The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-08-20
MIR. McKINNEY'S MEETING.
An Alleged Rally Of the Portland
Democracy.
THE LEADING CANDIDATES OF THE
PARTY HEARD FROM.

Mr.. Lord Promises Prohibitions all They
want-ueKipuey Talks Tariff and
Tr,as TO peIude the Old Soldiers Into
Voting for Him.
Some 400 or 500 men and boys gathered
at the Auditorium last night. They were
allured thereby the music of brass band
and the promise that they should hear the
two leading Democrats of Maine, for we
suppose that is the proper way to desig-
nate Samuel l.. Lord and Luther +. Nc
Kinney. The one is running for governor
against the man who received the largest
majority ever given candidate in this
state and the other is opposing Thomas
B. Reed. Hence their eminence.
Mr.. Levi Greenleaf did the honors for
the orators. First be presented Mr. Lord
of Saco, who assured his auditors that ne
brought good news from York county.
The Saco man started out as If he IN
tended to make speech, but it soon ap-
peared that this was mistake. He re-
ferred in the most careless way in the
world to 'sthe corruption that exists IN
this state" but offered no evidence and
made no specific charges. But he did one
extremely funny thing. This Democratic
druggist referred to the non-epforcement
of the prohibitory law ands declared that
the believers in prohibition had been
votingIthe Republican ticketand had been
deceived and that if now they would turn
round and vote The Democratic tt cket
they would enjoy the full fruition OF their
hopes. He actually said this to Demo-
cratic audience.
Chairman Greenleaf did not promise
Mr.. Lord an election, but he was sure
that the next spea ker would receive one,
that speaker being the Rev. MIR. McKin-
ney of Bridgton. In almost the same
breath he announced that he didn't know
but Mr.. Reed would be in Congress for
quarter of century to come. 1t struck
the audience as much more probable than
that Mr. Mckinney would ever get there
from this district. After saying the
speaker Of the national house of represent
tatiyes that "nobody knows him." which
was very good coming from Mr.. Levi
g Ieenleaf, he! then introduced ''our next
congressman
The Rev. Mr. Mckinney was as m lch
of disappointment in his way as Mr..
Lord, but he talked an hour to the Saco
gentleman's four minutes. The Bridgton
man said the Democratic party had
sufficient lie left to fight this campaign.
He declared the Republican campaign
promises of 1886 had all been broken and
then started out to review tariff leglsla-
ton since 1862, quoting Justin S. Morrill,
and other Republicans. And it might be
noted here that the audience at this point
oheered loudly the name of the first Re
publican President az it did later that OF
James L. Blaine, for whose opinions the
orator evidently had much respect.
The substance of tho first half of the
address was that the Wilson bill was
revenue producing law but the bills
passed by Republicans were not. He tried
to show that strikes and shut downs and
cut downs were features following Repub.
ncan legislation and that if the working
man wanted better pay and more work he
must vote for Luther +. Mckinney for
Congress. That is a dangerous kind OF an
assertion for any man to make. The
speaker who was always dignifie6 in his
personal illusions to his opponents, and
who complinented Mr.. Mckinley highly,
then had some fun with recent articles in
Lewiston paper which had charged him
with falsehood Mr. Mckinney quoted
figures as to the extent of the deficits
under different tariffs and INDUCED in
figures to show he was right. For one
thing DE hurled across the platform roll
of paper which he declared WAS 16S feet
long and contained the Mckinley tariff
law and contrasted with it the smaller
size Of the Wilson law. The audience did
not exactly see the point, but that made
no difference After some violent talk
about the rate of wages in this and other
countries and brief discussion of the
problems of reciprocity he turned to an
other topic.
1t was not the.currency topic either.
There had been more disorderly conduct
during the evening, and one of his hearers
had persistently interrupted. But one
nearer wanted to know something about
silver. But he found out nothing. Mr..
Mckinney has learned that 1T is not wise
for him to talk about that question, and
he turned to the soldier vote Announc-
ing that he had once been soldier him
self he declared that he always had
enough to eat and to wear, which was not
the experience of many old soldiers. He
made bitter attack upon the manage
ment of the present war, naming only
two men as worthy of personal credit,
both ex-confederate officers, deserving