Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1883-10-26
THAT MASS MEETING.

this place on Friday last, which had for some
time been extensively advertised by large
posters in all parts of the county, turned out
to be rather small affair. The hall was
about two-thirds filled with members of the
party, a very large majority of whom were
negroes, drawn together doubtless by the
stirring notes of the negro brass band in at
tendance.
The meeting was presided over by Hon.
Francis Miller, the present leader of the
party in this county, who, after one of his
characteristic harangues, introduced Adam
f. King, Esq, of Baltimore. Mr. King, be-
ing an old hand at stump-speaking, found
no difficulty in entertaining the audience for
one hour in trying to convince them that the
Republican party was pure and above re-
proach, while the Democrats were deeply
dyed with every conceivable crime. He
spoke out boldly in favor of strong cen
trail government at Washington, and ridi-
cued the idea of States having rights. In
this Mr.. King does not exactly agree with
the Supreme Court.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Kings address,
the chairman came forward and with quite
flourish introduced to the audience Hon.
Hart B. Holton, their candidate for Gov
ernor, as one who had formerly been a
teacher of the youth Of the State and was
now successful farmer. Expectation was
on tip-toe to hear this distinguished gentle
man give his views on the various questions
at issue between the two parties in this con-
test, and when he came forward and an
nounced that he had simply come here that
the people might have an opportunity to see
him the audience was sorely disappointed.
While his address was very short, not &C.
cupying more than three minutes, he man
aged to utter one selfevident truth, and that
was that he had never learned to make a
speech. The general impression made on
the audience was that if Mr.. Hoton had any
strength it must be in the pocket, as it was
certainly not in the head.
Hon. Louis +. McComas, the young con-
gressional giant of Western Maryland, was
next introduced and at once launched forth
into one Of those soul-stirring flights of ora
tory for which he is noted He was no
stranger to the crowd, and it was noted that
he was dressed as usual with scrupulous
care, in the height of fashion, and really
looked as if he had been kept in a band box
since his last appearance among us. He,
however, could talk little. He congratu-
lated his brothers, black and white, upon
the grand success attending the last cleo
ton, when strip of territory reaching from
the shadow of the Capitol to the waters of
the Atlantic had been captured from the
Democracy by his friend, Holton; but some
how he forgot to mention the fact that at
the same election very large majority of
the members elected to Congress were DEM
ocrats.
Mr. McComas took occasion in the course
of his remarks to refer to the publication of
the laws, and denounced it in strong terms,
forgetting the fact, known to oil intelligent
men, that the law authorizing the same was
passed by a Republican Legislature for the
sole purpose of building up negro organs in
every county of the State.
He also promised the negroes present that
should their party get control Of the State,
laws would be passed giving them an equal
share of the public school funds and right
as trustees and school commissioners to
see that they were so divided. However he
forgot to tell his colored hearers that for all
the benefits they have for years derived from
the schools they were indebted to the Dem
ocratic party.
During the progress Of the meeting, and
within the confines of a magnificent pair OF
side whiskers, Col. Mullikin was introduced,
but declined to make speech further than
to give a glowing account of their prospects
in the campaign. He, too, evidently came
to be seen and not heard.
Take it all in all the meeting was very
tame affair and aroused no enthusiasm in
the Radical ranks.