The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-08-19

Congress declared that we had no power under
the Constitution to make the greenbacks
They fought us at every step when the green
back was a necessity. 1t was denounced by
every Democrat as the most infamous legsla-
ton ever put on the statute books. Inc
greenback dollar went down to SO cents. Inc
whole four hundred millions would not bring
as much money as the first humid ed millions.
Then we did what no other nation ever did.
The doors we're wide open to reputation. But
we put law on the statute books that not an
other dollar of this money should be issued
We saved the nation from dishonor and main
tanned the national credit Is tnlS the reason
they hate us so?
AS soon as the war was over the work OF re
construction began. State after State was
brought back into the Union. Senator after
Senator and Representive after Representative
was seated And, said the speaker, while l
had to stand up and swear that had "never
voluntarily borne arms against the United
States" ETC., the rebel beside me had only to
swear that he will never do it again. When
we had the power to keep out half OF the Dem
ocratic party we took back these men, their
hands red with the blood of our sens, and set
them to making laws for US once more. do
they hate us for that?
When the war closed we had debt of W.
700,000,000. We have paid it off at the rate OF
one hundred millions year, and have reduced
the debt nearly one half. When the Demo
Gratis were in power they could not borrow
money for less than II per cent. When the
Republican party came into power in 1861 we
found the treasury bankrupt. We carried on
the war and spent five billions of dollars ana
have so managed the finances of the nation
that today we could borrow one or two or three
billions and pay only three per cent. Do they
hate as for that?
UNJUSTIFIA BILE ABUSE.
Have stated unfairly any of this brief bns
brilliant history? What is there in it to justi-
fy that letter from Bion Bradbury or the reply
from Plaisted? They call us miscerants, cor
ruptors and monopolists, AM say we are tramp
ling on the poor and riding over the rights OF
the people. My friends, if it had not been Ter
the Republican party there would have been
no rights of the American people to look after
today You don't find such abuse in Republl-
can conventions or Republican papers--ai-
though history might justify it.
THE CHARGE OF CORRUPTION.
Plaisted says we are rotten to the very core
Bion Bradbury says we are rloting IN corrupS
ton Is that true? There are corrupt men in
the Republican party. There are corrupt men
in every church in Portland. But shall we
condemn the churches because of such men?
We have done one thing the Democrats never
did. We have hunted up our own raseals
and punished them. When we punished one
he left Where is he to-day? An officer proved
to be corrupt? We punished him He left.
Where is he to-day? Every one OF these men
is nominated for office by the opposition to-day
If we admit for sake of the argument that our
party was just as corrupt as the Democratic
party, that party is now SO much the worse OF
by all the rsscals we have punished
The speaker then gave the loss per thousand
dollars by defalcations under every admlnlstra-
ton from W ashington to the present time.
Under Jefferson it was $275 per $1,000; under
jackson, Sill; under Harrison and Tyler,
$640; under Polk, $40S: under Taylor and
Fillmore, $40; under Pierce, 1896; under
Buchanan 1881; under Lincoln, 0.76 under
johnson, OBJ; under Grant, Oh; under
Hayes, 001; under Garfield and Arthur
nothing. Yet Bion Bradbury and Gov. Plalst-
ed say the Republican party is rotten to the
core. Mr.. Frye then referred to the report OF
Gen Raum, Commissioner of Internal Rev
enue, which shows that 500, 900 have been
collected and paid out without the loss of one
cent to the government.
WHO oPPREssEs THE POOR?
They say we Cypress the poor. What is the
power of the down trodden? What is the pow
or of the people of this country? 1t is the bal
lot. But for that one third of our people would
be ground down into the earth. man with
ballot is on an equality with every other man.
The man with ballot in his hand is a king.
The ballot gives the poor mans boy just as
good chance as the rich mans boy. Has the
Republican party taken the ballot away from
the American people? We had war in this
country and the Republican party put the bal
lot in the hands of men who had been manac-
led together as property. Was here more
or poorer class of men than those
black meu down South? Did a single Demo
crat in Congress vote t. give them the ballot?
Did not every Democrat in Maine oppose 1t?
