The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-09-04
MIR. CLIFFORD LET'S HIMSELF

UT.
The Hon. William I'll. Clifford when he
began his present canvass for seat in Con-
gress concluded that it was the "proper caper"
to pose as the special friend of the labOring
man. Now we are not going to claim that
Mr.. Clifford is specially hostile to man who
works for a living, that he hates him or dis
pises him. He would undoubtedly be ready,
irrespective of any bearing it might have on
his own fortunes, to do him kindness and
to assist him in many ways. But we do
claim that every act of that kind would be
performed with an air of condescension.
Mr.. Clifford wants to go to Congress. No
body doubts that. And to go to Congress
votes are necessary He started into this
canvass determined to conciliate all the
voters that he possibly could by the employ
ment of every means excepting such as are
generally recognized as dishonorable. The
laboring men of his district attracted his at
tention. Naturally he surmised that they
would need Cancellation. There had been
nothing about his life to attract them. He
had never labored himself, he was rich, his
instincts were aristocratic, and he had de-
feated the man Of their choice in the con-
yention. SO he set about to conciliate them
with words. His first words in this direc-
ton did not lack in fervency. But there
was an air of condescension about them
which did not please the self-respecting
workingman. We, said Mr.. Clifford, invite
the laboring man into our councils, and the
laboriDg man when he read it said to himself
instinctively, swell, why shouldn't you"
For the last week Mr. Clifford has been
speaking on the stump in York county. 1t is
fair to assume that the speeches he is now
delivering are not SO carefully prepared and
studied beforehand as those he delivered to
the Bangor and York county conventions.
We have had the pleasure of reading but one,
the one he delivered at North Berwick on
Thursday night. The most of it is confined
to an arraignment of the Republican party.
But he had something to say to the laboring
man. One paragraph Of it which stril8ingly
illustrates what we have been saying about
Mr.. Clifford's condescension, his looking
down on laboring men, we append:
Those Republicans who are capable of
rising above the influences of party preju-
dice know that the government under Re
publican administration had become corrupt
beyond parallel in our history. If they are
honest and true men, at least within their
own hearts and in the forum of their own
consciences, and before that silent judge
that sits in every mans mind, before whom
| every man bows, they will admit at least
there in that silent court of the mind and
the heart that this government under Repub-
lican administration has disgraced the his
tory of the United States by its corruptness.
4A,ad the ldboring and L0aeer classes; those
people Uho labor for their bread, hare seen
reason, somehow or other, avithip the last fen
gears to form combinations and dssOciG-
tons for their mutual protection, and to
demand that this government be Just to them.
This was less studied effort than his
Alfred speech, and his language was not so
carefully guarded. If he were going to re-
wise it for circulation he would see to it I'M
doubleday that the ''laboring and lower
classes were not hitched so closely together.
Yet undoubtedly the speech as it stands rep
resents his real sentiments. Doubtless labor
ing men do seem to him a lower class. An
acute observer could readily detect that
spirit in his Alfred speech. 1t is more pro-
nounced here simply because this speech was
more offhand affair. He spoke more from
the heart and less from the head.