The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-08-10
Bangor Messenger, Aug. 81
PLAISTED MUST WITHDRAW.
An Appeal to Greenbackers'

The Messenger takes a step this week which
has been carefully considered, and which will
y be sustained by every man who holds polltlcal
principle superior to policy, but Whlcn WIN
call down upon it the anathemas OF the Fu-
sion press and Fusion party of the whole state
of Maine
The Messenger removes from its editorial col
umns the Fusion ticket, and calls upon Gov
ernor Plaisted to withdraw from his present
candidacy, in accordance with his solemn
pledges made to the editor of the Messenger
previous to his denomination on June 1st
On several occasions in this office, during the
month of May Governor Plaisted made the
deliberate and unqualified statement that he
was Greenbacker, and that, If nominated as
the candidate for Governor of Maine, it must
be as GreeDbacker; and that he could stand
only upon Greenback platform; that there
must be no mixing up with Democrats, and
that il a Democrat was nominated on the Con-
gressional ticket he would wITHDRAW-BoLT!
This last was said with that emphasis OF which
Governor Plaisted is such perfect master.
Believing that Governor Plaisted was as hon
est'as emphatic-that he was man OF whose
Greenbackism there could be no question, the
Messenger cordially pledged to him and the
ticket its support. The Messenger has used It's
utmost endeavors to preserve the purity OF the
party, and to secure Greenback nominees for
seen, with surprise, the illy-disguised hand OF
| Governor Plaisted manipulating caucuses and
conventions, debating, through a trusted SER
| want, the nomination OF man as candidate
| for Congressman, whose Greenbackism is
| questionable, unless we accept the declaration
| of the man himself in proof and we have also
| seen so-called Greenback convention nomi-
mating self-admitted hard money Democrat
as candidate for Congressional honors. Dur
| ing the last month the Messenger has waited,
expecting to see Governor Plaisted withdraw
| from the ticket as candidate for Governor in
accordance with the pledges made.
Instead, we see him standing as the candl-
date of the Greenback convention of June 1st,
| and the Democratic convention OF June 9th,
| upon platforms Numerically opposite in one
| of the fundamental principles, upon which is
| founded the Greenback party. We see him
| consenting to stand at the head of ticket up
| on which is a man, by preaching and practice,
| most obnoxious to the Greenback party. but
| who is willing to stand by the side of Green
hackers as long as they will vote for him and
his party friends. Upon that ticket, also, we
| find another candidate, who, in his acceptance
| of the nomination of Democratic convention
| pledges himself to work, so long as he may
| live, in perfect accord with the Democratic
| party.
Under these circumstances the Messenger
| calls upon Governor PlaSted to redeem his
| promises made to us when he desired our sup
| port, and withdraw from his position at the
head of such ticket, which, if elected, would
| be hailed all over the country as Democratic
| victory, and would confer benefits, not upon
the Greenback organization, but upon the
| Democratic party of this State and nation.
| If Governor Plaisted fails to redeem his
| pledges, he stands guilty of using deception to
secure support. His pledges were in perfect
accord with the epistle to "Dear SAM" and
| the support of the Messenger was given, not
| as personal favor, but because it saw in him
| man who, it believed, would carry out the
| principles of the Greenback party, indepen-
| dent of what any other party might do. and
| who would refuse to make any trades to secure
| democratic votes. If he refuses to withdraw,
| no honest man can fail to see that his acts are
| in ill accord with his words, and he stands
convicted of duplieity un worthy of a public
man, and is utterly unworthy of the support OF
| any Greenbacker.
| We call upon Greenbackers to look at this
matter and see if it is not time to refuse to sup
| port men for Office who are SO profuse in prom
| ises, but fail in performance. When our party
was organized, we pledged ourselves to secure
| honest men for office-men who were ready to
| carry out their pledges. This was one of the
| things that called SO many voters to our stand
| ard in 1878. But, as soon as the party showed
strength, political trioksters claimed allegiance
| to it, and by use of promises, "made only to
| be broken" rose to the surface. Now is the
| time, without regard to who may be benefited
or injured, to administer scathing rebuke to
these men, and compel them to hide their dim
| inished heads in the retirement OF private life
| where they belong.