But come down to the present time. Take the
proceedings of the last session OF Congress and
see who has shown regard for the right OF the
American peope. Mr.. Frye then took up the
Mississippi contested election case of Lynch VS..
Chalmers, the particulars of which have been
published in this journal. In brief, 1t may be
said that Chalmers was counted IN for three
terms by the Democrats, and it was not until
the Republicans obtained a majority in the
House that he was ousted from seat to which
he was never elected. In 1860 Lynch was
slave on q cotton plantation in MISSISSIPPI, and
could neither read nor write. After he OBJ
tanned his freedom he went to Work, educated
himself, studied law, and in fifteen years
from he time he left the plantation
he was standing erect at the lar OF the House
on terms of equality with Alexander FL. Steph-
ons, the Vice President of he Southern Con-
What white man-ean parallel this
case?The speaker said he did not like the black
man any better than be did the white. In fact
he believed he liked the white man the best
Now how would the black man be likely to
vote if left alone? They were in large major
ity III the district. Lynch had been elected two
years before by 1000 majority. Chal mers was
counted in by 5000 majority Now, what did
the Democrats do? They f'llibustered for ten
DAYS to prevent even the consideration OF the
case. The man Laid, don't know whether
to call him Democrat or Greenbacker, sat there
voiceless with the Democrats to prevent quo
rum Murch-I don't know what he did.
Probably he wasn't there. One case in which
a Greenbacker was the contestant was to be
considered-Lowe VS.. Herbert of Alabama.
Ladd helped the Democrats to prevent consid-
Grafton; but the Republicans seated Lowe, the
Gresnbacker, it having been satisfactorily
shown that he was entitled to the seat. Mr..
Frye read some of the evidence in the Lynch
case. In precincts where there were large ma
jorities for Lynch no returns were made. In
seven precincts which gave 5,0l4 majority for
Lynch all his ballots were thrown out on the
ground that the printers dashes under the
names were distinguishable Marks while the
Chalmers BALLOTS which bore similar marks,
were all counted. Mr.. Lynch was seated in
the House by Republican votes Was the Re-
publican party treading upon the poor man
theni
The speaker then reviewed the South Caro-
lima contested case of Mackey VS.. Dibble. Mac
key, Republican, and O'Connor, Democrat,
were the candidates. and the latter died just
after the election. The district was Republic
can by 5000 majority. Then Mr.. Dibble was
given few votes and sent to Washington and
occupied the seat. In one precincts2 1856 votes
we're found in the ballot box, of which ,646
were Democratic ballots, 400 more votes than
there we're voters Under the South Carolina
laws the supervisors may throw out an excess
OF gUlSS, anu ~ was uOCluOu " phAOn Jul Ou6
thousand. The Democratic ballots were small
and printed on tissue paper The Republican
balloIs were on printed paper and Of the usual
sizs. A man with a Democratic blind
fold was set to work to pick out the one thor-
sand ballots. He could readily distinguish by
the touch the Democratic from the Republican
balloss. When he got through thore were t.
l41 votes for O'Connor and for Mackey. The
Democrat who did it was asked on the stand
how he happened to leave those five ballots
and he said he tried his best to get them all.
Mr.. Mackey, who was legally elected, was
seated by the Republicans.
ELECTION FRAUDS IN THE SOUTH.
After some remarks upon the Importance OF
a'free ballot, MIR. Frye referred to the situation
in Mississippi, reading some facts from court
records In one court after the last election,
there were sixty convictions for election frauds
and 100 warrants issued were not served. When
they convict down there the evidence must be
pretty satisfactory. One Republican supervis-
or was driven from the polls with pistol. His
duty was simply to stand behind the ballot box
and see the voters deposit tkeir ballots. At
another polling place the Democrats had can
non which they fred at fence to show the
Garfield niggers'' how they could tear fence
to pieces. Not one of them dared to vote. At
another poll Republican and "a Greenbacker
we're driven away and not allowed to vote A
colored man refused to leave and mob led
by the clerk of the circuit court, beat him
about the head. The record of the court shows
that the clerk pleaded guilty aud was sent two
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