Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-06
PARTY CLANS LOST
IN MAINE MK-UP
Wiseacres Can't Begin to Fig
ure on Results.
VOTERS ARE IN A DAZE
Many of Them Do Not Know How
They Will Stand.
REPUBLICANS DRAFT BIG STARS
Meantime the Democrats Are Trusting
to Local Talent and It is Stand
Off Who'll Win.
VOTERS ARE IN A DAZE
Many of Them Do Not Know How
They Will Stand.
REPUBLICANS DRAFT BIG STARS


/ both at sea in the Maine campaign,
and the most expert'political COM
Nass seems to be useless to find the
b Arings. The republicans seem to
feel that they are up tree and are
booking such stars as Taft, Cannon
and Beveridge on the hustings.
Local talent is doing the work for
the democrats. Meantime the pot
is sizzling in the land of the Carl
bou with the hottest political con-
somme that has been cooked there
in many campaigns. And it's pretty
difficult to untangle the national
yarn from the local issues.
,ecial From a STAFF Correspondent.
LEWISTON, Me-. September 6,-To an
outsider observing the Maine political sit
ration it looks very much as if the polit-
cal managers of both parties are pretty
well scared and, like the boy in the grave
yard, are doing a lot of whistllng to keep
up their courage The fact is that the
that the wiseacres are at a loss to figure
reasonably on probable results. State is
sues are very badly tangled with national
Issues, and the leaders both sides tell
you that their reports and straw ballots
Bhow that the voters are somewhat in a
daze and many of them don't know them
selves how they will cast their ballot next.
Monday.
A governor. legislature and county
tickets and four representatives in Congress
will be chosen next Monday. and the polit
ical pot will be kept aboiling the rest of
this week. The republicans considered the
situation serious enough to draft the serv
Ices of such big guns as Taft. Cannon and
Beverdge, and are using the name of
President Roosevelt well. The demo-
Gratis are depending largely upon local
talent.
In these latter days of the campaign the
state fight has almost been subordinated to
the contest for Congress in Representative
Littlefeld's district. The state fight is GER
tainly being made secondary by the repub-
Leans. and the great influence of the ma
tional administration is being freely used
In Mr. Littlefield's behalf. Speaker Cannon
talks nothing but national issues and Sec
retary Taft is following suit On great meas
use. 1t is well understood of course that
the interest of the national administration
arises from the fact that this is the first
round of the battle which the American
Federation Of Labor is TO wage against
republican representatives in Congress on
account of the action of Congress which
had the Endorsement of the republican ma
tional administration
Federation Making Hot Fight
The federation is making a most determ-
ined fight. led by President Gompers in
person. The outcome will be of great i'm
portance to both participants, for the vic
tor will naturally receive considerable
prestige and encouragement for the future
battles.
The most significant feature of the sit
uation in the Littleiield contest is the
method of campaigning being used bv Mr.
Gompers. He is not only addressing public
gatherings himself. meetings that are
being well attended by the workingmen.
Out he Is pursuing another plan which is
worrying the republican managers he
cause 1t Is being operated under the sur
face and the managers find 1t difficult to
keep apprlsed of Its progress and almost
impossible to gauge its effect
Mr.. Gompers has brought into Mr Little
nelds district stan of men not fowery
orators, but good takers and accustomed
TO speak to workingmen. 1t is not known
now many or these men are in the field
but the Littlefield people think there are
at least twelve or fifteen. They go about
the factory towns in the evenings and
speak to small groups of workmen meeting
them as they come home from work or In
the places where they gather at night
Odd Campaigners at Meetings.
These campaigners also go into the secret
meetings of the unions and find opportunity
to address the men. All of them attack
Mr.. LitIlefeld and handle him without
gloves They denounce him as an enemy
or organized labor and a menace to the
interest OF workingmen. These speakers
90 not advise the workingmen to vote for
any other candidate for Congress, do not
praise the democratic candidate. Mr.. Nc
Giiiicuddy. but content themselves with
urging their fellows to scratch Iittlef,eld
rms course was necessitated by the fact
that at the outset many of the IL ederatio
men protested against politics being byonaht
into the union. They insisted that as there
were democrats as well as republicans in
.he uhlon the order should not be utilized in
behalf OF any particular candidate Mr.
Gompers virtually recognized the protest
but insisted that the Federation had tho
right to defeat man whom 1t was charged
was openly inimical TO II.
Men who have been following CLOSELY the
situation say that Mr.. Gompers attacks
upon Mr.. Littlefeld have helped him to
some extent. through resentment of voters
who have sustained him in the past and
VINO ike him. These same men admit how
ever, that Mr.. Gompers has also turned
some votes against Mr.. Littlefield. In the
last election Mr.. Littiefelds plurality was
about $500. which shows that he was then
somewhat popular In his district .
Cannon's Work Effective.
There is no question that the work of
Speaker Cannon has been effective. and the
Littefeld managers are taking encourage
ment from 1t and with great expectations
from Taft. The Gompers people Go not, for
their part, underestimate the possibilities
of the influence of the national admlnistra-
tion, and have redoubled their secret work
Continued on Thirteenth Page.)