Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-09-13
GROWING EVENT
splendid Rally Of Republicans a.
the Gardner Coliseum
Inc treat J. Building Packed with
-Four Thousand People.
non James g. Blaine. Hon. 8 !, Mil
nken' and Hon. J. R. Bodwell
Speak.
Ahey are Received With Enthu.,..
Great Applause.

when Mr.. Blaine stepped upon the broad
platform OF the Gardner Co,i.eum Sa,,ra.r
evening sea of upturned faces mer hi. o.za
aho he was greeted xitb an AVIATION
r'A1'e WHICH rang again and again tbrouob
."e cspaeious interior of the great build;no
1t was glorious meeting. firing c-o,.,
upon the many brilliant gatherings If rho no >,
three weeks; such a meeting "a rho ,arab,;
cans VI hehneb@c always have when their
distinguished felow-citizen, Mr.. RIs;na :.
win thfm. Such number of ladies and
sehtiemen was never seen before in Ga rd;,ar,.
o's ou''o'ng' the seating capacity of which.
'"e"'y' eight hundred, is said to be the laroess
OF any similar edifice 10 the State and ova,u
seat was taken, standing room along tho
aisies, around the entrances, being GLADLY noon
p'e'' and none was left vacant. The
crowd deemed it their privilege to pres.
densely against and around the nls,f,-r,
winch was also occupied to its fullest cansc.
ity' There were four thousand peonle n,es.
emf and many could not gain admi,tance.
Inc Augusta and Hallowell delegation Of
nve hundred by special train, Mr.. Blaine
and Mr.. Bodwell being of the party arrived
at 80 and but few minutes before a Ion,
train OF cars filled with citizens from Bath.
Brunswick and inferno date statiops had al.
ded their contribution. Many drove in from
the country towns to participate in the bio
Hhn h,,.
was at corresponding high pitch with it's
size, and repeatedly found vent in applause
and cheers. Many distinguished gentlemen
from out Of town were present. The
Gardiner Band furnished excellent music.
At O'clock Mr.. E. W. Atwood called the
meeting to order, and announced Geo. W.
Heselton, Esq.. as President of the evening.
Mr.. Heselton at once presented Hon. Seth
l.. Miliiken, Congressman from the Third
District, who spoke for one hour and a
quarter with augumenta,ive eloquence.
Hon. Seth L MtlIiken
In oDeniEg Mr.. Milikrn paved a hand.
some tribute to MIR. Blaine, and said that the
democrats had fallen into the habit of oppos
ing republican administrations to such an ex.
tent that thew now opposed their own. The
failure OF the democrats to unc Iver auy cor.
ruption or crookedness in the several depart-
ments when the republicans went out of DOW
er was very etfectually reviewed; also the
policy of Secretary Bayard in his dealings
with our neighbors. Before England we had
assumed kneeling posture when the fishery
question came up; but with Mexico, which
would be but mere bagatelle for us in case
of war, we had been on our dignity. There
was a secret to this lofty attitude towards
Mexico. Could a war have been kindled be-
tween the two natl rs, it would have been
victory in few months, resulting in the an
nexation of a strip of Mexican territory to
the United States and the erection of six
gOod-sized democratic states, ensuring first
class democratic victory (applause). New
Mexico sends delegate to Congress who
invariably gets upon the democratic side. The
war upon John Roach, resulting in the clos
ing of his great ship yard, throwing 400 men
out of employment, was referred to. Mr.
Mil iken showed up the hypocritcal profess
sions of the democrats in carrying out the
civil service reform rules, citing the rapidit,
with which republican postmasters were being
supplanted by democratic. He knew that
when the republicans went out of power one
third the government clerks in Washington
were democrats, and to his knowledge in one
instance there were nine who had held their
positions since Buchanan's day. The repub-
lican party had made very good civil ser.
vice reform showing. Had not the DINO
Gratis shortly before the adjournment of the
House, in which they had forty majority,
attempted to amend the civil service rules, 81
that instead of selecting employees of the gov
eminent from the four who passed the bes t
examination, they should be chosen from all
the candidates? This meant the selection of
democrats every time.
The speaker discussed the treatment which
the Union veterans had received at the hands
of the democrats. What had the democratic
party done in one year and \ half for the sol
der? One thing; the President had
returned one hundred private pension
pension bills. 1t is no small task to get u
pension bill through, for, before gong to the
President it must pass both branches of
Congress, and through the Committee on
Invalid Pensioners. 1t would seem as though
after bill had passed these four searching
crucibles it would be sufficient. What was
the democratic treatment of the widow
pension bill calling for an increase of from
80, to S12 per month and the bill to dispense
with the limitation of arrears? o yes, the
democrats said we will go for the soldier, only
we don't want to pass these bills. Mr..
Milliken had secured the passage OF a pension
bill through Congress tor Thomas Hopkins
who had laid on his back in Washington for
eight years, but when il came to the President
he vetoed it because it carried arrears and he
believed the law limiting arrears was wise
one. The speaker very radically dssented
from the statement made that the democratic
party was the friend of the laboring man.
Every move of the democrats had been to de-
grade the labor of America to the level of the
cheap, ill-paid labor of Europe. Ifthis State,
he continued, had committed a
great crime and has to be punished for it,
there could be no severer punishment
than the adjustment of the tariff. The
lumber interest, which, here in your own
civ furnishes labor for so many citizens,
would be relegated to Canada, and the saws
of YOUR mills would cease to revolve. The
effect of free trade on wool and granite was
shown, and the free ship bill, if made a law,
would close every ship yard in the State
The speaker had heard that the republican
candidate for Representative in Gardiner had
voted against the ten-hour law. He branded
apy such report as false, and if anyone would
examine the record they would ascertain that
Mr.. Moore gave his vote for the law. APP
plause.
The next speaker was Hon. j. Bodwell,
who was introduced as the next Governor.
This highly pleased the audience and they gave
Hallowell's distinguished citizen handsome