The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-07-17
THE LOYAL LEAGUE.
The Meeting at Army and Navy
Hall.
SPEECH OF w. S. DANA
Home Thrusts From Congressman Reed.

Home Thrusts From Congressman Reed.
An adjourned meeting of the Loyal League
was held last evening. The announcement
that the Hon. I. B. Reed would address the
League called out large attendance, filling
the spacious rooms to OVERLOOKING At the
conclusion OF the business meeting there was
an adjournment to the hall above to listen to
the speech of Congressman Reed
W. Mather-Porteous sang Red, White and
Blue" while Mr.. Leighton accompanied on
the piano.
The Hon. w F. Lunt called the meeting to
order and introduced Mr.. Woodbury. S. Dana
as the presiding officer, who was received with
applause.
MIR. DANA's ADDRESS.
Gentlemen: L see before me tonight MANY
of my fellow citizens, whose faces are familiar
to me. and it is needless, perhaps. for me to
say why / am here. If 1 should put in a nut
she'll the reason it would be this That if |
have been somewhat conservative sometimes,
ii have taken little part in public affairs
sometimes not casting vote, am now anx-
ious to stand up and be counted as being ready
to take an active part in this campaign. loud
applause.)
Gentlemen, there are many questions like
the intricate question of finance, that will en-
ter into the campaign that would not attempt
to discuss before this intelligent audience, but
will for the sake of the young men, many of
whom l see here, give the reasons why I, be-
ing conservative Republican, have never had
drop of Democratic blood in my VEINS Zap
plause.)
Forty years save one / )have been voter
My hrst ballot was cast for Harry Clay, a
name of which l ever have been and am
proud. began with the old Wing party that
was merged into the Republican party and has
remained pretty much the same while the 9TH
er party, the Democratic party, has been ev-
erywhere. QIaughter.)
When the great question of slavery was I'M
der discussion as it was when 1 was a young
man, and tried to look at questions without
reference to their probable effect on nv politi-
the Democratic party was SO devoted to slav-
cry, so Under the control of the Southern ers
that the Northern Democracy were called
"doughfaces." Naughter.) And they were
driven from that devotion, and left their posi-
ton not from goodness of heart but because
they were driven from it. When was young
man, and the Democratic party was hard
money party, they even went SO far as to for
bid the issuance of bank notes of denomina-
lions less than five dollars. They have claimed
all along to be hard money party and it must
make an old line Democrat blush TO look at
the position OF his party on the currency ques-
ton at the present time.
Then on the temperance question the Demo-
cratic party have always been on the wrong
side, and it opposed temperance until driven
into supporting it, (Applause.( But, gentle
men, win not take up any more of YOUR time.
having only in this informal talk endeavored
to give the reason why l am here tonight.
applause. eFsf
THE Battle Hymn of the Republic" was
sung, the audience joining in the chorus
Mr.. Dana then said:
Gentlemen, 1 take more than ordinary
pleasure in introducing thel distinguished gem
tlemen that is to address you this evening. 1
have known him from boyhood and can saw
tonight with all sincerity that to know has
been to respect him. A gentleman who is our
fellow-citizen and also our worthy. representa-
has been worthy of your votes in the past, ana
will be equally worthy of your votes in the fu-
ture. (Applause.) 1 introduce now, gentle
men, the Hon. Thomas b. Reed.
Mr. Reed, on coming forward, was received
with long continued applause.
MIR. REEDS SPEECH.
In complying with request to say few
words to che members of the Loyal League it
more than submit a few considerations which
seem to me worth bearing in mind at the out
set of National campaign.
We are just entering upon months of discus
ion, not as to who our President and Vice
President shall be for the next four wears. hut
what party shall be rulers of the land for that
period and much longer. The old geography
which used to be studied declared that a re.
public was government where the people at
stated times elected their own rulers. Such a
definition applied to us is not only defective
but absolutely misleading yet it is an error SO
common that it clouds our views and renders
half our discussions of no avail Whatever
may be the case with other republics, the re-
public OF the United States of America never
quits its grasp upon its rulers. This republic
rules not only on election day but upon every
day of every week. No President rules by
himself alone. He but carries out on all great
public questions the will and the Judgment of
the party behind him. Not all his power and
patronage, not all the greatness of the loftiest
place in the world will enable him to with
stand the men whom he represents. There
have been Presidents who have tried to SET
themselves above the people whose wishes
they promised to carry out, but the name and
fame of John Tyler and Andrew johnson are
not such as to tempt many imitators The
great controlling influence in this nation is not
Presidents or holders of office. but the will
of the party in power. There are those
The wisdom of all is better than the wisdom of
some. Our very system is founded upon the
idea that the government of all is better than
the government of few. But whether he
likes it or not every wise man recognizes the
fact. Gen. Grants career has ALWAYS seemed
to me full illustration of what l am saving.
All his antecedents SO far as he had mingled
in politics had been Democratic. When he
first became President his idea seemed to be to
rule as he had in the army, to manage affairs
after his own notions exclusively. You re-
member what a singular cabinet he selected
for instance. The reception which his earliest
acts met with would have made Tyler of a
meaner man. But the strong good common
sense of Gen. Grant soon taught him the funda-
mental principle of Republican government.
that parties rule and not men. From that
moment his reputation as a statesman was as
secure as his fame in war. The true question
then for us to discuss is not whether Hancock
Killed Mrs. Surratt or whether Garfield helped
to convict Fitz John Porter but what party is
to rule this country, whether the wisdom of
one set of men Or the wisdom of the other is
to govern this country. In saying what have
said do not forget that the President may be
a great power in defining and shaping the
policy and guiding wishes of his party. That
fact is an advantage which we have which is
too important to be overlooked General
CARRIED for years has been among our fore
most leaders. (Applause) His comprehen-
sive intellect has helped us to fashion, his
powerful oratory has helped up us to state, the
principles and purpose of the Republican
party. What he thinks and believes on all
great public questions is known and read of all
men. He has been trained in everything
which pertains to practical craftsmanship. He
knows himself what he believes and every
body else knows. His character and standing
are beyond Ieproach. I am aware that the
Democratic newspapers say he is very bad
man, but Democratic newspapers furnish
what their subscribers want, and you can
easily see how comforting it must be to Tabu-
lators Chase and Munroe and their abettors,
how it must stir up their pure minds by way of
emembrancess (laughter) to read of the ex-
ceeding sinfulness of Garfield daughter
But character, thank heaven, is not what
newspapers say of us, but what associates and
neighbors think. Thanks to your favor have
sat with him for three years in Congress-
during two of the fiercest periods since the
war, when the Republican party was riven in
sunder at the beginning of the present ad-
ministration and when it was consolidated by
the folly of the Democracy at the extra ses-
sion, [ have heard him discussed without
mercy by foes Democratic and foes Republican
but L never heard in all of it his honorable
character called in question. He has one fault
which am sorry to admit but tits the only one,
he does not dislike the Democratic party SO
much as he ought to. Whether this arises
from having so few of them in his district or
from that same catholicity of spirit which led
st. Origen, an early Christian father, to speak