The Portland daily press., 1888-03-27
VETERAN REPUBLICANS.
The Club Addressed by ). C. Hoyt,
ESQ.,, OF Pennington.

The zeal of the veteran Republicans Of oul
city was shown by the considerable number
of them that assembled at their rooms, com
ing through the storm Of last evening to lis
ten to the address by j. g. Hoyt. Esq, oi
Pennington, upon 1.-THE effect Of defeat upon
the Republican Party" After the usua
routine proceedings of the club had been
transacted, the President, Hon. J. j..
Perry, introduced the speaker of the evening
Mr.. Hoyt said:
Mr.. President and Gentlemen Of the Veteran
Republican Club:
| have no formal address to make tonight
and perhaps little familiar talk among mem.
bers of the same party, and gentlemen who
became Republicans at about the same time,
will be the best use to which we can put the
evening.
The defeat of Mr.. Blaine in 1884 was be-
lieyed by most Republicans to be a very Sc
rious blow to the party, and through the Re
publican party very serious blow to the
country, and great many thought they saw
in that defeat an evidence that the party was
weakened and that 1t had lost its hold upon
the people. Yet they could not see why that
defeat was brought about. They could see
no abandonment of the principles of the
party. They had good candidate for the
Presidency aud the party was apparently as
strong as 1t had ever been. Therefore IL was
a surprise and a discouragement TO the best
smoke Of the battle had cleared away
somewhat, and we could see what
was lost and what was saved out
of the defeat, there was the fact that
it was not altogether loss. The Republi-
can party lost the offices but the Republican
policy was saved. The defeat was looked
upon then more as q matter OF accident
More perhaps as matter of want Of integ-
rity ON the part of some Republicans in the
State of New York. 1t was not looked up
on nor accepted as the positive death Of the
policy and principles Of the party. | do not
believe that one good, square, enlightened
Republican in the country accepts 1t today.
Everyone here knows the circumstances OF
that defeat. You know that the Solid South
supported GroYer Cleveland and 1t did not
require great many States in addition to
that to win a victory. Then there are some
other things that the party now can take in
to consideration and feel that 1t has not lost
everything. There Is much for encourage
ment. We have seen the Democratic party
that has been out of power so long come In on
a little wave of reform. We have seen that
party in power for three years and have had
an opportunity to contrast the two and
Judge between them. We know what it was
In 1860, though some OF the younger voters
do not think enough about that.
We have had three years OF Democratic re-
form. Two years Of that time they had 40
majority in the House Of Representatives,
the popular branch of Congress, and one Of
the things they thought they would like TO
reform was the Republican protective tariff,
and they tried TO repeal those measures that
the Republicans had adopted. II they did
not it was because they were too weak. For
the two years they had such majority In
the House, they worked day and night; and
with them the press and the President. They
worked in the dark and in the light trying to
get the strength of the Democratic party to
repeal the tariff, yet after three years the
work of the Republican party stands as 10
did stand when they came into power. This
is a confessed defeat Of the Democratic par
ty. The policy had been so strongly fixed
that they have not been able to disturb IL.
Then that President, President Cleye-
land, who 1t has been claimed, Is better
man than hfs party,-I don't think that
would make an angel Of him,-and Ihave no
doubt was such, in his annual message
preached sermon, and you know ne mas
preached great many, against the granting
of second term In the presidency and
now, all at once, we see that he Is trying to
get a second nomination"
1t was believed by Mr.. Cleveland that
he must have some issue that would be dis
tinctly Democratic in order to be an argu-
ment in favor Of his nomination and so | sup
pose this fishery question was agitated.
Something must be settled. We had treaties
on the question that our Canadian neighbors
had violated and had even denied to our fish
ermen the common c0urteSies OF mankind,
and so there was an opportunity to settle
something. The commission was appointed,
and settlement made. The report that
they made was styled "still born child"
and it fell fiat before the country and there
they scored another failure.
Mr.. Hoyt then proceeded to speak at length
upon the promotion of the Republican party
in Franklin County where tits said the first
Republican convention of the country was
held. In closing. he paid warm tribute to
the character and deeds Of Hon. j. j. Perry.
His remarks were warmly applauded, and
The enthusiasm manifested was sufficient to
show that the Veteran Republicans are as
stauneh ae aver