The Portland daily press., 1889-10-22
THE PORTLAND CLUB DINNER.
a Ringing oId-T Time speech by Gen.
John /. Swift Of Massachusetts.

The first dinner for the fall and winter sea
son of the Portland Club took place at the
club rooms last evening. The long tables
running the entire length of the parlor
were filed, and small overflow was forced
TO find seats elsewhere. The company sat
down at half-past six. and for an hour devot-
ed themselves strictly to the business of sat
isfying the inner man. At about half-past
seven, when cigars were lighted, President
Dow called the company to order and, as the
first business. proposed that the club should
extend its courtesies to Senator-elect Petit
grew of South Dakota. on the occasion of
his expected visit to Portland in the near flu
ture. The proposition was unanimously
carried. Col. Dow then introduced the
speaker of the evening, who was, he said,
the first political speaker he ever heard In
his life. Gen. John L. Swift of Massachu.
sets. Gen. Swift was greeted with applause
as he arose and commenced his remarks.
he said:
Every American citizen who knows any,
thing, knows that Portland is a good place TO
go 10. am, he said, a newspaper man
among other things, and l know that the
All-Americas Congress who have just been
mere, were delighted with the city and with
shOA Hcic. 1OuiSub 4Ou
have tine testimony of plain Cape Cod Yam
kee, who. for the past thirty. years has made
good many visits here: Although have
made so many visits to this State, this Is the
nrst time L ever came on both business ard
pleasure. My business has been either po
litcal or piscatorial, but it has been busi-
ness. IL there is any hamlet, crossroads
school house, open lot or town hall In this
State where my voice has not been heard in
the midst OF political campaign, / am
nj N ha 20 hos. 4. TOD
gion for the next campaign. l first came to
Maine Ia 1852, at tie request of Gen. Fessen-
den, William Pitt Fessendcn's father, a
beardless youth, to speak on the political
question Of free speech, free soil and free
meu, and have advocated those principles
ever since. Ia the first Lincoln campaign,at
the close, the Democrats called JEFF
ferson Davis of Mississippi to
wind up their side. and the
deus meeting, the last time that Davis ever
spoke to on audience as an American citi-
zen. Never since then have | ceased to OPP
pose the party that mad Jefferson Davis for
leader. Gen, Swift then fell into a reminis-
cent moodsand told several amusing stories of
his campaigning. He then came down to
business and said that as his hearers had
partaken freely of the good things they
were ia tnat comfortable condition when
they didn't want to be bored by long
speech. de would therefore cut his remarks
tack Uf free-trade epizootic among the college
headlights in New England. The most dam
gerous and malignant case of the distemper
was the president of Harvard. 1t was
strange, he said, how these highly educated
gentlemen spring up occasionally, sounded
trumpet blast OF free trade and then disap-
lear generally, never to be heard of more.
Ii it is right FIR the president of Harvard
College to go about telling why he Is DEM
crat. i surely right also Tor a plain every
q Qitizqn n fal w hu ha lie NJ n arof
Either of the three reasons set forth
by President Eliot is to me excellent in the
reverse. He says the time has come for a
change to free trade from the grand old
principle Of protection. l say it has not.
The policy of protection is the chief corner
stone OF this country's prosperity, as much
now as it was when George Washington put
his signature to the first tariff. He then
branched off to give highly interesting de-
scription of the genus Mugwump, which
Massachusetts, than in Maine. He said that
1t was customary with the Massachusetts
Democrats Whenever they landed a particu-
larly fine specimen to make him chairman of
year, and he pointed with pride to the mag
nificent record OF the Democratic party.
Every Intelligent man and boy knows what
record that has been for the last 20 years.
This man told one truth. He said that the
Democratic re party was peculiarly American.
This is true. 1t Is peculiarly, peculiar, ana
SO decidedly peculiar that the greater num-
Der OF the American people have
learned to distrust them. Their
IDEAS are not popular in New
England, Gen. Swift then promised good
Republican victory in Massachusetts in two
weeks. Republicans ought to get together
everywhere, as the Democrats have DONE
And such getting together. The big four,
D. u. Hill, President Elliot, j. T.. Sullivan,
Henry Faxon-cheek. mind, muscle and mis-
cellaneousnesS, and what a Quartette they
are. He then made touching reference to
the late President Cleveland. Gen. Swift
closed his remarks with a scathing old time
arraignment of the Democrats and a word
to the Republicansto keep up their organic
alton. VI
About 100 gentlemen were present among
whom were Executive Councillor Carr of
Bowingham and r. Y. Hodgdon of Yar-
mont h.