The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1908-07-02
The Speech of the Convention.

last, IL was CONCEDED Dy all InaU the
speech of Hon. Herbert NJ. Heath was
masterpiece. AS it has received so
much favorable mention from the
papers of our state, and at the same
time was somewhat in the form of a
defence of Mr.. Haines' position on
public questions, and as we believe
that be has been misrepresented and
generally misunderstood on many
public matters by our people, we give
it place in our columns
Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen of the
Convention:
The Republicans on the hills of Ken
nebec pledge an old time majority to
the nominee of this convention, who
ever he may be. We come with a
candidate of whose private and public
character we are Justly proud.
Raised on Penobscot farm, he
knows what it is to toll. He fought
for an education, and won. He mas
tered the work at OroHo, and years
afterward devoted much of his life to
the upbuilding of that magnificent
college of the people. He took up
the law for his calling. We made him
county attorney He enforced the
law, all laws, with the courage, the
fearlessness and the loyalty to duty
that have made him what he is today.
We sent him to the Senate. He franz
ed and pushed the first law proposed
in New England to teach the railroads
that they are servants of the people,
not masters. For four years he
fought for a listing law to equalize
taxation. He stood for an honest
child labor law, believing, as he did,
with his big heart, that dividend
checks earned from children's sweat
are spattered with blood. He origi-
mated your system of registration in
the cities. He helped the passage of
the law that stopped the sale of
liquors in the original package. He
fought and battled and spoke for that
great liquor law of 1891 that made all
penalties imprisonment for the first
offence. This man not true to prohi-
bition? Try him by his deeds and
see. In '95 his city sent him to the
House, where he was leader among
leaders. In '97 you made him attor-
ney general of your State. Few men
ever made better one. From 1901
to 1905 he served his State in the
Governors council. This man has
done things. Could any man be bet
ter equipped to serve his State as
Governor than honest Bill Haines OF
Waterville?
His greatest energy has been given
to his business life. He began with
two priceless assets, an empty pocket
and an honest heart. He has quailed
before no difficulty. He has carried
on farms, built mills and factories,
supplied towns with water, harnessed
electricity, operated timber lands,
pushed railroads far into the wilder
ness, and developed Maine as have
but few men even in this busy age.
Such men as he are helping to make
Maine what it ought to be, the best
and busiest State in the Union.
What crime hath this man com
mitted that he should not be Governor
of Maine.
Honest in his convictions, he pro-
posed re submission. But what kind
of resubmission, Republican or Demo-
cratic? Resubmission to save prohi-
bition or resubmission to destroy 1t?
He saw your majorities shrink from
saw Kennebec and Androscoggin and
Cumberland swing from Republican
ism to Democracy. He saw a we'll
led Democracy dividing the Republi-
can party in the unrest over Resub-
mission. He knew, you all know,
that Democratic resubmission means
license. He believed, you all believe,
that Republican resubmission would
ha ir,,i OF HrF1 ati
OF prohibition. He said, "Squarely
declare for resubmission for the
avowed purpose and in the firm faith
and belief in its. re affirmation by
vote of the people. Trusting to the
and high .mindedness and morality of
the people of Maine, have no fears
of the results of re u b m s o ~
Honest in his faith, courageous as he
always is, to save prohibition he pro-
posed Republican resubmission, firm
in his conviction that resubmission
today would prevent the defeat of
prohibition tomorrow. If resubmis-
sion had been granted, he stood ready
to give time and money to keep
Maine in line with her policy of fifty
wears. He would have left the chair
for the home against the saloon.
He asked you, in the name of tenn
peTance, in the name of prohibition,
as an official who had enforced the
law with severity, as legislator who
had framed your liquor laws, az a
public speaker who had battled all his
life for prohibition, as business man
who stood for law and order and good
morals, as a student of politics who
forecasted the future from the les
sons of the past, as man stainless in
public and private life, he asked you
to grant resubmission to strengthen
prohibition, to join by new victory in
its triumphal march through South
and West, to end these assaults on
prohibition in Maine for another
quarter of a century, to overthrow
license, that after the fight prohibit
bition might stand square -shouldered
and erect, ready to face the future
with a courage born of victory over
wrong.
No man who knows him would doubt
his loyalty to prohibition. No man
who knows him could doubt that as
Governor he would enforce the law
with the courage of Cobb, as brave
a Il an as ever honored the Chair of
State. 1t is said in Holy Writ,
"Faithful are the wounds of friend;
deceitful are the kisses of an enemy"
Mr.. Haines proposed resubmission as
friend of prohibition. He feared for
it's future. 1t is plain that the Re-
publicans of Maine do not share his
4