Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-12-11
For the Kennebec Journal.
The Governor Question.

| There is much talk and . vast amount of specu-
| lstion, as to who is to be the next Cover nor Of
Maine. OF the three candidates it has generally
been expected that the two who received less
votes than the other will be sent up by the House.
and that the Senate, which politically agrees with
the candidate who did receive the largest number
of votes from the people, will be called upon to
choose Governor by taking = man who differs
from the politicsl faith Of its majority.
As between, then, Smith and Gsrcelon il i.
claimed that the Senate must choose, because, as
it is said, the democrats and greenbackers com
bined in the House have majority. Well, for a
few moments let US look into this matter.
One Of these two men, DIR. Garcelon, went before
the people during the campaign and put himselfup
on record. l did not hear him speak but am in
formed BY those who did, and was so informed at
the time that his speech was anything but an hon
est money talk. He denounced the national
banks and closed his remarks by appealing to the
audience. to vote for anybody Or any thing, that
would "help to br, ak up aud destroy this wicked
republican party" Recently he was interviewed,
and among other things he stated first, he be-
lieved there had been fair and peaceable cleo
ton in South Carolina this year of 1878, and Sec
ondly, he stated that he believed Samuel j. Tilden
to be too pure and too upright q man to have had
any knowledge Of the cipher dispatches. Ye
Gods There's innocence for you. ANY man
who could make those two declarations, it seems
to me is by far too much wanting 10 the spprecia-
ton of the true state Of things to DO made Gov
ernor.
The other candidate. Major Smith has never
he, known tn make anv snch foolish dec laI al
upon those points, neither have ever heard of
his being half foolish in what he has said about
finance, as DIR. Gscelon's speeches showed him to
be last fail. Both were once republicans, Garce-
Ion bolted long ago, has generally been regarded
as whittier politically, is with Fernando Wood
to-day upon the question Of protection to the peo
pie of the country, and if made Governor will be
hailed as lone OF then" ie., Governor in symrs-
thy with the extreme being of the democratic par
ty. On all questions Of to day, save the finances,
Major Smith is with the republican party, and so
far as l can see even on that question the Major
is quite Is sound IS Garcelon, yes, much sounder,
and at heart, we have no doubt he honestly be-
leves in = specie basis Tor all currency in crcula-
ton. With this view of the case before them,
while the financial question is an important one,
we must thefe IL looming up just
now. that of the rights Of citizenship which can
not, must not be overlooked; the republican SEN
stor will have to act, and for one, while if Dr.
Gsrceon had been an out ard out honest money
men, we might talk about consistency and looking
to the future, still believing IS do, that Major
Smith is the sounder Of the two upon this political
question, while upon The other, that of protection
of citizenship, he is sound to the core, were
called upon to decide AN afraid should say,
"of two evils I'll choose the least. and so vo for
Smith" Democrats aud republican 2reenbackeis
never Can affiliate, while outside Of the financial
question, republicans aud republican greenbackers
differ but little, add to this the fact. that Majr
Smith is probably an honest money man, we of
the republican party shall stand decidedly more
consistent BY making him Governor than We shall
II We elect Garcelon.
lhave come to this conclusion after carefully