Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-03-22

''Where were you Sunday afternoo,.,
said red-faced man, yesterday taknv
Journal reporter by the button hole.
WHY, what was going on"
~ wish that you had be en- up in the Reso,.
Club ROOM" said the red-faced man az,
pretty lively there for while, tell Won ),
The scribe pulled out his note book a.,
began to question his informant. ibid ,h..
have controversy up there"
Controversy should smile. IT,.
fellows went for the republican party a.,
the ministers wuss than ever heard o
perhead in war times
"rell us about it..
"Well, considering the bad trayel;,,
there was pretty fair audience in the b,n
with a sprinkling of ladies in the crowd
President Atkins called the meeting to p,
der, and they sang DO Not Pass mo r.
Then Mr. Atkins made a little speech II.
said that he used to think that the TEN.
perance vote wasn't of much account in tI
city, but since last Monday he had chausad
his mind. He thought the days of rum sbc,s
were numbered in Augusta, as 30 men had
spunk enough to cast their ballot for TEN
perance."
"Who spoke next
s.Valentine Holt. He fred off his mou,
equal to Dennis kearney. He said he was
surprised last Monday to see the Postmas,er
the County Attorney and all the ward officer,
down to a constable, looking over the cheek
list to see what scum they could buy. They
cheered him little here, and Valentine
warmed up. When he saw the ministers,
lawyers. doctors, and church members filing
up to the polls, all voting the republican
ticket, he thought the temperance candidate
wouldn't get many votes in Augusta ae
hadn't more than sat down, when old Dplcck
who used to be president of the Club jumped
up and spoke in the same strain. DploCk
concluded by repeating poem which he said
he wrote. can remember but two lines
.Deserters. deserters. What have you done?
Then there was something in it about 'N,e
and how is that for high: and lots NOR"
"Was that ALL"
'tAl. ! guess not. The orchestra was inst
tuning up. William Hodges followed lie
said that a year ago they only had 10 votes;
now they had $50. If they increased in this
ratio they would sweep the city next spring
and then all the bummers would be glad 10
get in with them"
'.Joshua Nye got up at this juncture, aad
pulled copy of the Daily kennebec Journal
from his coat-tal pocket. lie read an ae
count of the city election, in last Tuesdays
Journal, and then he went for the paper n
his refined style. He said that Bill Bolton
was hired to vote the temperance ticket in
order to bring the cause of prohibition into
contempt. He said he saw prominent off
Gals take Bolton up stairs and behind build
ings, and every time he came back there was
more liquor in him than when he started. 1t
was a put-up job. Mr.. Nye said he stad st
the pools all day Monday to see how men in
his ward voted. A minister came along with
a temperance ticket in his right hand and a
rum ticket in his left. He looked over the
minister's shoulder to see how he was going
to vote. A knowing look passed between the
parson and the ward officers, and he dropped
the republican ticket into the ballot-box"
''Were these men permitted to make these
rash statements unchallenged?"
''That's what I'm getting at. There were
quite number of republicans in the room.
Among the rest was Charles Hewins, who
always like to see fair play. Mr.. Hewins re-
piled to the Nye clique in an able manner
He was match for them all. He said that
he thought it wasn't just the place to arralgn
men for voting as they considered right. He
believed that every man who had attained
his majority had a right to vote as he
wanted to. He considered himself
the peer of Mr.. Nye, or anyone there as
a temperance man. From his experience in
the past. and looking into the future he saw
no reason why he should change his vote.
The republican party was the only party that
had ever done anything for temperance in the
State: he was in hopes that political matters
would be left out of prohibition in the future
His speech was manly defence of the re-
publicans of Augusta from the charges MADE
by the preceding speakers"
''By this time there weren't many women
in the hall. Most of them had gone on''
when the proceedings began to get interest
ing. l swan half expected to see the whole
of 'em tackle on to Mr.. Hewns. they were So
mad If they had, I'd sailed in. Then N!e
and Diplock spoke again. b. +. Gaslih
said he had always voted with the republican
party; and he believed that no man haa
right to make attacks upon him or d.
brother reformers for voting as they saw H.
''They apparently had very excl'lns
time?'
You just bet your life they did. 1t WEN wen
on in this way for some time, when the ''a'