Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-09-02
A Delayed Correction.

WI. tS uS w bsiN VI w tieNi 'A''N'
clared that the State expenditures III
1882 were $640,N1.S9. and, using this as
| basis. went on to say what the in
crease had been in a period of twenty
| years. We do not know where MI
Davis got his 1852 figures, neither mas
he ever disclosed the source OF thelr
| discovery TO the voters of Maine. II
is evident. however, that he did not get
them from official sources, for on the
first page of the State Treasurer re-
| mort for 1852 the expenditures for that
y.,r arc given as s1,099. S30.94. 1t
| will be seen. therefore. that MI. DiNis
WAS lust s459,053.05 in error. in the
! statement which he made regarding
the expenditures of 1SS2. AS thiS
statement formed the basis OF IL soiiie-
what elaborate argument when ne
| built ND. in his attempt to show Re-
| publican mismanagement of State al
fairs il necessarily follows that all
been equally erroneous. An error OF
S4J9. 900 is somewhat too large 10 De
charged I'D to profit and loss even by
candidate who poses as an authority
on State matters Now we do not ap-
prehend that Mr.. Davis did this inten-
tionallv. but not only did it occur in
his speech at Rockland. but it was
reprinted in his personal organ, the
Watervlle Sentinel in the report of the
Rockland speech which appeared in lis
issue of August 18th. We have no
criticism to offer either on Mr.. Davis
or the Sentinel in this connection, if
this error. large as it was, was made
unintentionally. 1t seems to us. how
ever. that they are decidedly lame in
their failure to correct it after their at
tention had been repeatedly called to
it in the Republican newspapers Of the
State.
So far as the Democrats of Rockland
NllD liSltIIti ~ MI LAWS. anu " iio
neither read the Republican papers
nor listen to Republican speakers, are
Democratic party may be included in
this category. this statement of MIR.
Davis stands today as it stood when
he made it. as ii statement of fact.
Now we submit that it is only just
to these voters that they be told the
truth about the matter. There are
doubtless some devoted readers of the
Waterville Sentinel who take no other
paper and who believed the figures they
read on the second page of that publi-
cation on the 18th day of August, that
tn. expenditures Of the State of Maine
in the year 1852 We're only $640, 771.S9.
when as Il matter of fact they should
have been si5g.053.0 more than that.
Is il not matter Of fairness. and
decency and justice to these reader.
that the Sentinel should tell them the
plain truth about the matter? VIVA,
possible good can it hope to accomplish
| by undertaking to deceive and mslead
them by withholding the facts? Does
| it fear that the elaborate statement OF
comparisons which it built up upor
these erroneous figures would be dis
credited in their minds if il were [,
fairly and fully correct this grea
error? Let ii not he deceived upon
this point. The great mass of tn,
citizens of Maine long ago dis.
covered this error. and long ag,
discredited fully and finally tn,
arguments which Mr.. Davis ano
his organ had built up upon it, ant
| which have been circulated broadcas
among the voters of the State from hi:
newspaper Office. Unquestionably thu
cause of the Democratic candidate
| would have been much strengthened
had he been frank enough upon tn,
discovery of this error to have correct
ed it upon the stump and i'm his news.
paper organ. 1t is true that neither
he nor the Sentinel are now repeating
it. but fairness demands more thar
| this. They should retract it as public
ly as they made it, and give their de
luded followers. If any of them still re
main in ignorance. of the facts. the alb
solute truth about the matter as stated
in the report of the State treasurer fo
the year 1882. Why endeavor to hid
a mistake of this magnitude under
cloak of silence? 1t is due the peopl
of Maine even at this late day that th
error should be corrected. and We trus
that Mr.. Davis and his organ will no
longer delay the action in regard to i
that is so imperatively demanded b,
all the considerations of fairness an,
justice. Give the readers of the Senti
mel the truth about the matter even a
the risk of losing Mr.. Davis few vote
upon election day. Advantages gaine
through Misrepresentation will neve
. | be permanent in their character TrutI