The Portland daily press., 1886-08-31
GRAND REPUBLICAN RALLY.
Hon. p. C. Horr and Hon. c. F. Libby
at City Hall.
TWO Admirable Speeches That VIII
be Read With Interest.
An Auspicious Opening of the Cam
paign in Portland.

turned out in force and City Hall was filled
with very large audience who listened with
deep attention to the speakers, remained to
the very last and left the hall with regret
A large number of ladies in the galleries
gave brilliancy to the gathering, and Chand-
ler's band, for the half hour preceding the
meeting discoursed their latest and most
popular music.
Precisely at the hour appointed for the
speaking, Chairman Briggs of the City Com
mittee, marched on to the platform with the
orator of the evening, Hon. Roswell G. Horr
of Michigan, accompanied by Mayor Chap
man, Hon. Charles Mclaughlin, Hon. Chas.
F. Libby, Hon. Marquis F. King Ex-Alder-
man S. b. Kelsey, Alderman W. NJ. Marks,
Lieutenant Colonel II. b. Hill, Capt III. II.
Shaw, Drs. Clark and Sylvester, Hon. Geo.
w. Woodman, Rev. Fl. P. Winter, N. E. Rid
lon, G. L. Bailey, II. NJ. Hart, Councilman
A. B. Brown, George S. Hunt, w. W. La
than, A. f. Gerrish, B. G. Stone, J. Fl. Hall,
Marshal Howkes, Ira f. Locke, Councilman
Geo. Trefethern, Prof Gray and Others,
amidst loud applause from the audience.
Besides the gentlemen on the platform,
whose names have been given. were Hon.
Alfred Putnam, eX-member of the Dominion
Parliament, from Maitland, N. S., and Mr..
Zebine Goudy of Yarmouth, n S., who ap-
parently listened with much pleasure to the
orators of the evening.
As soon as the applause subsided, after
the reception of the distinguished guests,
Chairman Briggs, advancing to the front of
the stage, said:
Ladies and Gentlemen.
BY invitation of the Republican City Com
mittee, Hon. Charles j. Libby will preside
| this evening. The meeting is now in the
| hands of its chairman.
| Mr.. Libby, as he came forward, was re-
| ceiyed with loud applause, and throughout
| his forcible and pointed arraignment of Gen.
| Dow, and his complete exposure of the alb
| surdity of entrusting the enforcement of the
| liquor law to the Democrats, whose record
| in this matter, as far as Messrs. Sawyer and
| Andrews are concerned, he gave, brought
| downthe house. His illusions to Mr.. Reed
were received with tremendous applause.
| Mr.. Libby spoke as follows:
MR.. LIBBY's SPEECH.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
| am glad to meet with the Republicans of
the city of Portland on the eve of another
election in which the principles and policy
of the Republican party are to be submitted
| to the test of the ballot. A test which, in
| the latitude of Maine, means fair express
| ion of the popular will
The contest in this State has one peculiar
| feature, that it is not to be fought with the
| Democratic party alone for the leaders of
| that party seem to have recognized the fact
that the Democratic party has been weighed
in the balance so often and found wanting
by the people of the State of Maine, that
there is little hope of victory for them on
hot NJ ,,a4,.a
ty lines; and so they have attempted diver
sion and have become the allies of the Pro-
hibitory Third Party movement. So well is
this understood, that for many months past
the Argus has served as the special organ of
Mr. Neal Dow in his communications to the
public, and through its columns he has is
sued his fierce denunciations of his former
political associates, and of that party, to
which the cause he advocates owes whatever
of success it has hitherto attained. Politics
| make strange bedfellows, it is said, but no
| stranger spectacle was ever seen in Maine
| than the combination of the Argus and the
apostle of prohibition.
