The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1880-01-22
The Maine Greenbackers.

dictation of, the Democrats, is now SO
apparent that there are nom to de-
fend and few to excuse their action.
At the last election they cast twice
as many votes for Governor as the
Democrats, but when it came 20 the
legislative candidates they lost their
identity in the word F%usionists, and
lost all chance for independent action
in submitting to the leadership of
that old O~oppcrhsad and rebel SYM
pathizcr, L. +. Pillsbury.
Pillsbury has been for twenty years
to Maine what Vallandigham was to
Ohio. A Bourbon of the worse type,
he has been Il bold aud dangerous man,
aspiring always to the leadership of
the Democratic party. Having led his
party to defeat after defeat, and having
made The name of the party almost as
Objectionable as his own, he two years
ago intrigued for the leadership Of the
new party, made up Of many of the
men who had left the Democratic party
TO escape the ignominy of his manage
ment. lie succeeded, and within the
last year has wheeled.Or whipped tho
Greenbackers. into. u support of his
schemes.
They became a party to his scheme
of fraud, and it has been the policy of
the Democratic leaders in Washington,
New York and Maine, to keep the
Grccnbackers well to the front in the
fight that has been made for fraud.
Throughout the present struggle in
Maine the democrats have used the
Greenbackers 10 pull the Democratic
c!lcstnuts out of the Ere and have,
from the first, SO s~maneuyered as to
throw tie responsibility for overt acts
on the Greenbackers.
When it seemed that Governor Gal-
celon would be held responsible for the
crime, the Democratic leaders at Wash
ington came to the. rescue, exercised.
such influence as persuaded Garcelon
70 submit the question to the supreme
Court, aud then, reporting that the
Council opposed this course, asked the
people to remember that the majority
of the Councillors were EreenbackerS.
Garcelon is supposed to have cleared
his skirts by submitting the S1rreme
Court decision to the Legislature. The
aim in this maneuyer was to throw the
responsibility for ignoring the decis-
ion on the Fusionists of the Legisla-
ture, and the Democratic leaders are
careful to assume. us that the majority
of these are GreenbackcIs.
Incredible as it may seem, the Green
backers tell into this trap. The Dem
,ocrats held out as inducements, the OIL
er to make Smith Governor and Lam
son President Of the Senate, and push
ed these men to the front as the expo
nents of supreme measures. They
were the more willing to make these
concessions as by SO doing Democrats
were kept in the background and
Greenbackers were given the appear
ance of men clamoling for revolution
and fraud. 1t now seems probable
that at the beginning Of the trouble the
Greenback leaders were disposed to act
fairly. The first speech of Scion
Chase indicated this, and Smith, it is
said, was kept quiet by the threat that
if he weakened in any degree, a Dem
ocrat would be elected instead Of him
self. Lamson at first declined to pay
the part assigned him, but he and 9TH
ers we're ~bulldozed by the Pilisbury
crowd.
Had there been among the Green
hackers q single man of foresight or
political sagacity, competent to be a
lca6cr. such a mistake would not have
been made He would have seen that
the rpo of the Bourbon Democrats
was to so use the G~reenbackers as to
commas the obstruction of the new
marty. and would have held his men
well in hand for decisive and indepen-
dent action.
But there was no leader Of sufficient
courage to oppose the dictatorship of
Plllsbury. The whole crowd has
been driven to do his bidding, and the
Democratic leaders throughout the
country are chuckling oye their dis
comilture.
SO long as Garcelon was in danger
tho Democratic papers kept up a vigor-
GUS fire to cover his retreat. When the
decision Of the Supreme Court had been
pubiished, and Garcelon was out of the
way, the leading papers withdrew their
support Of the Fusionists' plan, leaving
20 mongrels like the Boston Globe, to
guerrillas like the New Haven Union, to
a~nti-T1Iden papers like the Cincinnati
ENQUIRER, and TO the Bourbon papers Of
the South the work Of encouraging the
conspirators.
Tho Democrats of Maine have had
thr Stntc House fill Of soldiers for