Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-09-08
Fifty Years Of Honest Rule.

Fifty Years Of Honest Rule.
Only two or three years ago Oliver
Otis. who is the editor during this cam
paign of Candidate Davis personal or
gan. the Waterville Sentinel. was APP
pointed member of the committee to
examine and audit the accounts of the
State Treasurer. Such committee is
appointed each year and it spends sew
eral weeks in this work, making its
report to the Legislature. Mr.. Otis
although Democrat was appointed
a member of this examining committee,
in accordance with the custom long
since established in this State. The
dominant Republican party has moth
ing in it's management of State finances
or general conduct of State affairs to
conceal from its political opponents or
| from the people generally. It's record
| is open to them all and it's books are
always available for inspection. Thus.
not because the constitution requires
has established the custom through
courtesy and a sense of fairness. there
are Democratic members on all the
various boards and commissions which
have an oversight of the various State
institutions and the various depart
| ments of State affairs. II goes with
n,t e,x-;nr tbaroforo chat tbaro rou1
be nothing wrong IN thcs" institutions
| or departments, no extravaganza or
violation of the law, without the Dem
ocrats knowing all about it and har-
| ing a part in il. 1t is so with our
State board Of assessors. our board Of
railroad commissioners. our board OF
| trustees of the Insane hospitals. etc,
| and it is SO with the special commit
tee which examines and audits the
books and accounts Of the State Treas
urer.
Now we have looked in vain in the
| columns of the Sentinel during the
present campaign for some grand ex-
posture of the Irregularities Which Ed
| itor Otis discovered during his service
upon that committee. In going over
those books, in examining those vOuch-
ers and delving into the most minute
details of Names financial affairs did
he not find anything wrong or anything
| suspicious out of which partisan cap
1 Ii, ,irr.1
OF course he did not, for there was
nothing Of the kind to be
found there During the past
80 years in which the Republican
party has been in power in Maine prac-
tically all the time there hasn't been
a single instance of defalcatiOn by
n State official, not a single dollar has
been stolen. and not a single dollar has
been expended in violation of the law.
The Democrats are challenged to men
ton a single instance of such
theft or irregularity in State affairs
since the Republican party has been in
power Did Editor Otis find any evil
dence of such a thing when he went
lover the books Of the state treasury?
Does any Democratic member Of a sim
liar committee. or any Democratic
member of the various State boards
and commissions know Of such an in
stance?
Match if you can the record of Re-
publican honesty and efficiency in
Maine's affairs during the past half
century with the record of the Demo-
era tic party in any State where is has
been in power an equally long tirne-
DO the Democrats care to compare 1t
with the conditions in New York city,
for instance under Tammany rule I.
Editor Otis, in common with other
Democratic writer's and speakers
throughout the State has mad much tn
say about graft" under Republican
rule, irregularities. extravaganza, etc.
etc But in common with the others
he was obliged to deal in generalities.
He couldn't pick out any specific in
stance for the good reason that he
knew of none. and Zone could he found.
If there were any such instances, GER
tanly he would have been in po-
stion to know about them. The record
If Republican rule in Maine is one of
clean and honest government. and on
that record the party is proud to go be-
fore the voters of the State next Mon
day The Democratic campaign OF
bluff and buster and falsehOod cannot
prevail against such a record.
About the funniest thing of the whole
camnaion is the solemn assertion of the