Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-06-24

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port; washingtnn.-N. s. Allen. Dennys-
vile; York;. r. Hanson, Sanford
The incidental mention Of James g. Blaines
name called out round Of applause. Some
enthusiastic members waved their hats.
Hox. THOMAS B. REED's SPEECH.
Hon T. B. Reed of Portland. was called
for. and came forward and said:
Mr. President and Gentlemen Of he CSsses-
tion:
The Republican party ofthe State Of Maine,
during its twenty-five years of reputable MS
tory has never occupied position more non
orabie and more satisfactory than it occupies
to-day EApplause. And that is saying
great deal The democratic party OF the
State of Maine during all its history, has
never occupied a meaner or more ignomin'ous
| fapplausel position: and that also 10 saying
= great deal. (Great laughter.] am not
one of those who deal in vituperative
discourses During the various campaigns
| in which have been engaged in this State,
| think that have applied as few epithets 70
my opponents as any other gentleman. be-
| lieve that facts are Of more account than al
jectives. But do say that we have reached
the period now. when the ruth, plain and
simple. ought to be told. Applanse
This is no campaign for mere partizan ad-
vantage tits a campaign which involves
questions of common honesty. 1t is
campaign where the people of the State OF
Maine are called upon to take 4
position. whether they will or not indorse
what every man, woman and child knows to
have been piece of attempted wickedness
Argument or language seems incapable OF
doing it justice. [Applause.l Now do put
that one whit to strong? Voices: No. no.
mol The questions of tariff or protection
| or even the principles connected with the
best material interests of this country are not
half so much at stake as the question of
whether we shall be known all over
the world as honest and honorable
people. Applause 1t is true that
we have rescued the State by our exertions.
under Providence-and l mean those last
two words in their fullest extent-but never
| theless, we have got a further duty to do.
For the first time in the history Of Maine
there has been blot on its escutcheon, and
for the first time the people of Maine have
been put upon the defensive and are called
upon by every sentiment Of honor and hon
esty to say whether they intend TO be upon
the Lords side or upon the other. Ap-
plause.1 Now, one would naturally suppose
that these fellows caught with the stolen
goods sticking out of their pockets daughter
would be ashamed to stand up before this
community. And yet, they are here on
every cross road as bold as brass and about
as valuable. Laughter. Now we under
stand what impels these men. They know
that all the facts are against them, and yet
they purpose in a Presidential year, to force
the. campaign. and if the people of the State
of Maine should not overwhelmingly indorse
the Republican ticket, to proclaim themselves
| as vindicated in the eyes of the world. Now,
my friends, you see what your duty is. You
see that you are called upon by every thing
that should stir men of reputable character
and honor. See that you do your duty fully.
know what talk these men have undertaken
to make. They have said-and they are re-
iterating it in their National Convention. and
it would seem as if they could hardly do it
without smiling in each others faces-that our
last presidential election was something which
| should cause our retirement from the control
| of the government Now, my friends, l had
| occasion in the course of my duties to inves-
tigate somewhat that business of the last
presidential election, and want to present
to you certain considerations in regard to it.
| These men say 80! look at Louisiana !"
What an argument! They deliberately COM
pare their own actions with q transaction
which they say was cheat, and admit the re-
semblance. Laughter Now what was the
actual fact with regard to those Southern
States? The State of South Carolina was
loudly claimed by the democratic party. To-
day there is not man of them who is black
enough to say a word about it. Their own
investigating committee admitted the situa-
ton.
| Now. where did the cry arise about Flori-
da? We often find ourselves in possession
of certain views and notions about things with
Outjnqniring carefully where they came from?
Where did the question of doubt about Flor
ida come from? Why, it came from news
paper dispatches. And who supervised
and edited and flung abroad those
newspaper dispatches? Why, Manton Mar
| BILE of New York, and the very men, the very
coterie that got up those dispatches have
been proved to be attempted bribers. upon
their own testimony. And l don't think the
history of the world afforded such an exam
pie Of hypocrisy as when those men, with
the brides reached out in their left hands,
raised their right to write virtuous despatch
es abont their own goodness and our wicked
ness. What was the actual fact in Florida?
And | am going to make it Short for the
whole business is in a nutshell. In Florida
the canvassing board consisted of two repub.
licans and one democrat. Following out the
law as laid down by a democrat who was
| attorney general, they canvassed the re-
turns, and let me say to you that they did it
under the very great disadvantage of having
communications cut off and returns tempered
with from one end of the state to the other
by the democratic party. They canvassed
them and they found, according to the prin-
ciples which the democratic Attorney -Gener-
al had laid down, that the
republican electors had 900 majority. [Ap
plause. Afterwards the Supreme Court de-
clared that they had no business to 20 behind
the returns but that they must canvass every
vote just as it was returned by the returning
officers. The returning board recanvassed
the vote for presidential electors upon that
basis and found that the republican PARTY
even after throwing in everything that had
been tempered with, had 200 majority. And
when the democrats got full possession Of the
State they invented returning board of their
own to go over it third time, and that re-
turning board, out of a vote of over 40, 900,
could, by their own figuring for parfixan
purposes, figure out only about 81 demo-
cratic majority, and on that they talk about
fraud! They talk about corruption! Why
look at it this very moment in Congress.
Horatio Bisbee, Jr.. was elected to Congress
from Florida district. He is a native of