Think of Mr.. Neal Dow masquerading in
Democratic costume and serving up his hot
viands to the patrons of the Argus 1t must
make some of them rub their eyes in aston
iShment at the character of the entertain
ment offered them. Yet this alliance of the
Democratic and Third Party leaders. to de-
feat the Republican party is the most signif-
cant and prominent feature of the contest
that is now going on in this State. The only
hope, which the opposition has, of succeed
ing, is in drawing off by this movement
voters from the Republican ranks, and it is
well therefore for all Republicans to look at
tis matter in its practical aspects as applied
to the local issues which are submitted to
their decision.
believe that the Republican party as a
whole is freely and steadfastly committed to
the support of the cause of temperance, as 1t
has been to all other great moral and politi-
cal reforms, which have agitated the nation
during the past twenty-five years; and fur
ther believe that it is prepared in good faith
to support by all necessary legislation the
verdict of the people of this State upon the
question of the traffic in intoxicating liquors
as embodied in the constitutional amend
ment. The history of the legislation OF this
State for the last twenty-seyen years affords
abundant proof of the position of the Re-
publican party upon this question, and has
| forced the admission from the leader of this
| Third Party movement that this legislation
| has resulted in placing the State of Maine in
| the van of all other communities. To ques-
| tion the good faith of the great mass Of the
| Republican party upon this matter is to turn
| ones back upon the facts of history, and to
| throw aside all tests of human conduct. The
attempt on the part of the leaders of this
movement to defeat the only party that has
steadfastly supported the cause they adyo-
| cate, seems to the ordinary mind the height
| of political folly and madness; and yet Mr..
| Dow, according to an interview published in
| the Argus, has stated quote his language
| THE Republican party everywhere, in
| cities, States and nation, is thoroughly COM
| mitted to the support and perpetuatlon OF
| the saloons" and further states 1t as his con-
| vietion B"that the Republican party must die
| from the curse of the saloons"
Now, ask you, fellow citizens, whether
this is true statement of the case Is it
not a libel upon the $4,000 Republican voters
1 ;,, toto Mr. ao1 INV
seems to be that legislative enactments
| against rum selling have not suppressed
1.-The gigantic crime" of rum drinking, and
he thinks that the Republican party is to
| blame for this. He is also disposed to treat
| the delinqnencies of individuals as the acts
of the party, and for that reason would de-
| stroy the party. This action is as consistent
as it would be for the ministers ofreligion to
attempt to pull down and disorganize the
church because some of it's members were
backsliders or lacking in grace. Mr.. Dow's
utterances illustrate one phase of intemper-
| ance,-that of speech, which has been, per-
| haps, the cause of as much harm in the
world as the indulgence OF the appetite Ac-
| cording to ST. Paul, 'the tongue is an unruly
member" which it is one of the Christian
| virtues to subdue and control.
All Republicans who are tempted to follow
the advice of Mr.. Dow and help kill the Re-
publican party, will do well to consider what
the practical results of his political pro-
gramme would be-. if successful, upon the
matters in which they are individually inter-
ested as citizens ofIthe good State of Maine.
The First Congressional District is honored
by having as its Representative in Congress
one who is the recognized leader of the Re
publican party in the House, and who by
his commanding abilities, honorable politi-
cal methods, and wise and skilful leadership,
| has won for himself the respect and admira-
| tion of the whole country. That he has
| served the interests of his constituents wise
| ly and successfully, few will question. That
| his value as public representative in the
| halls of Congress has increased with the
| length of his service, admits of little doubt.
And yet Mr.. Dow and his associates think
| that it would be good thing for the First
District!to defeat his election and to put a
Democrat in his place, and for that purpose
they have put in nomination third candi-
date, Mr.. Hussey of whom |
know little, but perhaps you know more;
not however, with the idea that their candi-
date can be elected but for the purpose of
throwing the election into the hands of the
Democrats The issues are thus clearly
drawn, and the choice lies between Demo-
crat and Republican. 1t is proper, there
fore that we should consider the relative
claims of the two candidates.
As representative of the laborlng inter
ests the candidacy of Mr.. Clifford may seem
a little incongruous, but we may willingly
concede that he is a gentleman of high social
position, of agreeable manners, and OF recog-
nized ability in his profession. | think,
however, that l am doing no injustice to Mr..
Clifford in saying that whatever his merits
,,,o,, bn +ba Eirct ConUraeciona1 nicfriot