The Portland daily press., 1894-02-26
MAINE POLITICS OF OLD.
Mrs. Longleys Cheese and Legisla-
tive Celebration.

-
Cabin Days-Governor Fairfield and His
Characteristics-Famo Men Who Have
Passed Across the Maine Political Field.
At the meeting of the Maine Historical
Society Friday General John J. Perry
read an interesting paper on Maine
politics prior to 1860, of which the fol-
lowing is an extract
If time would allow, it would be
pleasant task to briefly trace the rise
and fall of political partiesthe first two
decades OF our existence AS a State
from 1920 to 1910. The first decade was,
comparatively. so far as politics were
concerned, ain ERA of peace" Mr.. klhg'
our first governor, out of 22,0l4 votes
received all but lob.
Albion K. Paris was then annually
elected to the gubernatorlal CHAIR tne
next five years. At his two first cleo
tions he encountered opposition; but the
three last he had nearly the whole field
to himself
The three years following Gov. Paris
retirement Enoch Lincoln was governor,
receiving at his election i'll 1926 all the
votes cast but 374; in 1897 all but 4S9,
and in 1928 in a vote OF 2S. l09 all but
245. practically unanimous vote.
Gov. Lincoln died in Office, and Nathan
Cullen, of Pennington, President OF the
Senate, became acting governor the re-
mainder of the year.
1t is an old maxim that calm al
ways precedes Storm" which in Maine
politics was true as between the guber-
Material elections of 1928 Gust noticed)
and 1929, which was one of the most ex-
citing, violent contests ever known in
the State, the candidates being Jona-
than G.. Hunton, National Republican,
and Samuel E. Smith, Democrat. The
legislature that year after being in
session about six weeks, declared Hun
ton elected governor by - majority.
In the House, the late Judge Daniel
Goodenow, of Alfred, was elected Speak
er by one majority. The Senate was
tie IS and 81, and at the end of four
weeks trial to elect a presiding officer,
Rev. Joshua Hall, Democrat, by with
holding his vote, was elected President
by the votes of the eight opposition
Senators. Those eight National Repub-
licans in electing Democrat evidently
caught TARTAR" for the old Parson
acted with his party from the beginning
to the end of the session.
From 1880 to 1S4O party lines between
the Wings and Democrats were closely
drawn, the Democrats carrying the cleo
IF hn fnn TGor
ward Kent (Whig) in 1887 was elected
over Gorham Parks by a majority OF
3SS and over John Fairfield in 1910 by
eighty-three votes.
/ now pass to the time of my first con-
nection with the State government as
mem Der of the House OF the legislature
of 1910. The legislature of that year was
remarkable for the number of it's mem
bers who su bsequently held important
and responsible positions under the
National and State governments Three
of it's mem bers, John W. Dana, A bner
Coburn and Hannibal Hamlin,,, were
elected governors of this State. Two or
it's members, Hannibal Hamlin and Vim.
P. Fessenden, for many years represented
this State in the United States Senate,
while fourteen of the members, includ-
ing the clerk, were afterwards members
of Congress from Maine. John Fairfield
was Governor, Stephen C. Foster Presi-
dent of the Senate, and Hannibal Ham
lin Speaker of the House. This was
memorable year-made SO by the great
Presidential contest between VIM. Henry
Harrison and Martin Van Buren,, in
which the former swept the country,
carving 234 electoral votes to ~ for his
opponent. The first revision of the stat
utes of Maine was made by that legls-
lature at an extra session in the fall of
that year. Politics were at fever heat.
mn ny L IL, h, ,1f Hol1
with a mounted cannon to herald the
latest news of the fall State elections,
brought by horseback express from
Portland, and for long time nearly
every night the booming
Reverberations of that Old Gun
rolled up and down the Kennebec valley,
announcing new Wing victories.
When the great State of Ohio at its
State election in October wheeled into
the Wing line. the Wing members of the
Maine leg stature the next day after the
news bought a liberal supply
of powder with which to
celebrate the victory the following night
They paraded their big gun. went after
their powder-when, 10 and behold, it
had been stolen by two incendiary
bee river.
EARLY one morning, after terrific
booming of the old Wing gun at Hal
lowell, Col. S. r. Lyman, then represen-
tative from this city, and an ardent
Wing met that old war horse Democrat,
VIM. Delesdernier of Baileyville, and in
CURED of him in a sarcastic manner if
he knew what the firing at Hallowell
meant?" at means another State has
gone to -,n responded that radical
exponent of Democracy.
The Wings were SO elated with their
political prospects that they took almost
any kind of joke-even stealing their
powder-in a good natured way. They
doubtless remembered the sport they
had with their political opponents dur
ing the winter session over the distribu-
ton of Mrs. Longley's cheese" Mrs.
longley, the wife of well-to-do farmer,
in Green was great admirer of Gov.
Fairfield, aud to show her good will.
made and presented him with a mann
moth cheese, weighing about 400 pounds.
The Cove, nor presented the same to the
members of the legislature, directing
it to be cut into small parcels and dis
tributed pro rata among them: Tie
hard cider" campaign was on and Col.