The Portland daily press., 1892-07-22

- >-S--O~-
by Unexpected Circumstances-The
Convention Begun Business Wrong
End First-A Pint Pot Would Have
Held All the Enthusiasm-Alexand
Higgins the Star.
Especial to the Pressl
BIDDEFoRD, July 21.-"The pesky
thing got started wrong end first said
prominent Portland delegate to a group
who were trying to explain the utter dull
ness and lack of enthusiasm of the First
District Democratic Convention here
this forenoon.
In spite of it's lack of enthusiasm the
convention was one of the funniest OF
the season to the eyes of one who knew
what was going on behind the scenes.
The presence of Alexander Higgins, the
Mirabeau of Scarboro, was the occasion
for all the outward and not few of the
inward portions of the comedy. The
candidacy of Tristram Goldthwaite
turned out finally mere bluff, which
had the effect of killing off President
Roberts of the Young Mems Democratic
Club, if he had any notion OF trying to
interfere with the nomination.; and also
resulted in making Ingraham's nomlna-
ton sure by combination of the Gold
thwaite and Ingraham forces. A very
promising boom had been started Tor
Weston Thompson of Brunswick, and it
would have made considerable headway
had not an unexpected combination OF
accident and design laid it on the shelf.
This same accident lnterfered with the
plans of the Portland and Biddeford pol
iticians, and started the whole conven-
tion down the toboggan slide wrong end
first. Before the convention assembled
it was quietly fixed up that Goldthwaite,
the War Eagle, who had been in the con-
test largely for fun, should take
the platform and turn his strength over
to Ingraham in grand red-fire and sky
rocket speech. This was to be the first
gun, and 1ngraham was to be carried
through with applause and whoop.
Weston Thompson's friends also had
plans. The Brunswick delegation,
headed by VIM. F. Pennell, were busy
getting support; and BENZ. F. Cha d
bourne of Biddeford, and Warren a..
Vinton of Gray, were to lend the aid of
their oratory.
But these plans was sadly interfered
with by the advent of form now famll-
lar to Democratic convention halls-the
sturdy form of Alexander Higgins, the
Mirabeau of Scarboro. Higgins marched
into the hall and took his seat in the
front row, ready as ever to "wade in
blood up to his CHM in case Grover
Cleveland should be attacked. In this
description we will, for the present,
leave Mr.. Higgins there, smoking long
cigar, remembering that he is ready to
spring into the arena at the proper mo-
ment.
The convention was
An Hour Late
in assembling, and when it did assemble
it was struggling crowd.
The country Democrats took little or no
interest in The convention, and large num-
bers of Biddeford Democrats of leisure
were drafted in to fill vacant places. By
this means the credentials committee
were able to report 104 delegates from
York and 122 from Cumberland.
Weston Thompson
of Brunswick had been selected as chair
man and came forward to officiate with
a manner that did much to increase the
portentious seriousness of the occasion.
Mr.. Thompson is bright man, and his
speech will tread well;' but he affects
the ancient pulpit style of oratory too
much for political orator. "Thewords
of my text,'' he began in solemn tones,
ssmay be found in the 68th Maine Report,
page sol, wherein Chief Justice Apple
ton says,'' etc. Then he read from an anti
protection legal opinion, upon which he
proceeded to discourse, declaring that here
we have the essence of free trade. 1t re-
pudiates even that essence of protection
which the Democratic party insists upon
retaining. The Republicans hope for
some advantage by making scarecrow
of the detested name of freedom. We
learn from Henry Cabot Lodge that the
old Federalists were free traders, hence
the ancestors of the stockholders of to-
day were for free trade. Mr.. Thompson
then went on to declare that the tariff
raised the price of the article to the con-
sumer by the amount of the tariff rate
imposed. or very near that amount By
protection we annually give to the manu-
facturers five times as many millions as
it costs to run the government. When
the Democratic party consents to such
DOllCy III lOlllOlbo OliC LII ilo " 1oo AlOihSs
At this point Mr.. Thompson enlivened
his discourse by quotation from one of
the most melancholy passages in the
book of Job. Having thus raised the
spirits of the hearers, he went on to pro-
phecy the
Direst Consequences for This Country,
saying: ''Whether we win or lose in this
campaign, the time is not far off when
they that would never acknowledge the
demonstration of science, nor listen to
the pleading of anguish, will feel the
weight of power. The struggle now
coming on may be the last effort of the
poor man to obtain justice by the meth
DDS of peace. If it proves to be the last.
and if it fails, then they that have exer-
cised what they call wit at the expense of
the "hangman of Buffalo, had better be-
gin to pray that their flight be not in
winter
This dismal prophesy of another French
Revolution seemed to splease the dele
gates who applauded.
With the aid of Mr. Nathan Clifford of
T fbn tn, 1nt inn