The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-08-23
ANDERSON AND TODD.
How they Whooped Up the Fusionists at
Bridgton.
BRIDGTON, Me-, Aug. 81

BRIDGToN, Me-, Aug. 81, 1880.
The long talked of and extensively adver-
tised Anderson and Todd meeting at Bridgton
has come and gone, and nobody is hurt as far
as heard from. Posters announcing grand
rally at Bridgton Aug. Goth, to be addressed by
Gen. S. D. Anderson and John NJ Todd, Esq,
were to be seen everywhere in this and adjoin-
ing villages, and as the posters did not indicate
whether 1t was a Democratic, Greenback Or
Fusion rally there was great excitement in
the Fusion ranks, and loud complaints against
the Fusion town committee for their neglect in
telling the faithful whether it would be safe to
be present. The result was that the people
who did attend were largely made up of Re-
pubicans of this village and Fusionists from
the adjoining towns in Oxford county.
The posters announced that the meeting
would be at the band stand, or if the weather
was not pleasant at Central Hall. The wealth.
er was pleasant, the evening beautiful, yet
courage failed them, for after much delibera-
ton and loud talk at the hotel the band and
those who had gathered at the band stand
finally started for Central Hall. The hall was
we'll filled by good delegations from both sexes
After fine selections by the Bridgton brass
band Capt. ]. T. Jenner introduced Ger. Sam
uel j. Anderson as the first speaker. He COM
menced by apologizing for not being an orator.
and then launched out into history of our
Puritan forefathers for the purpose of convinc-
ing his hearers that State rights was the funda-
mental principle of our Government, and told
the audience that the great Democratic party
was still fighting for State rights. He then
took up the solid South and said it was true
that the South was solid; that if we had been
abused as the South has been we should
be solid; that if ignorant slaves had
been elected to office instead of us we should
be solid that the legislature OF South Caro-
lima, composed largely of blacks, former slaves,
bought 200 spitoons at IS apiece for the State
House, and that the respectable whites of
South Carolina would not stand it; that that
same legislature bought with State money
swamp near Charleston, known as He'll Hole,
for the purpose of improving it and making
homes for the blacks, and the respectable
whites aforesaid would not stand it; that this
abuse of the South in regard to tissue ballots
was all nonsense; that the South had been
abused in regard to its political rights; that
the Democrats of the South had been deprived
not only of the President whom they elected
four years ago. but of State officers by notori-
GUS and infamous Republicans even up to the
present time; that the people of the South
were chivalrouS and true men, and that when
they were defeated they said to the North we
humbly ask for any such mercy as you see fit
to give us; but instead of mercy the Republi-
cans had heaped abuse upon the South, had at
tackled the time-honored doctrine of State
rights, and the result is that the South is solid
because it has to be.
The General then took hold of Gen. Garfield
and Gen. Hancock, telling the Democratic
story of Garfield and devoting much time to
Hancock and his glorious war record. He
said that at Gettysburg where the artillery of
the opposing forces was causing our lines to
waver, Hancock, the great soldier statesman,
rode down the line amidst shot and shell and
danger cheering on his men, although there
agds not half as mach danger for him as there
seemed to be- that next to Mcclellan Hancock
has brought more glory to American arms than
any other man; that Hancock never was de-
feated Turning to Todd and Caleb A. Chap
lain the General vigorously said There is a
holy alliance between the Greenback and DEM
ocratic parties and the Greenbackers mast
stand by it and must vote for the alliance
nominees" further, he dared the Greenback-
ers to do otherwise than fuse.
Of the State steal, he said he did not pur-
pose to devote his time to the discussion of
Eugene Hale's report as to who scratched the
tail of the P or changed the G to G. All he
had to say was that when people would take
and use the private correspondence which
Gov. Garcelon left at the State House, my
letters with others, for l wrote to Gov. Garce-
lon," they were beneath his notice. The Cen
eral forgot that Henry ingalls,, Esq, who wrote
the minority report of the Hale committee, is
a native of this town and has been lifelong
Democrat.
The most noticeable thing during the whole
speech was the applause at every mention of
rebel brigadiers and OF any glowing tribute
paid to them, while the names of Lincoln and
| Sumner fell cold, save once when the speaker
startled his hearers by the surprising statement
that Lincoln, were he alive, would be with
| us for Hancock"
More music by the band, when Anderson
| abruptly left the hall and did not return.
| Todd was next introduced and for time
unquestionably felt the cut Anderson had
! given him by leaving for he said Anderson
! was not a working man like himself. but was
brought up differently; that Anderson took
| the regular course through Bowdoin College,
| while he went through the same college selling
| blueberries at three cents quart Going still
| further, he told his hearers not to trust or vote
| for any Office seeker. This keen thrust at An
| derson caused no little commotion among the
Democratic leaders, but Todd went on telling
| his Democratic hearers to stuff cotton in their
| ears if they didn't like what he said. Again
| Todd renewed the attack by saying that An
| derson is a Greenbacker and has been since
| 1868, when he introduced the Pendleton reso-
luton in Democratic convention. "He gave
me my first lesson in Greenb ackism,'' said Mr..
| got to vote for him. This caused Todd to re-
member that Anderson had said that the
Greenbackers must stand by the holy alliance,
and he commenced to quote scripture and talk
about the wickedness of the Republican party.
| He then gave his audience sermon on Green
backism and labor reform, telling them of his
financial talks with such men as l. P. Earring
ton and Oliver Gerrish. Coming back to poll
| tics he told more truth than poetry when he
| said, 1--WE don't care whether Gov. Garcelon
and his Council swerved from the line of right
| or mott
Hon. G. a. Chaplain, of Harrison, was in
| troduced. His remarks were made up of per-
| sonal explanations, abuse of the Republican
| party and Supreme. Court, land personal attacks
| on Gov. Davis, Hon. T. B. Reed, A. A. Strout,
ESQ.,, and Major H. A. Shorey.
| We trust you will excuse stranger to you
taking the liberty of writing report unasked
| We can only say that previous to this meeting
| we had been dissatisfied with the denomination
| OF Gov. Davis, but this meeting has satisfied us
| that it is a duty we owe to our country, our
| State and ourselves to vote and work for all
the Republican nominees.