The Portland daily press., 1892-02-17
A CASE OF POLITICAL ETHICS.

A CASE OF POLITICAL ETHICS.
We have only few words to say with
reference to last nights raid of the
Express on Mr.. Reed. 1t was composed
mostly of old straw which has been
threshed again and again. There are,
however, several misstatements in it
which need correction. 1t is not true
that Nj. Reed opposed the appointment
of Mr.. Blaine to be Secretary of State. 1t
is not true that he opposed reciprocity.
Mr.. Reed was Speaker of the House when
the reciprocity amendment was tackled
on to the Mckinley bill, and made no OPP
position, though he was in a position,
had he seen fit, to make its passage
very difficult. But were it true that Mr..
Reed opposed Mr.. Blaine's appointment
and also opposed reciprocity, it would
have no bearing upon the question at
issue. This question concerns the pro-
priety of paper claiming to be a Repub-
lican organ-indeed we believe it goes SO
far as to assert that it is the only truly
loyal organ in this part of the state-a
paper completely controlled by the col
lector of the port, who is at the same
time member of the Republican state
committee for Cumberland county, de-
iberately, continually and malig-
nantly attacking the Republican
representative from this district who
is one of the recognized leaders of
his party, and was the speaker of the
last Republican House of Representa-
tives. That is the question at
issue and the effort of some of
the gentlemen affected by it
to obscure it by raising the question of
Mr. Reeds attitude toward reciprocity
or his relations with the senators will not
be allowed to succeed.
Col. F. N. Dow, or the Evening Ex-
press, for the latter is only the pen name
of the former, has been engaged now for
some months past in assaulting by slurs
and innuendoes the congressman from
this district. This is susceptible of
demonstration by excerpts from the edi-
torials in the Evening Express. At first
the attacks were covert, somewhat tenta-
tive, but gradually they have grown
holder, until on Monday night they
took on character which the PRESS de-
scribed as ''coarse slugging.'' The Ex-
press objects to that term, and says what
we called ''slugging'' was but plain
statement of facts. We observe, howev-
er, that in the Boston Herald
of yesterday this 'plain statement of
facts was described in a telegram
emanating from the Express Office as a
''caustic editorial" Now, with Col.
BOWS acts as private citizen we have
nothing to do. We admit his right
in that character to criticize
Mr.. Reed, to try and undermine
him if he sees fit. But Col. Dow is
something more than a private citizen.
He is the official representative of the
Republican party in this county, made so
by his voluntary consent-nay more at
his solicitation. When a man accepts
that position he enters into an implied
agreement with the Republican party to
support it's candidates and representa-
tive men, and as long as he remains in
that position he is under obligation to do
SO. To slur them, especially in public
prints, and to seek to undermine them is
treachery to his party. If the represen-
tative men of his party or its candidates
are so obnoxious to him, or their
character or attachments fall SO
far short of his standard that
he cannot support them there is but
one honorable course for him to pursue,
and that is to resign and allow his place
to be filled by some one who can fulfil
the obligations which the Office imposes.
If, for any reason, Committeeman Dow
cannot support MI. Reed his plain duty
is to retire to private station where he
will be affected by no obligation, and
can therefore follow without injustice to
his partyhis feelings or his judgment. If
his place in the custom house has put him
under obligations to the politicians OF
the eastern part of the state which he
can only discharge by slurring and slug
ging MI. Reed very ordinary regard for
propriety would suggest that he should
withdraw from position which impos-
es obligations to his party directly
counter to those imposed by his place
in the custom house. Nobody asks
Colonel Dow in his private capacity to
support Mr.. Reed if to do so would do
violence to his convictions OF his
feelings; nobody asks him to profess
an affection which he does not feel; but
the Republicans of Cumberland county
and the First district do ask, and have
the right to ask, that while he remains
the official head of the party in this