The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1884-05-29
A Boom for Arthur.

A mass meeting was held in Cooper Union
on Tuesday evening of last week to recommend
the nomination of Arthur for the Presidency.
1t was called as Il business mems meeting was
supposed to represent all parties, and was
largely attended and decidedly enthusiastic
The resolutions and speeches heartily endors-
ed the administration of President Arthur
Among the speakers were Henry Ward Beech
er, Benz. II. Brstow, Parke Goodwin, Frederick
S. Winston, President of the Mutual Life In
surance Company, and President Herrick of
the New York Produce Exchange Mr. Beech
er made the speech of the evening and drought
down the house from the PLATFORM as he does
from the pulpit. He was not very compliment
tary to eXPresident Hayes. Said Beecher:
When Hayes took the Presidential chair we
had been SCARED with the fires of the war, and
as when the physician applies sweet oil and
poultIces to the skin of a scalded man, so the
nation needed a poultice, and it had it. (Roars
of laughter, which interrupted the speaker.
Gentlemen, see that you have not come to a
sufficient appreciation of the benefits of poul-
tices. 10 alay irritation, to take out the fever
from sores, this man may not have had the
most honorable function. Little. however, as
you may think of Mr.. Hayes to-day. he did
good work, and he did it by doing nothing. He
slept. (Laughter) He is not dead. He sleep
eth yet. (Peals of laughter.)
Mr.. Beecher's definition of his own political
faith is, it must be admitted somewhat cloudy.
He said 81 am Republican, and am. | think,
an independent, although | do not belong to
that section that is classed as independents.
His reason for supporting Arthur was also pc
culiar: Il never saw Mr.. Arthur but three
and liked Dorsey and did not like Arthur.
The next time was at Washington. where |
went to get something, and | did not get it.
The third time | saw him he certainly made no
promises to me, and had the opportunity, and
took it, of expressing my qualification at the
wisdom and fidelity he had shown in his adj
mnistraton.'
Mr.. Beecher made reference to the open let
ter Wayne McNeagh addressed to Gen. Bris-
tow, in which President Arthur is violently as
sailed, and it was also alluded to by Gen. Bris-
tow himself. The mention of McVeagh's name
was received with Kisses. This attack upon
the President is certainly very sharp and bitter
but it will injure the writer, whose abandon
meut of the star route prosecutions while hold
ing the office Of Attorney General is not re-
membered to his credit. far more than it will
President Arthur. Evidently McNeagh aimed
to kill two birds with one stone and the other
was the gentleman to whom the letter was adj
dressed. Gen. Bristow, while Secretary Of the
Treasury under President Grant, attempted to
set himself up as a reformer by pulling Grant
down, and hoped thus TO secure the Presiden-
tial nomination He made an ignominious fail
ure then and has not since been heard of in pol
iics.
The speeches do not call for further com
ment. They were all pitched in the same key.
The New York Herald, whose cry is Anything
to beat Blaine says in its report From first
to last the keynote of the meeting, as was to be
expected, was the Arthur slogan. No word of
praise of his dignity, his tact his good faith.
his integrity or his intellectual ability escaped
applause, but the applause wa, manifestly hon
and intelligent and inspired by clear. we'll
defined belief in the worth of the candidate.
So far as IA public meeting can demonstrate the
truth of a proposition, it was demonstrated last
night that the business men of the city indorse
General Arthur" Yet we have no doubt it
would be easy TO hold business mems meet
ing in New York city that would quite as
warmly and unanimously endorse Hon. Jas. &.
Blaine for the Presidency.