The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-09-09
Senator Allison of Iowa Speaks Upon
National Questions.
Hon. John D. Long of Massachusetts
Delivers Ringing Speech.
The Remarks Of Both Gentlemen
Received With Great Applause.

prevailed during tne DAY. Inc audience was
enthusiastic in its ready response to the re-
marks of the different speakers. There were
many ladies in the audience, both in the gal
leries and on the floor. Before the meeting,
the Yarmouth band gave delightful con-
cert.
At little after eight o'clock the speakers
of the evening, Senator VIM. B. Allison of
Iowa and Hon. John d. Long of MaSsachu-
sets, were escorted upon the platform by III.
G. Briggs, Esq, chairman of the city COM
mittee, and III. FL. Shaw, Esq., the chairman
of the evening, accompanied by many prom
inent Republicans among whom were
Mayor Chapman, City Clerk Burgess,
City Auditor Novel;, Clarence Hale, Esq,
VIM. H. Looney, Esq, Messrs. Jas. B. Hall,
w. w. Ruby, L. A. Gray, William Kilby and
others.
The audience applauded loudly as the
gentlemen appeared upon the platform.
Chairman Briggs, of the City Committee,
called the meeting to order, and introduced
as it's chairman, FL. H. Shaw, Esq. Mr..
Shaw was greeted with an enthusiastic re-
ception and spoke briefly before introducing
Senate Allison as the fret speaker.
Senator Allison was greeted with round
after round of applause, and was obliged to
wait some time before he could be heard.
Mr.. Allison's speech received the closest at
tention and the many telling points which it
contained were greeted with expressions of
the appreciation of the audience.
SENATOR ALLIsoN's SPEECH.
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:
1t is a pleasure for me to meet the citizens
of Portland. There has for a long time been
a. bond Of sympathy between Iowa and
Iowa in National Convention, has given its
| support to the fav0rite son of Maine. [Great
| applause) 1t has been my fortune to know
| very well the public men of Maine for al
| most generation Of time, and l am glad to
| have the opportunity of meeting so many of
| her citizens in their homes.
The Democratic party has now held the adj
| minlstration OF our national affairs for more
| than eighteen months. President Cleveland
| has filled out more than one-third of the
| or rather the House of Representatives that
| was elected when he was elected, if he was
| elected (applause), was in session for nine
months, and, therefore, ample opportunity
whatever their party affiliations or associa-
| tions, to judge impartially and criticise fair
| ly the conduct of this administration and the
| conduct of the Democratic party in connec-
ton with it, and in connection with the
| House of Representatives. The Republican
| party had been In power for many years pri-
| or to the 4th of March, 1885, in the admins
| tration of our government, and for much OF
! the time in control of both Houses of Con-
gress. During. this period it was compelled
| te deal with the most complicated questions
| of peace and war, and to settle difficulties
| such as no other nation had ever been called
upon to settle. Republicans think, and Re-
publicans believe that during all this period
the Republican party performed its duty
with fidelity to the cause of the country.
Think for moment of the situation Of our
| country on the 4th of March, 1861, when
Abraham Lincoln applause. took the oath
| of office; think of the situation twenty-four
| years later, when Grover Cleveland took the
| oath of Office, ON the 4th of March, 1885, and
| am sure you will all agree with me that in
/ no period in the history OF any country was
| so much done for liberty and equality. for
justice and good government as was done
in these intervening twenty-four,ye years. ZAP
plause) During all this period every great
measure of public policy, every means that
| was deemed necessary for preserving the
government and maintaining it in its lnteg-
| rity and purity met with the hostility OF the
Democratic party. They constantly opposed
| the Republicans year by year at every re-
curing election, and finally insisted that our
| administration of public affairs was such
| that we could no longer be trusted with the
| great affairs of a nation Of 100000 of pe0-
|
treasure by the establishment of useless
| offices to be filled with employees; that we
were burdening the people of this country
| with unnecessary taxation, and that the
money drawn from the pockets OF the people
| year by year was being boarded in the
| treasury flor the benefit of special classes.
and not in the interest of the great body OF
J the people.
| Thatthese accumulationsshould from time
| to time, be used for the payment of the in
terest bearing debt of the republic instead OF
being boarded in the treasury, and claimed
| that if the Democratic party should secure
the administration of the government, and
secure majority in the House of Represen-
| tatives, they would inaugurate public re-
| forms in the interest of the people, and
| would expose to the public gaze the rotten
ness and corruption of the Republican party
| during the twenty-four years of its eX-
| istence So that after iteration and reiter-
alton of these statements, in 1884, according
to the forms Of law, or according, to the
forms of our constitution, Grover Cleveland
was declared elected President Of the
United States, and took the oath Of
office on the 4th of March, 1885, and began
these reforms. What were they? The first
estimates that were sent to Congress on the
Sd of December, 1885, asked for appropria-
| lions amounting in the aggregate to $406,
100000, sum largely in excess OF the
since the period Immediately follow
ing the war, when the great war
| debts were to be paid, and upon
| the adjournment of the House of Rep
| resentatiyes and the Senate on the 9TH of
| August, 1886, there was appropriated by
means of annual appropriations, and perma-
| nent and indefinite appropriations, 1884, 900,
| 600, twenty-fOur millions more than this adj
| ministrati0n had asked, but. still a larger
sum than had been appropriated in many
| my of a Democratic administration and a
| Democratic Congress. In thus criticising
| these appropriations, | do not do SO in
spirit of hostility; / do not say that they
have been extrayagant and unnecessary ap,
preparations, although possibly some OF
| them may have been. But merely ask your
| attention to this condition of affairs, for the
| purpose of showing to you that this admins
tration, having been in power for eighteen
months, has asked of the people Of this coun-
| try larger sum to carry on the affairs of the
| government than has been asked for in many
prior administrations under the Repub-
lican party
1t has been charged that the Republicans
| had filled the departments atWashington, and
the public places in our country with unnec-
| eSSary Office-hOlderS and employees, merely
for the purpose Of rewarding partizan servi-
ces, yet when we look through these depart
| mentS we find that in every department of
| the Government save and except the treasury
| loan department, this Democratic admins
| tration has increased the number of public
| officers, and not only that, but has also in
| creased the compensation of many OF them.
1t was charged that these departments
were honey-combed with corruption, and
claimed that If the Democratic party be CIV
en- an opportunity to investigate, these mon
Strous wrongs would be uncovered and held
up to the public gaze. What are the facts ?
| President Cleveland appointed his cabinet
| on the day after his Inauguration, and with
| in three months of that time every single
| bureau Office in the Government, with three
| or four exceptions perhaps, had been filled
with Democratic appointees, thus giving alb
| solute power for investigation with reference
| to the conduct of those who had administer
| ed the affairs of the Government for the
| twenty-four years prior to 1885; and, with a
| few Insignificant exceptions not worth mem
| ton in public debate, those investigations
and examinations disclosed no public wrong
and no public corruption. (Applause).
Senator Allison then reviewed at some
length the question of the surplus in the
Treasury and severely criticised the course
of the President relating to the same, and
continued: Now, to turn to the House of
Representatives. What measure of reform
has this Democratic House presented to the
American people in its long session of nine
months? The only measure that | know OF
that is even called reform was the measure
relating to the tariff which proposed to
strike down every industry that l have yet
heard of in the State of Maine, and which
proposed to disrupt and destroy our entire
protective system. That bill did not even
get to the Senate. 1t was so monStrouS in
many of its provisions, and so unsatisfac-
tory to the great body of the people that, in