Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-05-08

- knuuu - believes. the writer ef t. =
n erne nnuenent With IL Advertiser -
II eusseioa, and in fhyoe Of stopping T.
eoinaes II silver dollars. We believe So
70 be the opinion Of al The nembers of -
committee on resolutions. Bat the vrifsf
has regarded il in no sense party question,
and thinks no Thoughtful friend Of solid
currency will seek TO make il 90. A resoln-
ton On the subject essn have done no harm.
It coald have done no good The Mains
|Congressmen are Of one mind on the sub
jecs and know their duiy. 80 Of several
other subjects, each of which cosld
have bad rssoIutios. An increase sf he
Nsvy Il needed. Measures - thin sad are
pending in Congress. 1t Is An important
question. Public morality. and pablo -
veil - privass interests strongly demand .
Postal Telegraph, owned BY the people and
directed by their servants. The railroads
should be regulated by national authority. 90
that vast commercial interests may not be
endangered and the country dsmorslized.
The Newspaper press needs reforming. for
its misuse. BY immoral and unscrupuloas
men. constitutes menacing and alarming evils
to the country. All of these gravely impor-
tant questions could have had place among
the Maine Republican resolutions. but they
are not political and partisan issues any more
than the matter of silver coinage, and it is to
be doubted if the public welfare requires they
should become such.
To the remark of the Advertiser that Mr..
Blaine's candidacy implies . defensive cam
paign, we have but . few plain words. Does
the Advertiser suppose it can intimidate or
alarm the Republicans Of Maine by any such
language as that? Does it 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 duly consider
ed the question of his successful candidacy ?
Does it assume that the opinions Of the few
are entitled to more weight than of the many? ?
"a defensive campaigne" Does not the
Advertiser know that the usoH sueees:ful
Prudential campaigns haue ever been those
in which both defensive and ofensive tactics
hare been usedf 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 ag-
gressive campaigns bore Jackson, Harrison
and Garfield to power; and what tornado
of calumny they confronted! It was like
wise defensive and splendidly aggressive
campaign which came so nearly to electing
the gallant Henry Clay in 1874, though the
candidate of minority party. whom nothing
but his Alabama letter defeated. The Re-
pubiicans of the Republican States, who are
now favoring Mr.. Blaine's candidacy with
such remarkable enthusiasm, fully understand
what his candidacy involves, and know well
the reasons on which they base their hopes of
his triumphant election, should the Chicago
convention place him in nomination. In the
minority who now dissent, they recognize
peers in intelligence. political sagacity and
Republican integrity, nothing more, and
nothing less. Trusting that the united
opinion of the Republicans of the States who
will vote in November for a Republican
Presidential candidate, is to prevail in the
National Convention, the undersigned claims
only to have been a humble member of the
Maine Republican committee on resolutions.
JOHN L. STEVENS.
Augusta, Nav 5, 1884.