Year: 1879

On Friday evening, Dec. 18th, was
held, at Augusta, the first Of Sc
ries Of Indignation Meetings, which
have shown the temper Of the people Of
Maine. From all quarters comes the
same report. The people are more fully
aroused 10 the enormity Of the crime
committed, and are more determined in
their demands than are the leaders, so
called. For once the people are pushing
the leaders, and forcing them TO occupy
more advanced ground than they would,
from choice, have selected. The people
are determined tina, this crime shall not
be consummated. and their voice must be
needed.


At the Augusta meeting. speeches
were made by many citizens Of the State,
and letters were read from Others who
were unable 70 attend. We give, below,
Mr.. Blaine's speech on that occasion. 1t
sets the whole matter before US in con-
else and forcible manner Ex-Gov. An
son p. Morrill, wrote a letter which we
also publish. 1t IS said "Old men are
for council and young men for war In
this expression of opinion Of venerable
and distinguished citizen Of Maine-a
conservative man, writing from his sick
bed-we find that the old men are not
willing TO sit idly by and allow the young
TO DO all the work. This vigorous letter
shows that candid and thoughtful men
believe this outrage Is 50 gross, the Peo-
pie would be coparceners in the fraud if
they allowed It TO be consummated. The
resolutions of this meeting strike the key
note, which will be echoed from every
hamlet in the State.


SPEECH or SENATOR BLAINE.


Il IS well, Mr.. Chairman, in meeting
of this kind to understand with precision
the grievance of which the people COM
plain. Let me state it as briefly as pos
sible. On the eighth day of September
last the voters of Maine, in pursuance of
their organic law, proceeded to elect a
Governor, and Senators and Representa-
tiyes in the Legislature. The election
was preceded by prolonged, thorough
and somewhat exciting canvass of the
State. Hon. Arson p Morrill,, who |
regret is not able to be with US this even
ing, told me that he had voted for fifty
consecutive years in Maine, and in many
of the campaigns had taken, as we all
know, prominent part, and that in the
whole of that long period he had never
known political contest in which the
issues before the people had been so ably,
so elaborately and so thoroughly discussed
both on the stump and by the press. He
said he did not believe there had ever
been a year in which every citizen of the
State knew so well just what he intended
BY his vote as in the election of 1879. |
am sure that would be the testimony Of
every honest and candid man in the State.
The vote was full, free and fair. The
result of that election, as shown by the
official returns, was to give the Republican
candidate for Governor a plurality OF
1000 votes over the Greenbaek candi-
date and of 10000 over the Democratic
candidate. In the Legislature by the Off
cial returns the Republicans chose nine
teen Senators and the opposition twelve
Senators, and in the House the Republi-
cans chose ninety members and the oppo-
sition sixty-one. On the Legislative
ticket the Republicans had an absolute
majority of nearly five thousand on the
popular vote. This was the result as
shown by the official returns made by the
city and town clerks and Immediately
made public by the Secretary of State


When the sealed returns were opened
some weeks later, to be counted by the
Governor and Council, they disclosed the