The Somerset reporter., 1908-02-20
Hon. VIM. T. Haines.
Continued from Ist page.

board of trustees OF the University OF
Maine since 1882 with the exception
of the time that he was a member of
the executive council.
Mr.. Haines has been a constant
champion of the University of Maine
before the legislature, has oeen an
able advocate of the good roads
measures. and was one of the first to
advocate fish and game legislation, a
business proposition. And he has
devoted his attention alone to law
and politics, but has engaged actively
in business and in the promotion of
Maine interests, too. He built the
waterworks in Newport, Machias,
Oakland and Searsport, built the
Oakland wooden mill, and helped to
build the extension of the Somerset
Railroad from Bingham to Birch
Point on Moosehead Lake. He is
largely interested in numbering and
probably cuts more logs and pays
more for stumpage, than any other
individual in Maine.
Mr.. Haines has always been inter
ested in agriculture and has lived on
a farm as a practical farmer, now
owning and operating a small farm
on the outskirts of Waterville. He
has probably done .more for agricul-
ture in Maine, through his connection
with the University of Maine, than
any other citizen of the State.
Mr.. Haines, while an excellent
party man, has been a leader for he
has decided opinions of his own and
is never afraid to act according to
them. If he has considered his party
wrong he has not been afraid to say
so but he has always said so at the
beginning and not appeared with an
81 told you SO" after the action was
taken. He has been generous in poll
tics and in business and is known and
respected all over the state through
his many business int rests and con
nections. Through his business rela-
tions he has kept in close touch with
the common people and is one of the
most popular employees of labor in
the state, having never had any
trouble with his men for he has un-
derstood and appreciated their con
ditions and needs as well as those OF
the business. Because of his long ex-
perience in public life and in business,
no man III Maine seems to us better
fitted for the duties of chief executive
of the state
MT. f1d1ntS pos IliOu anu pupiiS
utterances on the so.called liquor
question have been greatly misunder-
stood and misrepresented. Mr.. Haines
believes today and always believed in
the desirabiity of a prohibtory law
for the State of Maine, and he is to-
day and always has been one of its
strongest ad coates. His close as
sociation with the people of the State
f.; ~ No u
majority of them still have faith in
the law, want it, and have confidence
in its efficacy az the best means OF
suppressing the liquor traffic i'll Maine.
Mr.. Haines, too. has strong feel
ing that, in popular government, the
will of the people is the all important
object to be sought, and that all law
derives its dignity and strength from
having behind it the supporting SEN
timent of a majority of our people.
He has always felt that in such gov
eminent as ours, a fair minority was
entitled to a hearing on any public
question and that, when such a mi
nority desire the submission of pub
lie matter to the vote of all, the vote
should be put, in order that the mi
noritv may be salts fled and all citizens
assured that the law or measure has
behind it the vital and animating
force of the peoples will.
Accordingly, after the last election,
Mr.. Haines became convinced that,
for various and conflicting reasons, a
large number OF our citizens desired a
resubmission of the constitutional
amendment to vote of the people,
and felt that longer refusal OH the
part of the Republican leaders to give
them al opportunity to pass upon
their own laws, was a contravention
of all the fundamental principles and
theories of popular government. So
believing, Mr.. Haines declared him
self for resubmission, not that the
prohibitory law may be repealed, but
that it may be reaffirmed and
strengthened by the overwhelming
vote in its favor which he feels con
fdent that the people of Maine would
cast when once the present misrep-
resentation and misunderstanding
were cleared away and the lime plain
" drawn between the forces of pro
hibition and the forces of the licensed
saloon. As matte rs stand today in
the popular mind, at least, that line is
not clearly drawn. Unreasonable as
it may seem resubmissionist is gen
orally held to be one who favors Ii
cense. In other words, because the
Democrats first declared for resub-
mission for the avowed purpose of
license, all resubmissionists are now
assumed to be for resubmission for
the same purpose, viz, to repeal
rather than to reafhrm the prohibitory
law, whereas, the truth undoubtedly
Ia that there are manV reSuDmiRsiOn-
lists who are strong prohibitionists.
This general misunde rstanding of the
matter, which has beer encouraged
and increased by the Democratic
press, has made it impossible for the
forces of prohibition to recognize
their own strength and to know their
own friends, and the prohibitionists
of the state are just beginning to re-
cover from their misrepresentation Of
Mr.. Haines' position on the resubmis-
sion question, and to find that, as
ever, he is fighting on their side
against the licensed saloon. Mr..
Haines believes in popular govern
ment; he believes i'll prohibition; he
believes the people of Maine may be
trusted to make their own laws and
to make good laws. He believes that
the resubmission of the prohibitory
law would satisfy many, assure all,
and result i'll reaffimation and re-
vivifying of measure that has worked
incaiculable good to the State of
Maine.
We believe that the views of Mr..
Haines on the liquor question will
make him many friends in Hancock
County He is unalterably opposed