The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-08-07
WELCOME TO BLAINE.
Unprecedented Popular ovation.
Six Thousand People In City Hall.
Speeches, Enthusiasm and Hand
Shaking.
Presentation OF an Address Signed by
More than 400 OF POrtland's
Business Men.

Yankee at the transfer station. No demon
stration was made when the train rolled into
the Eastern station, though crowd collected
around Mr.. Blaine when he left the car and
followedhim to the carriage. With Mr.. Blaine
in the first barouche were Hon. II. N. Jose
and James P. Baxter, Esq. while His Ex-
cellency Gov. Robbie, Hon. A. F. Crockett Of
the Council, Hon. T. B. Reed and Hon. Geo.
P. Wescott occupied the second carriage. A
short drive was taken through the upper part
of the city before proceeding to the hotel.
Quite crowd had collected in front OF the
Falmouth, when the carriages reached there
and three ringing cheers were given as Mr..
Blaine alighted. There was one place which
the people determined to fill, and that was
City Hail. The tettees on the floor had been
taken out. largely increasing the capacity of
the hall, and every inch of space was thus
thrown open to the public. At six o'clock the
crowd began to pour in and take possession Of
the galleries. At $50 there was not a seat re-
naming Then they began to crowd the
floor. A constant stream of ladies and gentle
man poured in. t7.15 standing room on the
floor was difficult to find Ten minutes later
they were packed together like sar-
dimes and still the people wonld come.
They thronged the steps leading to the plat
form, they crowded the aihles of the galleries
and squeezed themselves into every available
inch and corner. 1t was big crowd. Over
three thousand people must have bsen in the
hall beside those on the platform. The air
was hot and sitting. Nobody seemed to
notice it. More than a thousand were un-
able to gain admittance. The hall was packed
and the solid ranks OF the crowd reached out
| into the corridor to the head of the stairs.
Representatives of the New York Times,
the Boston Journal, Advertiser and Globe oc-
cupied seats at the reporters table. Among
the invited guests on the platform were Hon.
O. J. Hodge of Ohio, editor Cleveland Voice
and Speaker of the last Ohio House of Repre-
ssntatives, and Rev. D. MacDill, d. D.,
Professor of Philosophy in Monmouth College,
IliDois Chandler entertained the audience
with delightful music until eight O'Clock. The
people began to look toward the Reception
Hall entrance. At exactly eight O'Clock the
Hon. James G. Blaine arm in arm with Hon.
T. B. Reed followed by the Reception Com
mittee came upon the platform. His appear
ance was the signal for scene of wild en-
thusiasm. The band struck up "Hail to the
| Chief" but the cheers of the crowd drowned
| the strains of music. Everybody was on their
feet. Cheer upon cheer came from the au-
dience, each one seeming louder than its pre-
decessor. They came in volleys which swept
| In increasing volume through the hall Hats
were thrown high in the air, handke{chiefs
| waved and when the voices Of the audience
gave out, with hands and feet they continued
| to applaud. For seven or eight minutes this
sort of thing lasted, and finally the crowd be-
| came qaiet from sheer exhaustion. 1t was
| magnificent demonstration.
When quiet was restored, Hon. Thomas B.
Reed stepped to the front of the platform. He
was greeted with cheers, and every sentence
of his remarks received generous applause.
| He spoke as follows
HON. t. B. REEDS REMARKS.
Fellow Citizens: Before 1 proceed to the
agreeable duty which has been assigned to me
tonight, you must permit me single word
preliminary. In this country, where we are
all equal, or the position Of any man in actual
life or in history, depends not only upon
the favor of the people, but upon their express
sion of it, Hence it ia that the nomination to the
highest Office in the land by either of the two
| 2r6aV pdrGtoS WHICH COlI6uu every IOur years
for the mastery, is of itself, whether ratified
by the votes or not, a high distinction. When,
| therefore, this honor has been conferred upon
q citizen of any State, it is fit and proper that
his fellow citizens of both parties, without re-
gard to party, should testify to him not their
political allegiance or political support, but
| their personal good will, their personal esteem
and regard. In this instance, it is especially
| seemly that the citizens of Portland should be
| seen and heard, for the city of Portland wit
kwtl
| liant career which the approving vote OF the
| people may heighten and prolong, but which
| even the adverse vote of the people, almost
| omnipotent as it is, cannot prevent from being
| interviewer visibly to all future generations, in
| the warp and wool OF the history of the United
| States for twenty-four of its most eventful
years.
Mr.. Blaine If it were my task to introduce
| to you individually the business men Of Port
land, fear that should be put in their pres
| ence to gan open shame, Cor it would soon
| become apparent to them that you know more
| of them and knew them better than did my
self. But in presenting them to you as q body
| l must be allowed to say, what indeed you
already we'll know, that while In this rich
| country of ours there are many groups OF men
representing more wealth, representing enter
| prises extending over much wider range Of
| territory, there is no body of men who have a
| higher standard of intelligence, OF integrity
and uprightness, or who live up to it better
I
| You know them so we'll, aud they you that
l the expression of their regard and esteem must
| be even to you, who have received so many
honors, a tribute of which you may we'll be
| proud.
present to you, therefore, the business
| men of Portland, whose spokesman, Geo. W.
| Woodmap, will now on their behalf address
| you.
| Hon. George W. Woodman then stepped
| forward, and addressing himself to Mr.. Blaine
| who arose from his seat and remained stand
| log, he read the memorial on behalf of the
Portland merchants, as follows
Hon. James G. Blaine:
The business men of Portland, remembering
your former sojourn in their city, and the in
terest you have always manifested in its growth
| and prosperity, as we'll as in that of the State
with which their interests are inseparably COZ
nected, and influenced by that pride in your
success so natural to every citizen of Maine
desire to express to you their great gratiica.
ton in the just recognition of your character
and services accorded to you in your nomina
ton for President by the political organ zatior
OF which you have so long been an able and
honored leader.
Many OF US have enjoyed the privilege of 8
| personal acquaintance with you, and although
we have not all been able to agree with you
upon political questions, We have all had con,
fidence in your integrity as a man and your pu
rity and ability as a statesman; and we are
united in the conviction that should the PEG
pie Of the United States ratify the choice o.
your political associates, you will give the
country an administration unrivaled in it
wise solicitude and practical measures for the
promotion OF all our material interests, ant
for its painstaking care for the purihcatior
and perfection of all departments Of the public
service.
1t is a matter of which you and your friends
may well be proud, that your nomination wa
tribute to yourself and was not made upor
grounds of locality to secure the influence o
your State at the polls, or her comparatively
Insignificant power in the electoral college; ye
as citizens OF Maine we are, nevertheless
proud Of the honor which has accrued to GU
State through the popular recognition OF you
private worth and your capacity for nationa
usefulness; we believe that every oonsiderat
citizen of Maine. without regard to party, hon
ors and respects you therefore.
We do not forget that through all the year