The Portland daily press., 1884-09-02

fathefs and OF the equally valiant sons be in vain?
Shall it be said that any here in this broad land
beneath the Stars and Stripes, shall be robbed
of his rights and that there is redress for the
wrong? That he cannot be allowed to exercise and
enjoy the privileges of a citizen If he be black?
Snail we invite the poor man to como to shores
to fee from oppression in other lands-and after,
We have clothed him with all the powers and duties
of citizenship trample his rights and give him no
voice in the government? If political position can
be in the aouth with the shotgun and the
bludgeon or by the destruction OF the ballot box,
will not the party introduce the same methods
in your State and in mine; and where they have the
majority the rights of the minority will be trampled
under foot? If am not mistaken it has not been
very long since that here in Maine Democratic
governor did try to have the minority rule the ma
jority, but the scheme failed.
The ballot box must be kept pure. Our safety as
nation depends on the confidence that it speaks
the voice of the people. Then every true American
Citizen no matter what party has won the day. will
yield cheerful acquiscence to its decision. There
must not be doubt or well grounded suspicion that
what says is the uncontrolled and free choice of
the majority of the people. If our elections
conducted that that confidence can be felt by all we
are safe. 1t is the solid rock upon which rests the
pillars of civil and religious liberty; it is the foun
dation principle of Republican government. No
dangers can come to hurt or destroy our national
strength or unity while we have absolute faith in
the ballot box; but let us lose that faith and we
will soon be tossed on the angry pillows of anarchy
and ruin will be sure to come. We cannot trust a
Democratic administration to do this work. If the
Democratic party should succeed in November, it
will be by fraud in the Southern States, and they
will not punish the men who have put them in
power.
MIR. Cumbach then discussed the tariff question.
showing that the Republican party was the only
party that protected the laborng classes that that
party gave the homestead law to the poor man,
worked in the interests of the laborug class, and
that now they proposed to l4ysuch duty on for
ejgn goods that the laboring men in our factories
would not have to work for the prices that the
paupers of the old world obtain. He showed how
the Republicans over the bitter opposition of the
Democrats had given us national currency, so that
when the laboring man received his wages he knew
that the money would not perish in his hands that
they had swept out OF existence the old banking in
situations that used to enrich the banker and rob
the laborer. He showed how the Republicans had so
honestly managed affairs that they were rapidly pay
ing the principal and interest of the public debt and
paying the pensions and keeping up the credit OF
the nation.
Mr.. Cumbach ridicnled the Democratic platform
where it spoke of the Republican party as a remin-
iscence. He said he could only account for such
state emit on the ground that the Republicans had
given them so many things to remember He showed
how we had made sreminiscence out Of Mcclellan,
Seymour, Greedy, Tilden and Hancock. all of New