Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-05-08
From the Boston Advertiser, May 6.
The Maine Platform.
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEES EXPLAINS
How AN OMISSION OCcURRED.-A PLEA
FOR Mr.. BLArSE's CANDIDACY.

He 10 known in Maine as Temperance man. and
ye. his convention. the Portland Advertiser says
gave "csutious approval Of every judicious move
ment looking the ameliorstion Of the evils OF In
Temperance. This may be construed as for or against
the prohibitory amendment to the constitution,
cordinx to the preconceived opinion of the reader
The .emperinE Of the civil service resolution and
the failure to say syllable in behalf OF An honest
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 neoe ssisate defensive csmpaigu.-( Adver-
tiser, Mays.
Did the mistakes and misrepresentation
above stated concern only the writer of this.
he would not deem it of sufficient importance
to the public to give them attention. But
because they amount to an aspersion on the
intelligence and good faith of the Committee
on Resolutions of the republican convention
of Maine. and because it makes in them an
utterly baseless charge on Mr.. Blaine, we
deem it proper to notice them.
The two resolutions which give special UNI
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 our approval OF the policy of prohibit
ing the dram shop. and sympathy with every
judicious movement looking to the smelioration Of
the evils OF intempersnce.
CIVIL SERVICE.
Resolved, That the great number Of official agents
necessary to the administration Of the affairs of q
people so numerous. and possessing interests so
varied and vast As those OF the United states De.
strictly business principles that 1t should have every
improvement indicated experience and patriotism,
and any further legislation is required to render 1t
safe from the eucroachments and dangers Of partisan
strife Congress should promptly provide such legs-
lation, aud the President and his constitutional
advisers should enforce It 1t spirit and letter.
The first resolution was not written by any
member of the Committee on Resolutions,
but by one of the pronounced and chief rep
resentative prohibitionists of the State, once
an honored Governor, now q 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 prohibition constitutional
amendment. officially made known to the
Committee on Resolutions. With this tenn
perance resolution Mr.. Blaine has had az
little to do as the editor of the Advertiser.
That the little and larger Advertiser, both
being understood to be in favor OF
licence 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
little to do a. he did with that on temperance.
The author OF il received from no person in
or out of the State the slightest hint or sug.
gestion ss to writing it or any other resolu.
ton on the subject. He has not been in
Washington for nearly eight years. Mr..
Blaine never by oral. written or telegraphic
word indicated any wish or opinion on the
subject. The writer has never been accus-
toned to take his political opinions from
tiful and interesting cities, but in their midst
oue 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 politi.
cal thinking. not always the best, it may
be, but il has been such as has guided
his own political action. On the civil service
question he has quite a. advanced and uncom-
promising opinions - the editor Of the Ad-
vertiser, believing that not only additional
congressional legislation will be found neces-
sary. but that the civil service Of this great
people will never be entirely Independent and
securely guarded from the evils of partisan
strife until the Constitution Of the United
States shall have had an important amend
ment. The resolution plainly implies what
ever legislation OF other action time and
experience shall show to be necessary to the
most effective and honest civil service.
In the list Of the Maine resolutions there
10 none on the subject OF silver, for the rea-
sou that neither the chairman nor oshef mem.
Der of the committee thought Of IL in eason.
The one to which the Advertiser allaiss did not
reach tie commietes-room until he committee
he'd finished iss work., sndoose ef the nembers
lad passsd into the coavsntiea. So far q