The Portland daily press., 1890-09-06
"AnythIne to Beat Reed. -

But one day remains for work before the
voters will express their opinion at the polls
on the issues presented to them in the can
vass. 1t is to be presumed that they have
considered the questions carefully and intel
ligently, and are DESTROYS of settling them
according to their best judgment
1t happens now on account Of the biennial
arrangement that two sets of questions, one
national in their bearing and the other con-
corning the affairs of the State merely, are
presented in every political campaign in this
State. In this particular campaign the for
mer set dropped.out very early because the
Democrats did not have the courage of. their
convictions. They started with considera-
BILE enthusiasm to make a campaign for
license. But their enthusiasm died very
young The field of State politics has prac-
tically been abandoned to the Republicans
The Democrats cannot even be prodded into
fight over the issue which they themselves
raised.
In regard to the national issues. the case is
somewhat different, at least in this end Of
the State. The Democrats are making some
demonstration against Speaker Reed. But
even here there is very little discussion on
their part of questions and issues. Mr..
Frank fired off a speech on the tariff to an
audience Of about $50 persons and then he
stopped, and all the other Democrats stopped
as far as argument is concerned, and turned
all their batteries upon Mr.. Reed with an
intent to excite prejudice against him with
the people. Since then the Democratic cam
paign has been simply campaign of SANDER
nd nI,,oa ta6 90 Do
publican candidate. The stale epithets
which the excited Democrats applied to Mr..
Reed early In the session when he was put
ting down their instruction of silence have
been repeated daily with tedious iteration.
He has been called Gar, an autocrat and
Caesar every day in the week for the past
month. Apparently one purpose has been
to scare the people of the district into voting
against him on the ground that there was
danger that he might attempt to overthrow
the Republic and establish monarchy. In
their pursuit of him the Democratic organs
appear to have entirely forgotten that they
had a candidate. MIR. Franks physical dimen-
sions have been given, and it has been al
legged that he is good man, but they seem
70 nave been content with proving his ex-
istence. Hatred of the Mr.. Reed has been
tne main spring Of their campaign
Ii the hctitious John Doe or Richard Roe
hau peen substituted for Mr.. Frank any day
since the campaign fairly began the majority
OF the Dem ocrats would probably not have
noticed the change. so completely has their
campaign been directed against somebodv
instead of for somebody. 1t has been "Any.
thing to beat Reed" all the way through.
1t is scarcely possible that such campaign
can succeed In district which contains 50
intelligent class of voters as does the First
district of Maine. There may be districts in
the country where this kind of campaign
would be successful, but they are districts
where ignorance is trumps and intelligence
is at a low state. In this district people are
not likely TO be frightened by the parrot-like
reiteration of Gar and autocrat, and as for
assertions that their liberties are In danger
because Mr.. Reed has failed to recognize the
right of the Democratic members to be con-
structively absent when they are out in the
aisles shouting at the top of their voices,
that simply excites derision. Neither are
they likely to be much edited by cam.
paign Of abuse and Misrepresentation.