The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-05-07
THE MAINE PLATFORM.
The Hon. J ohm l.. stevens Replies 20 the
Criticisms of the Boston Advertiser.
The following appeared in yesterdays Bos
ton Advartiaar.


ton Advertiser:
To the Editors of the Boston DaiLy Advertiser.
He is known l. Maine as temperance man, and
vet his convention the Portland Advertiser says,
gave cautious approval Of every i9dieioH !I move
temperance. This may be construed as for or
against the prohibtory amendment to the constitu-
ton. according to the preeonceived opinion of the
reader
The tempering of the civil service resolution and
the failure to say syllable in behalf of an honest
dollar.
In fact, this Maine platform, launched in Bangor,
but evidently built from designs prepared in Wash
ington.
The objection to Mr. Blaine's candidacy that it
would neeessitste defensive ampaign.-Advertis-
er, May Sd.
Did the mistakes and misrepresentation
above stated concern only the writer OF this, he
would not deem it of sufficient Importance to
the public 10 give them attention. But be-
cause they amount to an aspersion on the in
telligence and good faith OF the committee on
resolutions of the Republican convention of
Maine, and because it makes In them an utter
~ baseless charge on Mr.. Blaine, we deem it
proper to notice them.
The two resolutions which give special nm
bragg to the Advertiser. are those on temper
ance and the civil service. We here repeat
them, that their exact purport may be obvious:
TEMPERANCE.
We reafirm approval of the policy of prohib-
iting the dram-shop. and our sympathy with every
judicious movement looking to the amelioratlon OF
the evils of intemperanee.
CIVIL SERVICE.
ResoIved That the great number of official agents
necessary to the administration of the affairs of
people so numerous and possessing interests so va.
red and vast as those OF the United States. demand
that civil service should be controlled by strict
ly business principles that it should have every i'm
provement indicated by experience and patriotism,
and if any further legislation is required to render
it safe from the entertainments and dangers OF par
tisan strife, Congress should promptly provide such
legislation and the President and his constitutional
advisers should enforce it in spirit and letter.
sThe first resolution was not written by any
member of tie committee on resolutions, but
by one of the pronounced and chief representa-
tive prohibitionists of the State, once an hon.
ored Governor, now trusted public man. 1t
was adopted by the committee on resolutions
and the convention without change Of word or
letter, and it was and is in accord with the
expressed wishes of the friends OF the prohibit
ton constitutional amendment, officially made
known to the committee on resolutions. With
this tenn perance resolution MIR. Blaine has had
as little to do as the editor of the Advertiser.
That the little and larger Advertiser, both
being understood to be in favor of license and
opposed to prohibition, should care about this
resolution is matter we do not feel called on
to explain or criticise.
AS to suggesting, inspiring or drafting the
civil service resolution, Mr.. Blaine had as lit
tie to do as he did with that on temperance.
nj IL raaaiRad from N
or out of the State the slightest hint or sug-
gestion as to writing it or any other resolution
on the subject. He has not been ia Washing
ton for nearly eight years. Mr.. Blaine never
by oral, written or Geographic word indicated
any wish or opinion on the subject. The
writer has never been accustomed to take his
political opinions from Washington or Boston.
They are both beautiful and interesting cities,
but in their midst one does not feel the warm,
bounding pulse of the country. For more than
40 years he has been in the way of doing his
own political thinking, not always the best,
it may be, but it has been such as has guided
his own political action. On the civil service
question he has quite as advanced and uncom-
promising opinions as the editor of the Adver-
tiser, believing that not only additional Com
gressi0nal legislation will be found necessary,
but that the civil service of this great people
will never be entirely Independent and secure
ly guarded from the evils of partisan strife I'M
til the constitution of the United States shall
have had an important amendment. The res
olution plainly implies whatever legislation or
other action time and experience shall show
to be necessary to the most effective and hon.
est civil service.
In the list OF the Maine resolutions there is
none on the subject of silver, for the reason
that neither the chairman nor other members
Of the committee thought OF it in season. The
one to which the Advertiser alludes did not
reach the committee room until the committee
had finished its work and most of the members
had passed into the convention. So far as he
knows and believes, the writer of this is in ex-
act agreement with the Advertiser on the
question, and in favor of stopping the coinage
of silver dollars. We believe such to be the
opinion of all the members of the committee
on resolutions. But the writer has regarded it
in no sense party question, and thinks no
thoughtful friend OF solid currency will seek
to make it so. A resolution on the subject
could have done no harm. 1t could have done
no good. The Maine Congressman are OF one
mind on the subject and know their duty. So
of several other subjects, each OF which could
have had resolution. An increase OF the
navy is needed. Measures to this end are
pending in Congress 1t is an important
question. Public morality, and public as well
as private interests strongly demand postal
telegraph, owned by the people and directed
by their servants. The railroads should be reg
ulated by national authority, so that vast COM
mercial interests may not be endangered and
the country demoraliZed. The newspaper
press needs reforming, for its misuse, By i'm.
moral and INSCRIPTIONS men, constitutes men,
acing and alarming evils to the country. All
of these gravely important questions could
have had place among the Maine Republican
resolutions, but they are not political and par
tisan issues any more than the matter of silver
coinage, and it is to be doubted If the public
welfare require they should become such.
To the remark of the Advertiser that Mr..
Blaine's candidacy implies a defensive CAM
hox- hat fau vN1a fV dc
the Advertiser suppose it can intimidate or
alarm the Republicans of Maine by any such
language as that? Does 1t presume that the
large body of his supporters in the country-by
general admission far more numerous in the
Republican States than the friends of any
other candidate, among them large number
of the most intelligent and experienced men
of the United States-have not daily con.
sidered the question Of his successful candi-
dacy2 Does it assume that the opinions of the
few are entitled to more weight than OF the
many?
"a defensive campaignl" Does not the
Advertiser know that the most successful presi-
Dental campaigns haze eUer been those an which
both defensive and offensive tactics haze been
uSed? Such have been the larger part of the
great military campaigns in past times, from
which the language OF political campaigns is
borrowed. Defensive and aggressive cam
paigns bore jackson, Harrison and Garfield to
power; and what tornado of calumny they
confrontedI 1t was likewise a defensive and a
splendidly aggressive campaign which came so
nearly to electing the gallant Henry Clay in
1874, though the candidate of a minority
party. whom nothing but his Alabama letter
defeated. The Republicans of the Repu blican
States, who are now favoring Mr.. Blaine's
candidacy with such remarkable enthusiasm,
fully understand what his candidacy involves,
and know we'll the reasons on which they base
their hopes Of his triumphant election, should
the Chicago convention place him in nomina-
ton. In the minority who now dissent, they
recognize peers in intelligence. political sa.
gacity and Republican integrity, nothing more,
and nothing less. Trusting that the united
ssgacity of the Republicans OF the States who
will vote in November for a Republican Presi-
Dental candidate, is to prevail in the national
convention, the undersigned claims only to
have been humble member of the Maine
national committee on resolutions.
JOHN l.. STEVENS.
Augusta, May 5, 1884.