The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-09-12
THE MAINE ELECTION.

VI course nobody doubts that the Re-
publiloans will carry Maine on Monday
by good majority. The Republicans
have done that in every Presidential
year since 1866. 1t is the extent Of VIC
tory that is in doubt, and it is this that
the people are watching for all over the
country. The size of the sound money
vote in Maine. and the sizs of the silver
vote will be indices of the situation in
other States which do not vote until
November. And they will not only be
induces of the existing public sentiment,
but they will have powerful effect upon
the voting in November. There are al
ways considerable number of people
who have no very decided convictions on
political questions, bus seek only to get
on the winning side, and the votes of
these people are powerfully Influenced by
any thing that foreshadows the ultimate
result. Besides the result in Maine will
have very stimulating effect upon
the workers in other states. An
overwhelming sound money victory
on Monday will 60 very far to-
ward settling the Presidential con.
test in November, and putting an end
to the silver heresy the prominence of
which today is the greatest existing mon
ace to the revival Of buinesss and pros
perity.
1t behooves. therefore, every believer in
sound money to 60 to the polls ION Mon
day and cast vote in way that will
tell the MOST effectively against the free
silver agitation. There Is no room to
say that the election of Monday is an
election in which State issues figure.
Not single distinctively State issue has
been raised throughout the canvass.
The campaign has been treated by both
sides from the beginning to the end as a
national campaign, national questions
alone shave been presented to the voter,
and he has been urged to vote for this
ticket or that ticket not for its effect on
State affairs, but for its bearing on
national affairs. So far as issues are con-
cerned the election in Maine Monday ia
just as much national election as that
in November will be. The voters should,
therefore, live up according to their be-
lief or disbelief in the Chicago platform.
They should go to the polls for the pur-
pose of deliberately recording their views
on the issues presented by the Popooratio
convention at Chicago, for their votes
are certain to be interpreted as nm ex-
preston of sentiment ON those issues.
The issue ia as much Organism now as il
will be in Novemb Der, and the verdict
now will be far more potent than that in
the latter month.
A vote for Mr.. Frank on Monday ID a
vote to help Bryan into the Presidential
chair, and foist upon the country his
financial heresies and his anarohioal in
clina tions. 1t is vote to plunge the
country into an experiment., the result of
which no man can foresee. It is vote
to unsettle values, to cut down the waa.
es Of labor, to scale down the aooumuls-
ton of the thrifty, and to cut in two the
stipend of the pensionsr. Mr.. Franks
personality is not in question. This Is a
campaign of issues. A vote for Mr..
Frank is vote for what Mr.. Frank
stands fOr-and he has told us that re-
peatedly with his own tongue. No sound
money Democrat, therefore. can afford to
vote for Mr.. Frank. By so doing he
proves himself false to his professions,
and does more to fasten upon the
country policies and principles which he
approves than he can by voting for
Bryan in Novem bsr. And what we have
said of Mr.. Frank is true of the Demo-
cratic candidate for Congress in this
district. He has explicitly given in his
adhesion TO the Chicago platform, es-
pecially to the free silver plank of it, To
vote for him is therefore to help send
to Congress a man who has declared over
his own signature that he believes In free
silver, and who will of coarse work and
vote for it if he should succeed in his
No sound money Democrat can
vote for him without stutifying himself.
IT