The Portland daily press., 1894-09-01
DEMOCRATIC HOPES.

The most the Democrats hope to do on
election day is to keep down Gov.
Cleaves' majority to the figures of two
years ago, and here and there to take
advantage of some local Repu blican dis
affection to capture representative to
the legislature or q county officer. Their
hope of keeping down Gov. Cleaves'
majority is not going to be realized.
Theresis no Republican disaffection to
take advantage of in his case. The same
is true of the congressman. Gov. Cleaves
will be reelected by largely increased
majority, and SO will all OF the congress-
men. The only danger to the Republican
ticket lies in local disaffection in their
own party with some candidate for So
coordinate office. That may, possibly, here
aud there, if it be not checked, enable
Democrats to capture some representatives
and county officers. So far as we know
there is hut one candidate in this coun-
ty that is at ali exposed to such disaf-
lection. We refer to the Re-
publican candidate for sheriff, Mr.. Sam
uel ID. Plummer. The Democrats hope
elect their candidate for sheriff by
the direct or indirect aid of Republicans.
They hope that sufficient number of
Republicans may be misled by the
wholesale charges that have been made
of corruption in connection with the
enforcement of the liquor law into the
belief that it will be their duty to refuse
to vote for the Republican candidate for
sheriff or, perhaps, to vote for the Pro-
hibition candidate. If there are any
publicans disposed to take that view
of their duty we want them to calmly
consider certain facts. There is no pre-
tence in any quarter that Mr.. Samuel D.
Plummer. the Republican candidate for
sheriff, is not gentleman thoroughly
honest and thoroughly competent to adj
| minister the affairs of the Office. There
is no pretence in any quarter that Mr..
Plummer has had connection, direct or
indirect, with the enforcement of the
prohibitory law. He is civil deputy,
| and has, had nothing to do with execut-
ing the laws against liquor selling.
If there has been laxity or corruption in
the execution of those claws none Of the
| responsibility rests upon Mr.. Plummer.
1t would be just as logical to vote
against the Republican candidate for
clerk of courts or county treasurer be-
cause certain men had not done their
duty in enforcing the liquor law as to
vote against Mr.. Plummer for that rea-
son. Now who are the men that are urging
Republicans to vote against Mr.. Plum
mer for the purpose of rebuking men who
may have been guilty of corrupt prac-
tices in connection with the liquor law?
The great majority of them are Demo-
Craftsmen who two years ago voted for
Mr.. SWEET who, it was generally under
stood, was practically pledged to "lib-
eraln enforcement of that lava phrase
which is mere euphemism for no en-
| forcement at all. Do these men appeal to
| the Repu blicans to vote against Mr..
| Pluinmer in the hope that thereby a
more vigol GUS and more honest enforce
ment of the law will be the result? Not
a bit of it. They appeal to Republicans
to vote against Mr.. Plummer simply be-
cause they know that that will tend to
elect Mr.. Morrill,, but they don't expect
Mr.. Morrill, to enforce the law any bet
ter than Mr.. SWEET would if he had been
elected. Indeed if they thought for a
moment that Mr.. Morrill, would vigor-
ously and impartially enforce the law
they would not vote for him themselves
| The pretence that they want the law en-
| forced or that they are urging Republi-
cans to vote against Mr.. PIummer with
that end in view is false one. They
want MIR. Morrill, elected because it will
place IN their hands an office which can
be used with great effect to accomplish
| political ends. They want the sheriff's
| office as vantage ground to secure
| political control of this county. That is
all they want of it. Republicans who
are contemplating voting against Mr..
Plummer. or not voting for him, with
! the idea that they are thus contributing