The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-23
AFTER REEDS SCALP.
The Election in Maine Takes
Place September 8.
CAMPAIGN OF GREAT veoR.
Democrats straining Every Muscle TO De-
feat the Man Who Has Held Them
Down to Business.

WASHINGTON CRY. Aug. 22-The Demo-
Gratis, not only of the First congressional
district of Maine, but of the entire country,
are after Tom Reed 8 scalp. They are find
ing hard work to get it, if reports that
come to this city are correct, but still they
are after it and 10 not propose to let up
until after the election. The elections in
that state, coming two months earlier than
in most states-on the second Monday in
September-the tight is at its hottest now.
Reed is big game for Democratic guns,
and all that can be done by the Democratic
leaders here and elsewhere is being done to
defeat HIM. The Democrats would rather
see him defeated than any other man who
is now or is likely to be a candidate for the
next congress. His defeat would in q
measure satisfy the thirst for revenge for
all the trouble he has made for the mi
nority at this session, and it would
remove all the danger of evils
they may suffer at his hands in the next.
They are afraid of him when he is on the
floor, and if he should be speaker again
their present trouble would be repeated.
The speaker cannot get away from con-
gress to attend to his own fences. A prom
inent public man who has recently made q
trip through his district says that there is
hardly possibility of his defeat, in spite of
all that the Democratic national committee
can do to bring about that result His dis
trict is often very close, Mr.. Reed having
been elected at times by plurality of not
more than 800 or 400
The Republicans of his district this wear
have more than the usual desire to return
him, and are making a campaign that has
seldom been equaled. His opponent is NJ. P.
Frank, who is not known outside OF his dis
trict. and who has little to recommend him
for any heavyweight fighting. The
speaker is mixed up in row over federal
patronage, which is being made the most
OF by those who are against him. 1t is
over the collectorship at Portland. w. r.
Milliken is the candidate of Mr.. Reed, but
he is at outs with the senators from his
state on the appointment, they having in
dorsed Frel N. Dow, a son of Neal Dow,
the father of the Prohibltionists in the
Pine Tree state. The president has been
holding the case since some time in May,
and whatever trouble comes from this dis
agreement has been getting worse and
worse. This, however. is not likely to
make any serious showing at the polls.
The district was not SO close two years
ago, when Mr.. Reed was elected by Q plu-
rality OF 2,439 over Emery, his Democratic
opponent. The plurality in a non-presi-
dental year is not expected to be so great,
but still man who has been looking up
the situation says it will be sufficient to in
sure Mr.. Reeds return.
The speaker does not behave as il he had
much of a fight on his hands. He has not
lost pound and he is apparently not wor-
ried in the least His campaien is in the
hands of experienced campaigners, who
have been in the politics of the state and
district so long that they know the politics
of almost every voter outside of the larger
cities. Mr.. Reed is in pretty constant COM
munication with them, and is presumably
well advised as to the situation. He would
be as much surprised as any one in the
country if he should wake up the morning
after election to find himself defeated
Meantime the Democrats from all over the
country are praying that this may hap
pen, and are chipping in dollars to help
bring it about. L. B. l..