The Somerset reporter., 1906-04-12
Governor Cohb's Address
Views of Maine's Chief Executive on the
Present Political situation.

of any in recent years, practically opt o.
ed. Friday night of last week. when, at
the annual dinner of the Deering Re-
publican lub at Riverton. 6ov oobb,
announced his tndidacy for reelection
related the history of and placed the
responsibility for the Sturgis liquor pro-
hibition enforcement Law. which be be
lieves To be the chief cause for the sew
eral Republican defeats in the city cleo
tions last month. and stated that An un
doubted crisis is now facing the Repub
lican party of Maine.
Mr.. President and Gentlemen OF the Deering
Club.
When the Pre- ident Of your association
very courteously extended to me an invita-
tion to attend this banquet | was glad to &C
cept his hospitality and yours, and this lor
two reasons. 1t gives me great pleasure to
meet you personally, and, inasmuch as this
is an avowed political and Republican organl-
zation. it gives me an opportunity which
can use without impropriely to discuss from
my own point of view the political situation
as it exists in our State today. I shall speak
frankly and shall try to make my meaning
and position clear.
When the Republican party, so many
years the dominant one in this State, is be-
ing criticised by the opposition as possessing
neither principles nor courage in its treat
ment of great and important local issue
when every intelligent man knows that any
attt mpt to subordinate that issue or to treat
it lightly will in itself be looked upon as an
evidence of weakness; when a strange leth.
AIRY has seized some Republicans and a
stranger democracy others, and when as a
logical result Of all this, municipalities that
for years have been the home of rock ribbed
Republicanism have capitulated to an ag-
gressiye and sanquine democracy, it is nc
time to ignore facts nor undertake to juggle
with them; but to face them boldly, analyze
them carefully, tell the truth as each one
knows il and hold fast to the belief that the
people will decide the questions involved in
the next election with due regard for the ma.
teral and moral welfare Of Maine
The Chief Executive of an administration
is naturally and properly subject to criticism
or praise as in accordance with popular esti
nation that administration has been a failure
OF a success.
The opinion is very general one that al
the Republican losses in the Spring elections
all the public and private utterances Of dis
affected Republicans, all the prevailing
doubts as to Republican success in the Fal
are to be attributed to tn, enactment by {
Republican legislature Of the so-called Sturgi:
Law.
Personally, while | believe the Sturgis Law
to be. the chief cause Of the evidence unrest
| know it is not the only one. | know there
are many other contributory causes, but this
is not the time or place to mention them
The opinion is so firmly fixed in the public
mind that the Sturgis Law is solely responsi
bic for Republican defeat, both past and (a'
our opponents think Immediately prospec
tive, that, in my judgment, it is unwise tC
undertake to divert the issue; and for myself
! am willing for arguments sake to consider
it 10 be the sole cause and welcome its dis
cussion on these lines
The fact that the Sturgs l.aw is apparently
the most notable piece Of legislation enacted
thus lar during my admist alton, and the fact
that ! am now, and intenl to be, candidate
for denomination in the next Republican
State Convention, would seem to give me a
certain and unquestior able right to publicly
discuss the law, to state the reasons that
prompted me to approve 1t, and to express
my views of its relations to the history and
luNuIC OI lCbiSldll]H dlli pOllliCS III HIdlUcs
| have not obtruded my opinion upon the
people Of the State either by signed statement
or interview. 1t has appeared 70 me that my
business was to see as best | could that the
laws were enforced, not to talk about them ou
of season. This IS the first time | have evei
spoken publ ely Of the Sturgs Law, and it j!
also the first time have ever expressed al
opinion OF the merits or defects of the pro
hibitory law since my inaugural address tC
the Legislature in January, 1905. Last No
vember had the honor and pleasure of be
ing a guest at the annual dinner of the State
of Maine Club Of New York city, and spok,
extemporaneousy and briefly upon attempted
law enforcement in Name. My remark.
were unsupported and misquote1 and the
Democratic press in the State in particular
seemed pleased to quote me as having sale
in effect that the prohibitory law was fail
ure in Maine.
| expressed no opinion of the law what
ever, for obvious reasons, and discussed only
the evils of nullihcation | never publicly
denied the reports over my own signature
1t did not seem to me worth while then, and
! refer to it now simply to illustrate the carry.
ing power of lie.
In the summer Of 1904 the Republican
State Convention met at Bangor and after a
spirited contest honored me with the nomina.
ton for Governor. For many years the Re
pu lican party h professed to be the pattic
ular and sole champion of temperance legis.
lation in this State. 1t assumed credit for
having enacted the stringent prohibitory laws
placed from time to time upon the statute
books, and asked for and confidently expect.
ed to receive the moral support and votes Of
all believers in the theory that the State and
the individual would be benefited by making
the sale Of liquor for tipping purposes illegal.
The Republican party was proud to be
called the Temperance party, and ii grew in
strength and numbers. For years in every
State convention, and almost without excep-
tion in every County Convention, it passed
resolutions rcafhrming and reiterating its %
legiance to the cause of both Temperance and
prohibition, and it prospered. II vigorously
repelled all idea Of resubmisson, an over
whelmingly defeated all attempts in the legis
lature to allow the people TO register again at
the polls their faith or disbelief in the con
tnuance of the pIohibtory laws.
am sure Go not exaggerate when | say
that for IS years IN the minds of most people,
prohibition has been the cardinal principle Of
the Republican party in its relations to State
issues. will 60 further and say that men
familiar with State politics will agree that
had any candidate for State office during that
period arisen in a Republican State Conven-
tion and declared himself to be in favor Of
rcsubmisson and opposed to prohibition, he
would have been denied peremptorily the
nomination he sought.
A few wears nTiBr 1904. however eVi-