The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-09-02
MIR. REED AT RIMFORD.
ali Oxford County Out to Hear
Him.
OVATION TENDERED THE SPEAKER
AT ONE STATION.
re Speaks From the Car Platform-The
Meeting at Rumford an Enthusiastic
One-A Characteristic Speech.
ESPECIAL TO THE PREss.l

Gne-A Characteristic Speech.
EsPEcIAL TO THE PREssJ
Rumford Falls, Me-, September L.
The Oxford bears turned out in force to-
day. They came, from all parts of the
county and early in the forenoon every
stable yard in this thriving village was
crowded with their teams. The noon
train was crowded with them, nearly
500 coming by rail. With the village peo-
Pile there was an audience Of about 1900
in the grove on the river bank opposite
the great mills here. At two O'Clock
when the meeting to be addressed by
Hon. Thomas B. Reed and Gen. Cyrus
Busy was called to order. 1t was a great
gathering and it paid magnificent tri-
but to the ex-Spsaker. Mr.. Reed received
an ovation at Dixfield. on his way to
Rumford. When the train, on which
MIR. Reed was a passenger arrived there,
several hundred people were waiting on
the platform with the Dixfield band.
The band and many Of the citizens board
ed the train but those who were left set
up series OF cheers mingled with which
were cries of "Reed.''
Finally Mr.. George o. Merrill was seen
pushing his way through the crowd,
from the rear Of the train and by his side
was seen the full form of the Speaker.
Standing on the station platform. Mr..
Reed. after the hand clapping had SUBJ
sided, said that he -was glad to observe
the interest shown in the questions of
the hour by the people all along the line
of ths railroad and it is now nearly time
to express this interest at the polls.
Maine ia the easternmost state of the
Union. IL is first to be. kissed by the
rising sun. It is the fist to receive the
glad tidings Of great joy and, said Mr..
Reed. at the coming election it must re-
fleet those tidings over the rest of the
country.
There was another burst Of cheering
when MIR. Reed returned to his seat in
the train.
Hon. George D. Bisbse presided at the
crowd in waiting in he grove saw the
speakers entering the stand there was
q loud burst of applause, the beginning
of a running fire of hand clapping
drowning the speaker.
After music by the Dixneld band, Mr..
Bisbee spoke briefly in opening the meet
ing, referring to it as a gathering not of
Democrats or Repu blicans but of bust
ness men and citizens who knew no
East or West, North or South in the
crisis with which the nation is now con-
fronted.
Mr.. Bisbee presented as the first speak
er, Gen. Cyrus Bussey of Washington,
assistant secretary Of the interior during
the administration of President Harri-
son. Gen. Bussey spoke briefly upon the
tariff and currency questions and was
and loudly applauded.
When Mr.. B1sbee presented MT. Reed
as man who needed no introduction
here or elsewhere, there was succession
OF cheers. Mr. Reed was in touch with
his hearers from the start and laughter
and applause were almost continuous.
He said, in substance:
r6llOW ClUlZSuS, I4ul6S od4 ECAl4OW0A
Every campaign is more or less cam
paign of education-unless it is failure.
daughter Education, however. Is
not always administered to US in such
manner and to such an extent as to en-
able us to know the right. But if we
do not ascertain the right be fore elec-
ton, we are dead sure to find out what
it is after. 1t is not for me to find fault
with the party to which we are op posed,
or rather with the individual mem bers
of it because thsre are signs in the Heav-
ems abb owe and the earth beneath that
show that same of them have beea re-
ceiving that knowledge which comes al
ter election. (Laughter). 1t you let men
describe themselves, they are wonderful
beings but I sometimes think If an
angelic power could describe us, We
should not be pleased with the descrip-
tion if published in the newspapers. In
this country in 1892, we were reasonably
prosperous and it would seem that COM
mon sense would have taught US that we
should keep in the road in which we
were going. But people are prone to ex
pertinent and they seemed as sure that
never ending prosperity had arrived as
if there was some new ana p .tent means
of securing it. TO be sure. good men like
Gen. Bussey and myself went about tell
ing you that 1t wasn't so but some of
you did not believe us. ] do not say it
refroachfUlly. 1t may not have hesn
your fault. But this one thing is dead
certain-yoa know it now. To show this,
l instance tbree votes of the American
people. One was in 1888 when you had
not tasted what was coming. You had
only had a breath Of it. The next was
in 1894 when you understood the situa-
ion and the third was in 1895, when you
had realized it,
! do not want to sea the Democratic
party perish. Theirs must always be
..-rsatS