The Portland daily press., 1882-08-11
Lewiston Journal
Governor Plaisted's Letter of Ac-

ceptance.
The stump speech which Gov. Plaisted was
to have made in Portland two weeks ago. has
just appeared in the form of letter of accep-
lance of the Democratic nomination for gov
ernor. Bion Bradbury in his letter of informa-
ton, as com mittee to inform GOV. Plaisted OF
his nomination, confesses that there are some
points of difference between the Democratic
ard Greenback platforms, but that the press.
ing demand for reform leads him to waive
all other issues and unite with the Greenback.
ers
Gov. Plaisted accepts this hating apology
for want of principle, and then proceeds to re-
peat his oft-repsated argument against the
right of the executive council to reject the eX-
ecutive nominations. AS matter of fact, ev-,
erybody knows that had the tables boon turned
the same spirit OF excessive craftsmanship in the
Council that was exhibited by the Governor
would have prevented any combinations. The
executive Council allowed the public interests
| in no case to suffer, and sought in vain to car
| ry out the wishes of the people. The stand
thew made on the issue of the State steal raised
| by Gov. Plaisted, in his attempt to punish
Judge Libbey. is one on which the people will
speak next September, and we have no feai
that their rebake will fall on thesCourt. The
entire letter is transparent attempt to drown
the real issues of the campaign in sea Of
words.
The Governors letter indicates that the Flu.
sion campaign, so far as possible, is to be fought
| by lodging. There are issues of monopoly,
| OF civil service reform, of economy in admins
| tration, and tax REFORM of practical concern tc
| Maine as well as larger issues OF national con
| Germ respecting the tariff, and the currency
which are to be debated. Here the opposition
| are inclined to talk 'glittering generalities
| but before the campaign is over they are likely
to find out that this Fusion alliance Tor spois il
| "entangling," and that candidate for Gov
ernor attacking the financial part of the plat
| form on which he is nominated, is spectacle
| altogether too humiliating to attract the vote;
| of men whose votes mean political convictions
| In all our political history lone might vainly
| search for such a caricature OF political con
scientiousness as that of man accepting the
Democratic nomination for Governor in one
| breath, and in the next attacking about the
| only part of the Democratic platform that il
| sound enough to stand on.
1t is enough to say of this alliance in which
the main issues of tariff and fnance are stified
simply to perpetuate that style of civil service
reform illustrated in Gov. Plaisteds ot1cia
career that the public disgust with it is daily
increasing. Our advices from all parts of the
State poind Enthusiastically in this direction
Honest Democrats, on the one hand. and hon
est greer hackers, on the other, are getting
nauseated with the newest phase of that style
of political dicker which SO disguised the New
York democracy in 1880 and which nauseates
Col Harper in 1882. The fact that one-hali
of the democratic speech in Maine in 1852 i
and the other half derided by the friends d
Weaver in Iowa, is visible sign of the inev
table fate of politicians riding two horses, NOV
ing in opposite directions