The Portland daily press., 1885-02-14


served this country not for money, not Tor
honor, not because they wero drafted. Ninety
five per cent of those men were volunteers.
The State has done well by them. They
have no further claims upon it, They
ask for this appropriation not as
right but as favor, and it is for you 20 say
whether or not yot1 will grant this small tribnte
to their patriotic efforts. Ten thousand dol
lars find by computation is but little over
half a dime supGn each taxable poll in this
State. Now is there any gentleman hera who
has constituent who has objected or can oo-
jsct to paying this small sum? If any mem
Der OF this House has any constituents Sc smail
as this "let him speak-for him have Oh
fended." You cannot forget that in all coun-
tries and in all ages it has been the custom OF
legislative bodies to vote liberal sums OF money
for works of art to commemorate the deeds OF
those who have done service for the state Inc
Legislature OF Maine has voted $l50O
towards the erection OF a soldiers monument
at Antietam, and nearly $4,000 for the mopu-
ment at Gettysburg. That was money taken
from the constituents OF the gentleman from
Wiscasset Mr.. Tucker] and sent out OF the
State, and have got to find any man, sucn as
the gentleman describes, complaining OF thls
as an act OF improper liberality on the part OF
the State. The capitol at Washington is to-
day adorned with works of art which were
put there at the expense Of the different
states, Maine included, for the purpose OF per-
petuanng the memory of distinguished men
who have done honor to the states IN Whlch
they lived. This appropriation i5 without pr6-
cedent, because it is one of those things that
can never happen twice. Those men VINO
served in the war are row nearly all past une
age OF military service. What few remain
will never ask you again for similar favor,
The Grand Army Of the Republic has usually
at its annual meetings not less than 10000 disc
charged soldiers of the war They pay their
own fares, and their own bills at
the hotels, SO far as they can.
Bnt it must be remembered that they are poor
men as o rule. They must have some assist
ance to enable them to carry through these
meetings. The State OF Colorado, as a Eem-
Der of the committee has already informed you,
made an appropriation Of $4,000 for simi-
lar purpose. In Minnesota a subscription was
taken up among the leading railroad compan-
lea centering in that section, and the expenses
OF the anniversary in Minneapolis were borne
by tbs railroad companies and persons inter-
ested ia the development of that section OF the
country. In Baltimore the Isum necessary for
the entertainment of the encampment was
raised partly By that city and partly by private
subscriptions. But in each of these instances
sum exceeding $4,000 was required and used,
and now for the purposes of this occasion it
will be necessary to raise by subscription or in
some manner O sum equal to the amount
which you are now asked TO give Now then,
/ ask, do son wish with the recollection fresh
before you CT the services rendered by these
brave naen, who now ask this patry sum of
toyou, deny them this small favor? 1t may be
said that this affair is bat pleasure excursion;
that it is not appropriating money for work
OF art; that it is not for the purpose of perpstu
ating in history or in art the deeds of brave
and patriotic men. II the few surviving SOL
diers Of the late war can derive little pleasure
from this occasion at the expense Of a few
cents per voter, and if you have constituents
who will begrudgs them this small amount,
pity you and pity such constituents.
l am sorry that the gentleman from Wseas-
set (Mr. Tucker has deemed it his duty TO
give us 60 unfavorable picture of the COM
munity IN which he lives. 1t is far different
from tne description of that delightful region
which / have heretofore seen portrayed. |
cannot believe that he voices the sentiment of
any party, or any considerable body Of men in
this State, when he opposes this appropriation.
