The Portland daily press., 1888-09-17
MIR. PUTNAM ON THE RESULT.
He Claims a Democratic Victory and
Pays His Respects to the Press.

Boston, Sept. 15.-The Bay State Club en-
tertained Hon. VIM. l.. Putnam at dinner
this afternoon. Among the after-dinner
speakers were Col. Charles ii. Taylor, Hon.
VIM. E. Russell, and Mr.. Putnam. In the
course of his remarks, Mr. Putnam spoke as
follows, of the result in Maine:
Gentlemen, perhaps you would like to
hear word from Maine. This is the first
opportunity / have had to thank the Demo-
Gratis of Maine for the cordial support and
unanimous endorsement which / received at
their hands. [Great applause.l And wish
to say to you here, gentlemen, that when
say this, when give out these thanks to the
masses of the Democratic party of Maine,
am Saying something which means great
deal.
Il shared the fear which many of you un-
doubtedly shared some months since, that
the masses of the Democratic party in this
great contest would stand back end wait for
the action of the Federal office-holders; that
they would say, "These Federal officeholders
have got the patronage, they are receiving in
substantial form the benefits of the Demo-
cratic party being in power; we win wait
for them to take the initiative; we will wait
for them to do the work; we will wait for
them to start this campaign. j feared that !;
/ feared that very seriously. l thought that
threatened, and l thought that was the only
thing that did threaten and endanger the
reelection of Grover Cleveland.
"On the other hand / found in the State of
Maine, and you will find it everywhere that
the great movement which commenced down
In my State came from the people; it came
from the masses of the Democratic party; it
came SO fast that we are hardly able to take
care OF 1t. 1t is but an indication of the
great and earnest enthusiasm which is going
an over this country, and which more than
awning else insures the reelection of the
present President of the United States
lApplause, and cries of "goodP]
Then single word about the matter of
which my friend Mr.. Taylor spoke. looked
yesterday at the issue of the Portland Press
the Leading Republican paper in Maine
published tie day after our State election
TOUR years ago. Today, in order that you
Will not compare the figures in Maine this
year with what they were in 1884, they tell
you that the campaign in 1884 was merely
formal. They insist upon it; they state it
everywhere, although In my own district we
never had SO close campaign, we never had
so bitter, so earnest a campaign as we had
four years ago. But they say today it was
merely formal" and that you have no right
TO compare the result of this election with
that OF four years ago. and they insist
upon comparing it with 1886, which was
an OIL year, and whether you can compare
1t with 1884 or not, 1886 is in no sense a
fair comparison. Now under those circum-
stances turn to the issue of the Portland
fress published the day after our election
four years ago. and what are the very first
words 1t says of the election? "The victory
yesterday was sweeping, was summary. was
exemplary" That was the language of four
years ago, and it was exemplary in the State
OF Maine-it exampled and brought about
election of Grover Cleveland. Applause. i
And now we have kept them down, not only
to the plurality of four years ago, but we
have kept them 1920 below that plurality.
I'VE have done this against the greatest
odds. We have done this against more eff
forts put in that State by the Republican
party than they ever put there before. They
never have shown the energy, they never
have shown the force, they never have put
into the State the number of speakers or the
amount OF money they have put in there this
fall. and all led by the same gentleman who
was leading them four years ago.
NOW, my friends, will not enlarge upon
this; you can judge for yourselves. We
have kept them down; we have kept them
against us. We have not only done that, but
we have done more than that; we have
drawn heavily upon the surplus in their
treasury. [Applause.l And, fortunately,we
nave drawn on surplus that Is made good,
not by taxing the masses of the people.
Thank God they cannot make that surplus
by taxing you, by taxing laboring men, by
taxing farmers and men who get their living
by their daily labor. But they have got to
make that surplus good by levying taxes np-
on the favored combinations, the favored
trusts, and all those great favored interests
which tend to support the Republican party
Whatever we have drawn from them has got
to come back from those sources, and not
from the masses of the people.
But, gentlemen, fortunately for you,
must take an early train. Ny voice is al
ready veXed by talking during the last four
weeks more than l ought, and | simply close
by thanking you again for your very kind
and cordial reception" [Great applause.l