Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-01-24
The SentinePs Campaign Of Mud and
Mirth.

abusing. disparaging and blackguard-
ing Republicans. To this task it de-
votes itself day after day with monot-
onous persistency. The object of this
campaign of crouch and groWl and
perennial abuse is the far-fetched hope
of making votes for Cyrus w. Davis
and the Democratic party. If the edi'
tors of the Sentinel should fall short OF
at least three columns daily OF this
| kind Of political flub-dub the owner OF
the Sentinel would doubtless make it
clear to them at once that they had
failed to earn their stipend.
No Republican Office holder can ever
expect to escape this kind of attention
from the Sentinel, even if he wera
/ foolish enough to desire it. Were any
one of them to be ignored by the Wa
terviIIe organ, his party might justly
suspect him of Democratic leanings.
The vituperation and abuse of the
Sentinel has therefore come to be
recognized as a certificate Of party
loyalty TO all Republicans whom it
favors with it's attacks. 1t is genuine
badge of distinction for them. 1t is
needless to say that truth is never an
| essential in the Sentinel editorials.
Abuse is their stock in trade. and this
no ernr1n6 h1, ba wi ~ o
mile upon very flimsy pretexts-or. at
| a pinch. upon no pretext at all. 1t
must not be supposed, however, that
Republican officials are all the people
who come in for sneers. and disparage-
ment ard cheap epithets from the Sem
tinel. Let any good citizen be but sug-
gested as possible Republican candi-
date, and, forthwith, the Sentinel trains
its editorial guns upon him double
shotted with its favorite ammunition
mud and mirth. -
1t must not be supposed that the
Democratic politicians are naturally
exempt from this sort of attack In
deed most of them are peculiarly
vulnerable. That they have so largely
escaped it is due entirely to the fact
that the Republican press of the state
is of the opinion that this kind of Il
campaign is not in the long run. 4
political winner with the intelligent and
fair-minGed people Of Maine.
Occasionally Il new man comes into
the Legislature and makes temporary
hit with a fiery speech. Frequently he
decides that he has found his forte,
and proceeds to make himself heard
along the same lines until he finally
becomes such a bore that nobody longer
listens to him. A speech by him
promptly e!Gpties the hail. and prac-
tically insures the passage of the meas
is the case with the Sentinel. Having
Solemnly dedicated itself to the task
of advancing Democratic interests by
pcrsistentiy abusing prominent Repuh-
leans. in office and out, it attracted at
the start some temporary attention to
itself In a short time it had gone the
rounds, giving in turn the members of
that party who were in Office, or who
were candidates for Office. a character
istic volley of its mud and mirtE. Eav-
ing swung around this circle, it began
to repeat itself. 1t reloaded its old
shells with the same kind Of ainmuni-
ton. Its editorial page became Il re-
hash of the stuff that mad gone before.
labCriously worked out with a book OF
synonyms in 4 frantic effort to freshen
it up q bit. 1t soon grew exceedingly
stale. 1t smclled to Heaven; but still
the Sentinel continued in the same old
ruts. Tho public began to grow tired
of 1t. Its readers knew that It's edi-
torials contained practically nothing
but abuse Of Republican officials and
prospective Republican candidates.
They knew whenever they opened up
its editorial page that it would be filed
with this. and little else. They knew
that the same thing would be true Of
tie next issue, ard the next and SO on
the next week. the next month and the
next year Ii is always reasonably
certain that when the Sentinel has dis
charged its volleys Of mud and mirth
around the circle OF Republican officials
and prospective candidates. it will be-
gin again and travel. in practically the
same rotation. around the same circuit.
1t long ago became possible for any
Republican official or candidate to de-
tcrrninc. with considerable degree (of
mathematical accuracy. just when his
turn would come again. Not that it
ever worried them. There is not one of
them who would not feel hurt and
sighted. if. by any oversight. the Sem
tineI should fail to accord him his usual
share of abuse. And still the public
began to lose interest in the Sentinel.
Many of its readers, some of whom paid