions that news
paper has lifted up its voice in condemnation
and disapproval of the attempt of Garcelon
and his gang to rob the State of Maine of her
right OF free choice in the election of Governor
and State officers.
Two things strike the citizen of another
State and impress him with this opinion. The
first is that the claim of the FuSionists was
based upon the theory that. by technical
means, men who had received majority of
votes in the towns and counties as members of
the Legislature, were not entitled to their
seats; it was claimed that, because an initial
letter was omitted or wrong one introd uced,
somebody, who had been confessedly beaten
by the people, was entitled to his seat: it was
claimed that, because the selecctmen of certain
towns, and clerks of certain election boards
had technically failed to strictly discharge
their duty, men who had been repudiated by
their constituency and confessedly not elected
should have the places of those who were
elected, and in that way turn out Davis and
seat Smith.
When such claims as these are asserted the
people OF this country never examine them;
they never investigate such questions as that:
they condemn the men who would take seats
under such circu instances, and that is the
popular judgment of the people of this
country.
But another view of this subject is more
important and impressive. The people Of the
whole country believed that you, men of
Maine, were standing upon the crumbling
brink OF a precipice, down which you were
sure to go, and at the bottom of which was
bloodshed, anarchy, civil war and the total
destruction of order and good government
Inc rule OF the shot gun in Mississippi and
the domination of the tissue ballot in South
Carolina had not been so startling to the peo-
pie for those outrages had been committed
where respect for law has long ceased to exist,
but this trouble was about to occur upon the
soil of one Of the New England States, a State
with proud record, grand history, a Sta te
that had heretofore tolerated no disobedience
of law, no disregard of good order, no tricks
or stratagems of politicians, but had been
guided hitherto by simple adherence to the
old id Puritan ideas Of honesty in goyernme Mt
your institutions. NoEWs could see r| re afI1ng Nay
ster, civil war, seemed just clutching at your
liberties. In that hour we learned for the
hrst time that questions about which YOU were
disputing might be submitted to and settled by
your Supreme Court, that under forms of law
the questions might be sent to that tribunal
for ultimate decision, and that when SO sent
that court would have jurisdiction of the SUBJ
ject matter of the controversy.
When we saw that we rejoiced. The people
OF the whole country knew but little about
your Legislative and executive departments;
but the bench and bar of the whole country
knew and respected and honored your Supreme
Court. Its decisions have been recognized as
guides to the determination of legal disputes
in all the States of this Union; its patriotism:
its honor. its high standing as court, had
never before been questioned. When. Gov.
Garcelon, impelled by the stern deman ds of
the Republicans of Maine, submitted those
questions to the Supreme Court, we felt that
the war cloud that had threatened YOU had
broken and passed away; we felt that the law
abiding people OF Maine would bow their
heads in calm obedience to the utterances of
tribunal so august, so learned, so patriotic as
your Supreme Court When the decision
came and was read and studied by the people
of other States, it was discovered that Il was
so logical, SO reasonable, so in accordance with
the general principles OF law in questions of this
kind, that nobody believed thai any respect
able portion of the people of Maine would hes
itate to comply; and when the fusion party of
Maine resisted the judgment of the Supreme
Court and by revolution sought to grasp and
hold on to the political power from which they
had been banished by the people. the popular
Judgment OF this country condemned that
fusion party. and the pools of all the politi-
cal siloams on earth can never efface from the
record of that party the damning blot tn at
they put upon it by the course they took. Not
ooaly did they resist and seek to evade the
judgment OF the Supreme Court, but today
their party organs and party leaders through
out the entire length and breadth of the ST ate
are condemning the action of the Supreme
Court, condemning its judgment and impugn-
ing its motives, and seeking to degrade and
soil the Judicial ermine OF your proud State by
personal and political detraction. For all this
the calm Judgment of the men of this country
condemn the fusion party of Maine
But the future standing of Maine in the ewes
of the people of the United States is yet to be
determined. Your popular judgment upon
are hereafter, on next Monday, to express and
put it on record how much and how strongly
the intelligent Judgment of the people of
Maine condemn the larceny of State govern
ernment and the robbery of free people,
Your moral sense is to be tested. You are on
trial before the people of the United States.
You can assign to your proud State, with its
magnificent record in war and in peace, its
leadership upon the battle field, its supreme
leadership in the halls of Congress, position
as unenviable as the position of Mississippi,
South Carolina and the Democratic States of
the country where there is no law but the law
OF force, or you can place your State way up
in the beautiful temple among the law loving,
law abiding and pure States of this Union;
and when you have made this record your fu-
ture history will be affected by it. The value
of your property, the character of your peo-
pie and the perpetuity of your institutions are
on trial. See to it, men of Maine, that on
next Monday you condemn the conduct of this
party in tones that will not be mistaken by the
people of the country.
After the meeting there was magnificent
torchlight procession which was participated