The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-09-09
The First District.

The First District.
The Republicans of the First District have
very serious question before them. 1t is no
less than the difference between victory and
a defeat in the Maine election of 1875. If
from one District in Maine goes man who
will act and vote with the united South i'll all
national or sectional questions which will
come before the next Congress, it is victory
for the South and there is no use in attempt
ing to disguise the fact. The magnificent
majority which tue state will give for Gov.
Connor on Monday will be fruitless of effect
and all the hope, aspiration and labor of the
campaign is thrown away, if Names Con-
gressional delegation is broken by the intro
duction of Democrat from this District.
1t is not question Of local consequence or of
personal feeling; it is matter of national
Importance and goes to the very root Of the
questions which divide the parties. The vote
TOR Congressman is the direct means of ex-
preston of principle for all Republicans who
nave principles, and it is to such only that we
appeal. To men who are Republicans only
for qualification Of personal ambitions or per-
sonal spites we have nothing to say; to such
any appeal to patriotism, any discussion of
the general principles which should determ-
inc political action would be mere emptiness.
| Mr.. Goodwin, the Democratic candidate
Tor Congress, is undoubtedly an estimable
gentleman in private life; the only difficulty
with him is that in Congress his votes would
no NF
those of the majority of the Democratic eau
Gus and that majority would be ex-confeder-
ates from the South. That Mr.. Goodwin
suberdinates individual opinion to party die.
tation was conspicuously shown by his action
in the matter Of the removal of Judge Davis.
AS member of the Legislature Mr.. Good
win made strong speech against the remov-
al and then, at the dictation of his party eau
Gus. voted for it. For all practical purposes
one might as well vote for the most violent
ex-contederate or copperhead in the land as
for Mr.. Goodwin.
Mr.. Reed is Republican, thorough, strong
and sincere, who may be trusted to stand for
honest money, for equal rights of all citizens,
Tor security to person and property in all
parts OF the nation, for all needed reform in
national affairs, and for the great fundamen-
tai principle which should have been settled
beyond all possible cavil by the war, that the
United States is a nation and not a mere con-
federation Of independent states whose union
may be terminated by the action of either of
them. He is man of marked mental power,
OF thorough intellectual training and large
capacity for affairs. He has become eminent
in his profession and is of good standing and
repute as citizen in all respects. He is a
man conspicuously able and suited to be an
efficient, useful and powerful representative
in Congress, and one for whom any man
might justly be proud to vote. His nomina-
tlon was made by a full convention after
long consideration and discussion, and no
man has yet had the effrontery to question
the fairness of the choice of delegates or of
their action in the Convention. There is alb
solutely no reason why he should not have
the support of all the Republicans of the First
District, and on the contrary there is every
reason why he should have warm, hearty
"AN S"ihSoe ouppOAt iIOul GucIu,
The natural disappointment of some of the
gentlemen whose choice for candidate was
not the choice of the Convention rapidly SUBJ
| sided into an acquiescence in the result and
they are generally now supporting Mr.. Reed.
There were, however, few men, who could
be counted on the fingers, actuated by the
personal antagonism which so positive and
| powerful mau as Mr.. Reed naturally exctes
in petty, envious and mean natures, who
have deliberately set out upon campaign of
fraud and deceit to compass if possible the
defeat of the man whom they hate. By
one misrepresentation and another they
have induced several very respectable gentla-
men to join them, aud have even, by par
| ticularly atrocious falsehood, echoed over and
over again in the argus, raised a religious
question which disturbs some good people.
They are acting in constant conference with
the Democratic leaders, who are using them
for their own partisan purposes. They are
| issuing circulars of one kind and another,
which the Democrats are using for campaign
! documents. In brief they are trying by every
device which mean maliguity can suggest to
raise so much smoke that innocent voters
shall fear that there is fire beneath
1t should be the special care of Republicans
to see that this wicked conspiracy is not sue.
cessful. There is too much at stake to spare
any effort in this direction. 1t may make the
difference of Democratic or Republican ma
Jority in the next House of Representatives.
1t may affect the condition of the nation on
the gravest questions for many years. 1t is a
great responsibility that citizen takes who
assists, by even passively refraining from vot-
ing, in Strengthening the hands of the South
erners who are clamorous for spoils and pow
er, and have claims enough already drawn up
for presentation to bankrupt the nation.
There are the most potent and pressing reas-
ons for giving our candidate full support
Republicans will find it difficult to justify
themselves for any lack of such support.