Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-08-14
From the Eastport Scntincl.0

lhe democrats IN tnlS state nave not ulSlLtNcu
much shrewdness in the campaign thus far. Their
candidate for Governor, with his two iieutenants
Z. F. Phlsbury of the Augusta Standard, and
Marcellus Emery of the Bangor Commercial,
seems to have cut loose from the other leaders of
the party, and is running the campaign "respect-
fully on his owr hook" Gen. Roberts stat seduus
in his famous "Serenadc Speech" by dscardng
the wisdom Of the convention that nominated him
IN Ignoring the temperance question, and declared
war against prohibition. He, therefore, islcspon-
sible in this campaign for making the temperance
question issue. He could not have attacked
the republican party at a stronger point. If nc
had allowed republicans to select the point of at
tack they would have chosen the he has. 1t
has given an earnestness to the campaign on the
part of very considerable portion of the repub-
lican party which could not have been called forth
without it. 1t has reused the moral sentiment OF
the State and enlisted it warmly in the of
the republican party. No one entertains the
thought for a moment that Gen. Roberts, in at
lacking the prohibitory law, acted from desire
to promote the cause of temperance He has new
er shown an interest in the cause. Whatever of
reform in behalf of temperance has been wrought
in Maine, has been without aid or sympathy from
him lie dragged the temperance question into
politics to pander to herum-s ympathizers through
out the State, and they are many, of coursc,-but
few compared to those who hate the rum traffic.
lie counted his own party for him, however much
he ignored the sentiment of the convention which
nominated him,-and he hoped to find in the
publican party considerable number whose in
terests and sympathies in behalf of the traffic
IN to | 10
cure all the former, though we doubt it. We know
many democrats who are firm believers in the
principle of prohibition who do not desire to sec
the rum traffic licensed to do its internal work.
Whether they will vote for Gen. Roberts we do
not know, but we will venture the assertion that
for every republican who votes for him on account
of his opposition to prohibition, there will be four
democrats who will vote against him for the same
reason
Gen. Roberts will find, when the campaign is
over, that panderng to the low and degraded elc
ments of society does not pay in Maine.
The other point of attack upon the republican
lines is the character and standing of one of
leading men. Mr.. Pillsbury has written two open
letters to Hon. James G. Blaine. One was an at
temp. to show, by insnuation, and by insinuaton
only that Mr.. Blaine party to the Paper
Credit fraud during the There is not the
slightest evidence to lead to a suspicion that Mr..
Blaine had any connection with that transaction.
On the contrary there is the best OF evidence to
prove that he had not. committee, of which
we believe Hon. Geo F. Talbot was chairman, de-
voted much time to the investigation of this case,
and IN their report, after stating the difficulties
they met IN procuring documents bearing upon
| the matter, they say that Mr.. Blaine aided them
at all times cheerfuy and effectively in their in
| yestigations.
| Mr.. Pillsbury, finding that the paper Credit"
charge would not hold, writes second open let
| ter, in which he insinuaes that Mr. Blaine was
party in the Credit Mobilier scandal. This charge
| was made against Mr.. Blaine in the 1872 cam
| paign, and Immediately upon the assembling of
| Congress, Mr.. Blaine selecting Hon. S. S. Cox of
| New York, leading democrat to take the speak
| crs chair, moved that committee be appointed
to investigate the scandal. Mr.. Cox of course, had
| the appointing of the committee, Mr.. Blaine
| questing only that majority should be demo-
Gratis, and it was SO constituted That committee
cmphatically declare that they found no evidence
connecting Mr.. Blaine in any way with the fraud.
Cakes Ames, the manager of the scheme when
asked by the committee if Mr.. Blaine had been in
erested in it directly indirectly, answered. "N OF
directly or indirectly to the amount of one cent"
Upon both of the charges made by Mr.. Pillsbury
in his open letters, Mr.. Blaine has really been
tried by committees, and i'll both he has been
unanimously acquitted. No new evidence is in
troduced against him, and the verdict must stand.
1t is said, also, that Mr.. Blaine has acquired
large property, and therefore he must have been
engaged in some fraudulent transactions The in
ference is not logical. The same charge was made
against Hon. +. A. Pike when he was republican
candidate for Congress. Mr.. Pike had accumu-
lated some property,-no one but himself knew
how much,-but all who did know him knew that
no dollar of it was drawn from a corruption fund,
The democrats did not believe the charge, for in
1872 they coaxed and leased him to be their
didate for Congress, and supported him cordially
and heartily.
In fact Gen. Roberts and his lieutenants in at
lacking the character of Mr. Blaine are as unfor
tunate as in their attacks upon the prohibory
law. Mr.. Blaine is recognized throughout the
whole country one of the first statesmen of our
time. He has acquitted himself honorably and
well in all the positions to which he has been
chosen. lie has as Is natural, met with sharp OF
position. Ee has been closely watched by his OPP
ponents in and out of the party, and no blot or
stain rests upon his private or public life. The
republicans of Maine are proud Of him. They
have found him always the ready and able champ
ion of their interests. They have carefully scru
tinized the charges that party personal hostility
had brought against him, and they have seen that
they had no other foundation than personal or
party hatred.
If Gen. Roberts and his eutenants would have
the slightest hope of success they must find more
vulnerable points in the republican lines than the
prohibitory law the character of Hon, James
G.. Blaine
TOLI7IC.1L.