Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-03
GOMPERS ON THE SCENE
Calls on Labor to Defeat the Republi-
cans.
cans.
PROHIBITION IN THE BALANCE
Question of Resubmitting the Matter
to the People Being Excited
ly Discussed.



One of the most bitter. consuming and
remarkable political campaigns ever waged
In the United States is that now on In
Maine. The contest is SO virulent and
personal that almost every man, woman
and child of the Pine Tree state is more or
less excited over questions of state. There
are several reasons for this fever of polit
ical rancor In the second Maine district
Charles w. Littlefied is fighting for life
for reelection to Congress Returned two
years ago with a majority of $500 votes,
and supposng himself to be cocksure of
reelection. he recently discovered to his
alarm that he was destined to meet the
most vigorous opposition in his campaign.
1t developed that Samuel Gompers of the
American Federation of Labor was coming
into his district to make political addresses
with the sole and avowed purpose of de-
ieating Littlefeld This act of Gompers Is
remarkable and des!gnates the first active
position of labor in asserting itself Official
ly in political campaign. For the time
being many excited persons in the second
district believe that the fate of the coun-
try hangs upon the fact of whether Little
aeld is sent back to Congress or not.
The Resubmission Question.
The Littlefied fight. however. is but add
Ing a sort of secondary fire to a deep, far
reaching struggle over the venerable Maine
political theme of prohibition. Although
the technical local name for that cause
happens. this year. to be designated as IRE
submission" ii nevertheless is the general
question whether the state shall wipe off
its constitution the famous prohibition
amendment. The strenuosity of the eX
tremes to which the liquor law is applied In
Maine is nationally celebrated but the wis
dom or success practically of the measure
is causing squabbles in some sections of
Maine that are little removed from the
cats. Gov. Cobb since his election in
1904, has. as is admitted by all factions,
made wise and able governor. But there
are thousands of Maine citizens who hon
estly believe that the uncomfortable limit of
espionage and spying and bounding was
reached when the famous Sturgis law.
ii Is called, was passed. This measure
gave Gov. Cobb power to appoint sort of
liquor law administration board, whose
mission was to devise ways and means of
eggfng on police and county officials when
those officials were alleged to be lax or de-
linquent and to appoint special agents to
enforce the law. This created bitterness
from the start, and last spring most of the
larger cities and towns Of Maine showed
the popular disapproval of the Sturgis law
by going democratic.
The severe provisions of the liquor law
have opened a fine opportunity for favorit-
ism and graft of which many counties have
taken full advantage. The liquor seller who
did not stand in with the machine was
rounded up and fined heavily, while the one
who stood right would be let of with
legal declaration Of a saving technieality.
1t is this kind of thing that put the cities
in the democratic column last spring and
is now giving the republicans such a des-
perate. fight. There is as much drunken
ness or evidence of liquor using to be seen
around the Maine towns in towns Of
other states where there is no especial
agitation over the subject of temperance.
In Littlefeld's District
Gompers. in his public addresses in the
second district, has been sensational from
the start, and has charged Littlefeld with
the support of corporations at every posi-
BILE chance. He alleges that Lttlefield
sought to have a bill passed re-establish-
ing the "crmping" system 1t is known
in nautical parlance, that is a bill enabling
liquor seller to worm contract payments
our of seamens wages. He has charged
Littlefield with running renegade laborers
down to Washington and using them wit
nesses from reputable labor unions. All
this Littlefield has denied and produced
pointed afhdavits from business men in
refutation.
AS regards Gompers, he is not escaping
from some rather caustic comment 1t is
claimed that his motive in coming to Maine
and mixing in the effort to down Littlefield
is not due to such disinterested and exalted
motives as he would have the people be-
that Gompers really has 1t in for Little
field because the latter interfered with some
of Gompers' revenues, namely, that
lating to the Pilots Unions. Littlefield
claimed to have found that at several
ports the pilots organizations were col
lecting large sums from shpowners who
did not have the pilot work performed;
and in some cases. the shipping men were
unable to get 1t performed.
But McGillicuddy, the democratic OPP
ponent of Littefeld has his own troubles.
One of his plaques is the antagonistic atti-
tude of Hearst. In 1904 McGillicuddy fought
Hearst. McGilicuddy still refuses to cater
to Hearst, and the latter has put Maine
edition of his Boston paper into the field,
and while roasting the republicans, it also
attacks McGillicuddy in backhanded fash
Ion. OF course. this Is viewed with JOY by
the republicans.
AS nearly as impartial observer can
sum up the status of the Maine political
muddle II is this:
Littlefield will pull through, but that is
about all. The state. notwithstanding the
tremendous unpopularity in certain quarters
of the liquor law and its rider. the Sturgis
law, is still too strongly possessed by the
republican machine and its intricate organi-
zation for the democrats to succeed in
wrestling II away in the present contest.
Cuban Revolt Ruins Tobacco Crop.
FL Economista the leading financial