The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-01-09
Retrospective.

The senatorial contest is all over and Mr..
Hamlin has again been successful. For
this result all men know that we are not re-
sponsible. Our protest was so fully spoken
during the contest that there is no need of
repeating it now. The proceedings leading
to this result have been faithfully chfoncled
in our telegraphic columns day by day.
The men who have spoken and acted
against Mr. Hamlin's return to the Senate
have nothing to regret and nothing to take
back. They feel low, as they have always
felt, that they represented great popular
sentiment, which will lead to higher and
more unselfish methods in politics, and to
such publication of the Republican party
as will ensure its continued power and use
funess.
The rebellion against the present system in
the party, to which the mere list of votes at
the cMacus does no justice, barely escaped be-
ing revolution. The th:rty-seven votes
against Mr.. Hamin were cast by men who felt
strongly enough on the subject to take this
positive action in the face of certain defeat.
When we add to this compact body the men
who would have joined them if the promise
OF success could have been given, and the
men who would have been glad to join them
but for complications with congressman and
other public men, we can readily see how
Mr.. Hamlin's majority Of forty-two might
have been transformed into a minority had
the judgment of men been untrammeled.
We think that no one viii make a question
chat Mr.. Hamlin would have been de-
feated had one half or even one third of the
Penobscot delegation felt free to follow their
inclination, by giving their votes for Judge
Peters. Such action would have found ready
response in Aroostook, Hancock. Knox and
Waldo and the break in the Hamln ranks
thus made would have been irretrievabe.
The strong popular feeling in Penobscot, for
this course, is demonstrated by the great list
ofthe foremost Republicans of Bangor who
oeri--Aa that they considered their senators
and representative and free to
follow their judgment in inc --.ts,r,-The
movement in favor of Judge Peters, made
spontaneously and without action Oh his part,
was most promising of success until the de-
CiSlOh VI oAiO uCiCSeh1iOh ne&o dlI6r
which the contest was practically over and
the only question was how many of the pro-
testing members Of the Legislature had the
nerve to stand up and be beaten. The num-
ber of votes for Messrs. Washburn, Drum
mond and Perham was by no means test
of the strength which these gentlemen would
have shown in the Legislature had the contest
been hopeful one. Many members who
were friendly to one or another Of these can
didates voted for Mr.. Hamlin because they
had the natural inclination to be on the win
ming side or for the sake of concurring with
their county delegations. We should be
guilty of an injustice not to give the tribute
of acknowledgment to the highly artistic
manner in which Mr.. Hamlin's campaign
was fought by his accomplished lieutenants,
under the capable guidance of Marshal Mar
BILE, chief of staff. Mr.. Hamlin, to his credit
be it said, did not go to Augusta in person
until the evening of the caucus.
In this matter we have done our duty by
the Republican party. We never did it more
faithfully and unselfshly. Time and the
sober reflection cf the best men, who have
differed from us, will, we believe, convince
them that the line of conduct which we
recommended was the wiser and better one.