The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-13
HIGH STREET CHURCH.
Some Cheering Items in the Recent
Popular Movement.

Popular Movement
At High Street church last evening
Rev. DR.. Fem spoke on "Some Cheering
Items in the Recent Popular Movement. !"
referring, of course, to the recent cleo.
tions.
The text was taken from Galatians
vi; "Stand fast therefore in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made us free, and
be not entangled again with the yoke of
bondage DR.. Fem stated that under a
republican form of government there
were many yokes of bondage but that he
had time to speak on this occasion
of only one of them, namely the in
competency of officials. The question, he
said, was often asked why, under a
Republican form of government the
ablest men were usually found outside
Of official life which is not the case in a
country under monarchcial or despotic
form of government. In his opinion this
was due partly to the arrangement OF
the departments of our government by
which one proved check upon another,
and again from the fact that these Off
Gals were constantly changing, few
being in office but for a comparatively
short time. Then again the motto "let
alone" is too often hereditary under
a republican form of government. One
great cause of weakness is the weakness
of party. A party rarely has head.
The candidate of the party for Office is
dumb as an oyster. He rarely opens his
mouth, and if he does says nothing Once
in a great while this is changed when
some really great man actually finds him
self at the head of affairs and actually
from his GOODNESS, his courage and his
ability, forces those around him to do
what is right at the risk of their obtain
ing personal derision and scorn.
The speaker then stated that cities in
this country are too much under the
incubus of rings that actually govern
them. The men who compose these rings
are defeated one day only
to spring to life again the next.
Eternal vigilance is the only price by
which they can be kept under. 1t is,
their business, They are organized and
almost always succeed in defeating the
unorganized hordes of well principled
men who seek their downfall. The
ppOdhCl UiCA IClcIICQ u bltO dScuClcS
most efficient in purifying the govern
ment of cities. The public press has
time and again done noble work in ac-
complishing this result. It is tremen-
dous power. AS whole paper are for the
right. They may be in the case of local
papers in small places narrow and little,
but they have the public veal in view
and on vital subjects they strike telling
blows. In New York see how the press
has moved down prominent Tammany
rascals. If a man like Maynard in New
York is set up for office and succeeds,
whose property is safe? Who has any
rights that can be protected I? Let the
boss Of Gravesend fly. 1t is better for
the world that he should go than that he
should secure a corrupt jury who would
acquit him.
City governments have terrible pow
or in this country, but in monarchical
one the great central power readily
keeps them in hand. The great object
of government is of the people, for
the people by the people. The
people should be educated to fully real
ize their responsibilities. Clubs are a
grand good institution to defeat your
rings. The New York Bar Association
with such men as James @. Carter, Cou-
dert, Alexander and others. awakened
the public through their association to
defeat Maynard with a power that never
could have come from an individual eff
fort. The people must be educated to
the sustaining of high principle. History
has shown on many occasions that the
people can rise to an emergency and
throw all they possess into the scale in
behalf of principle. The move slowly,
but when they do move they move sure
ly and they should be instructed in all
righteousness SO that any man or men
who seeks public place may know that
deviation from that which is right shall
assuredly bring to him confusion and
destruction.
The music last evening was taken
from the works of the great musician
Gounod, who has recently deceased, and
was finely rendered by the organist Mr..
Rankin, and the choir. The bass solo
by Mr.. Follansbee, was especially nota-
BILE.