The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-10-29
PoRTLAND'S BRAVE.
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE,
Pf b;d consolation Of labor we'll performed

proud consolation of a labor we'll nerformed.
Dig you welcome and farewell.
lne history OF such movement as this is
woItn repeating and worth preserving, The
nrss pubic meeting was held, as had been
salu, eighteen years ago tonight it was in
t p'; han Oh tne Army & Navy Union.
rrlor TO It and leading up to it, there had
pee In that society much discussion. On
tne otn Oh January, 1878. it was voted to ask
ot congress "a grant of sufficient quantity
Oh condemned ordinance to erect a soldiers
monument, and on the 9th of June it was
been raised and that ''the secretary be
directed to notify the Commander of Post
bosworth, q. A. R., that a committee of six
mad been appointed, and to request them to
appoint like number; also to notify the
secretaries of the LIST, 10th, and Goth, 9TH and
18th Maine Associations, and request that
committee OF one be appointed from each
association, the whole to confer in relation
TO the matter of erecting soldiers monu-
mept In this CITY,"
That conference was held, as have said,
eighteen years ago. October 28th, 1873. and a
committee was raised to arrange for a public
meeting The committee consisted of two
from the Army and Navy, one from Bos-
worth Post, one each from the LIST. 10th Goth,
9th, 18th, 18th, 17tb, Goth. 25th and 30th
regiments. two representing the navy, one
from each militia organization. and one on
the part of the citizens. On the 9Th of No
vember, the meeting was held in City Hall,
constitution was adopted and eighty-seven
lar. The then Mayor of the city, Hon.
George p. Wescott, presided. and there were
twenty. three vice presidents selected from
among our most distinguished citizens; of
that number only eleven are living today.
lists were opened. On the 10Th of December
the M. L.. Dramatic club gave and enter
tainment for the benefit of the monument,
and on the 10th of the same month there
was Centennial Tea party" in the City
Hall, with music and addresses and poem.
By this time the Association had gained in
numbers and strength and was able to 20
alone, and on the 18th of January 1874,
pursuant to a call published in the daily
papers, a meeting was held in Reception
Hall to form permanent organization. The
constitution was adopted. officers elected
and canvassing COMMITTEES appointed. For
| the remainder of the year there were but
| two meetings; much work however was done
quietly, which does not appear on the
records. On the 18th of April 1876, officers
were elected and on the 231 meeting of
the Executive Committee was held in the
Mayors office and 1t was decided to request
the clergymen OF the city to appoint COM
mittee of three ladies from each parish to
meet with the Executive Committee at an
early day, and to request the clergymen
to call special attention to the Object is Of the
Association In their discourses on Memorial
Day. Such an appeal was, prepared by
General Shepley, the president, and dis
tributed In printed form.
The records show that at this time there
was a decided movement in favor of erecting
| q memorial hall and the matter was referred
| to the committee on design, with directions
to procure plans and specifications. 1t does
| not appear that these intentions were car
ried out In the community at large there
was widespread, out spoken preference for
| monument, even had 1t been easy to raise
| the much larger sum of money necessary for
the erection Of memorial hall. These and
called, resulted In condition of apathy and
there was no further action until December
| 30th, 1882, when five members of the assO-
| citation, Iacting under the provisions of the
constitution, requested the secretary to call
| a meeting. The call was issued and on the
9Th OF January the meeting was held in Re-
| ception Hall.
| The treasurer reported balance on hand
| OF $220.19; committee was raised to make
nominations for officers; much business was
transacted. An adjourned meeting was held
| on the 18th +; officers were elected. but the
| vote was not declared, as it had been pro-
| posed to procure an Act OF Incorporation.
| On the 20t1, another meeting was held, and
| plans were discussed for full canvass of
the city. On the 2Sth Of February. the sec
rotary announced that a charter had been re-
ceived and 1t was read. There was an ad-
| journment for 80 minutes, the corporation
met. the charter was accepted; it was voted
| that all who were members Of the original
| association should be named asso :iate cor
| p0rators. Bylaws were adopted, and the
officers previously elected were declared Off
| GERS of the corporation.
| Upon the reassembling of the original as
ISOLATION 1t was voted ITO transfer all mon
| cps, books, accounts andIother property over
| to the proper officers of the Portland Sol
diers and Sailors Monument Association, in
c0rpOrated under the laws of the State of
Maine. This done the organization adjourned
without day and became mingled In the body
under which the work has been done, and
which body also will now cease to be.
March IL, 1888. the association discussed
plans for raising funds which were referred
to the executive committee. and on the 18th
| was approved. This was thorough house
| to house visitation on Memorial Day, and it
| was voted to call mass meeting in City
| Hall on May 49, At this time meetings were
| frequent, appeals were prepared and details
| attended to, the membership was increasing
| constantly aud public interest was every
| where manifest. The whole city was put
under the supervision of committees, IL or
more In each ward; not house or tenement
was overlooked. The mass meeting on the
18th was vast gathering long to be remem-
bered. Memorial Day dawned bright and
fair, cloudless skies and sweet, soft, sum-
mer air: 1t stirs one now to recall the busy
collectors running from door to door, the
happy. hopeful faces; $4,000 was the result of
that days good work; there was no begging,
what was given was given freely and from
the heart, general, genuine offering Of the
people, young and old. From that day sue
cess was assured,
On the 18th of June the committee report
ed To the association the financial rasults.