The Portland daily press., 1882-02-25
TEMPERANCE.
The Mass Meetia g at Congress Hall.

Congress Hall was we'll filled last night. The
first four or five settees were vacant, but the
rest were all occupied, and many stood at the
rear. Two-thirds of these were Democrats or
Republicans attracted by curiosity
Mr.. S. L. Carleton was chairman and Mr.. j.
B. Fillebrown secretary, who, after speech,
made verbal report. He said the committee
had been diligent in their quest for an eligible
standard bearer, and, after interviewing nu-
merous men, who declined the honor, they
naturally disliking to stand up merely to be
knocked over, believed they had hit upon good
nominee in the person of Mr.. George @. Lit
tlefeId. The announcement was received
with great enthusiasm, and when at the close
of the meeting the question was put, Mr.. Lit
tlefeld received a unanimous nomination. 1t
was also the pleasure of the meeting that the
committee should continue their work and
select candidates for ward officers, calling
meeting for their endorsement when deemed
expedient.
Gen. Dow said, in the course of his remarks,
that the Republican nomination for mayor was
most obnoxious to the temperance men. he
said one reason why the cause of prohibition
did not advance with that rapidity it should
was owing to the fact that people OF foreign
countries pointed to Portland, the home of the
Maine Law, and said, "why don't you put
down your grog shops?" Well, said the Cen
eral, eve are going to put down these grog
shops. We are not going to give up the war
fare. We accept the challenge. We take up
the gauntlet the Republicans have thrown
down to us. The wise people, the Christian
people, the better class people may not see-or
may not want to see-what the nomination OF
Mr.. Libby means, but they are clasping hands
with the people of Gorham 'sCorner, and Clay
Cove and Christian Shore and these people
last named know perfectly well what it means.
1t means free rum. Years ago the temperance
men were driven out of the hall in which they
had gathered. Well, that little game was re-
peated last summer. A Republican sheriff
and county attorney in Augusta drove us out
of hall in the old way. The politicians said,
'You shouldn't have done that; you should
have bowed them out, but you should have got
them out" Well, my friends, we have come
to stay now. We intend to show in the State
this fall what this defiance on the part of the
Republicans has done for them. We shall
teach them lesson. They will find out how
much they have made out of the nomination
of Mr.. Libby
Rev. DR. McKeown said he was Republican
and that he admired the Republican party for
what it had accomplished. He should desire
nothing better than to have voted their ticket,
and could have done SO console ltiously if Mr..
Baxter or some other gentleman that had been
named had been nominated He could not
vote for Mr.. Libby because of his record. If
he should do SO, and if his son should die a
drunkard, he should feel that God was only
Furnishing him for his failure to follow the die
tates of conscience He loved the Republican
party for many things, but he considered the
temperance plank the most vital in its plat
form. He advised his hearers to remember
that Mr.. Libby, by his record on the question,
was not a temperance man, and consequently
no one would be guilty of boiling who refused
to vote for him.
Rufus Deering, Esq, endorsed George G.
Littlefeld as an honorable man and sound
Republican. He said he had always been
thorough temperance man even if he hadn't
been able to attend the meetings in the hall,
and further remarked that all the men and wo-
men in his church were temperance men and
women.
John M. Todd made Characteristic speech.
BE claimed that Mr.. Littlefeld was mechanic
and that was great point in his favor. Fur
Their, he was President of the Mechanics As
sociation, a position he felt was far more hon.
orable than that Of President of the Cumber-
land Club, position held by Mr.. Libby. Mr..
Libby is not the President of the Cumberland
Club He hoped those present wouldn't take
it all out in talk, but would vote as they talked
DR.. True couldn't vote for Mr.. Libby He
respected his attsinments but couldn't vote for
anybody tainted with rum.
Hon. j. j. Perry said he guessed he wouldn't
speak as he wasn't in accord entirely with the
other speakers.
M. G. Palmer made few remarks.
The meeting adjourned to meet at the call
of the committee The meetings are to be
kept up and the committee are to prepare ward
tickets for election with the names of candi-
dates thereon.