will not at this time, because deem it un-
necessary to do SO, remind you Of the standing
which this State had in the different armies in
which these troops served, or the different
squadrons of the navy in which her sailors did
duty. | must remind you that these men
would like, il in your generosity yon deem 1t
fitting to give them the privilege, to properly
entertain those men from other States who
served with them in the war. AS | look back
upon the history Of the war, l am reminded
what noble lives we're given up, and what sac
rihess were made Ia behalf OF the State and of
the nation. | remember that many Of those
men have passed away. 1t seems to nne but q
small thing to ask that the State, for which
our soldiers Suffered, should grant this paitry
SUM to anabls these brave men to come togeth-
er again and meet their old companions-in-
arms who stood By them upon many bloody
battlefield
When think Of the gallant First cavalry as
they swept across the bloody field of Aldis,
with their brave commander falling dead as
he cheeged on his charging sqnadrons, or the
Second cavalry as they made the lowlands OF
the Gulf resound With the clatter OF their ss-
bfss of ths light artilley, as our batteries
poured grape and canister into the ranks of
tho charging columns of Lee at Gsttysburg; of
the sd and 4bh infantry, from the long, weary
days OF tho Peninsular campaign to the hery
charges Of Spoitsylvania; of the 9th, under
fire for eighteen consecutive hours at Antie-
tam; OF the 9th, charging at Rappahannock
Station, and leaving sixteen ont OF twenty-one
officers dead or wounded upon the field; OF the
7th, sent houe to recruit their shattered ranks
after 3 loss OF more than half their nUmbere
upon Antietam's bloody field; and Of all the
regiments from the Sth to the 18th, who did
duty in the deadly climate Of the South, some
OF which shared in the cEowning glory OF APP
pomattax; OF the 1Gth in the deadly charge at
Cedar Mountain; of the 10th, which was sent
forward at Gettysburg, with orders to hold in
check brigade Of the enemy, with the almost
absolute certainty that they must either be
captured or killed, and when the enemy came
upon them too fercety, and capture became
inevitable, the gallant commander tore the
regimental flag from its staff and concealed it
in his clothing, rather than allow it to fall into
the hands OF the enemy, leaving them only
the staf and cutting the colors into little pieces
and distributing them among that gallant
band, who were captured with it, leaving
when the roll was called bat 16 men within
the Union lines to answer out OF the 300 who
went into the engagement. When l remem-
ber the 18th at Gettysburg, il the wheat field,
dotted with the bodies OF its dead and wound
ed, one-thr0 of itssnumbers and all but one
0f ita nolnp rd falling in the hriaf 0f
thirty minutes; when | remember the 18th,
afterwards the 1st. Heavy ARTILLERY, in which
you, Mr.. Speaker, did honorable service, los
ing more thaa 500 men in a two days. fight; of
the 18Th, with its lopg and brilliant career in
the Army of the Potomac, its gallant COM
mander lying helpless twelve-month from
wounds received at the Wilderness; and the
20th as it stood at Little Round Top, holding
the very key OF onr periious position; of the
29th, which took by reorganization the honored
mantle Of the 10Th; of the Both il the Wilder
ness and the closing scenes at Appomattox; OF
the 31st and 32d, annihilated, as it were, in s
day ia the running fight from the Wilderness
to the fortified plains OF Petersburg; and the
many noble men who filed a soldiers grave.
When 1 think of the gallant services rem
dered by our navy along the Atlantic coast,
the Gulf and the Mississippi, and the men of
Maine who helped compose it, | canRot be-
lisve, Mr.. Speaker, that have any coDstitu-
ents who would ask me to oppose the granting
that you, Mr.. Speaker, or any member of this
House, except the gentleman from Wscssset,
can have any constituents who oppose the
granting Of this SUM
And now feel thatI am authorized to say
in behalf of the me8 who ask for this appro-
priatien that if it shall appear by the vote of
this House that the appropriation is opposed
by respectable Eminority- respectable in num-
bers, mean-sheSe petitioners will come here
and ffeely give 1t back to you though it shall
have once besn granted. find no fault with
any man for opposing this bill if ihe really be-
lieves his constituents oppose it, but L cannot
believe that any man. upon consultation with
his constituents will find serious opposition
to the granting of this small boon; and with
these remarks, Mr.. Speaker, 1 commit this
matter to the candid judgmsnt of this House.
(GTeat applause)
MISCELLANEOUS.
The bill reported in the House relating to
the election of selectmen, provides that in
towns having more than 1900 inhabitants the
treasurer and collector shall not be a select
man until they have completed their duties SIS
treasurers and collectors and had final settle
ment with the town.
The committee on Judiciary voted to report
the Portland police bill; same, Gu bill for a