The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1910-09-01
DIR. s. F. GREENE
STATES POSITION
Here S Another Answer
to those Questions
Assured OF the Best support OF Many
in Coming Election.

The September election is near at
hand. and there is of course d pos
sibility of the same sort of campaign
that defeated me when | was a can
ddate for State Senator in 1905.
would ask the public to consider the
statements devoid of truth and the
methods without honor. that were
used against me at that time, togeth-
er with the attendant circumstances.
Circulars containing false reports
were sent broadcast among the voters
two or three days before the election.
II was then too late to reply to any
purpose. Obviously this was done
for two reasons: Being falsehoods.
they didn't want to give me an op-
portunity to reply to them. But more
deceive the voters and catch their
votes before they could have time to
become correctly informed. Had the
statements been true, there WAS nc
reason why they could not have been
circulated at the opening of the cam
paign. for there could have been no
answer to them, and they would have
grown stronger as time went on. But,
being false, an opportunity to have
made the truth known, would have
taken the force all out of them, no
one would have been deceived there
by, and the authors design would
have been frustrated The scheme
employed two years ago, did me
some harm at that time, but a good
many who feel that they were i'm
posed upon then, have assured me
that they will give me their best sup
port in the coming election.
have received a few questions
which the Grange in particular wish
IS to have answered.
First, Would you favor the State
having the charge Of the building.
maintenance and repair OF the roads.
and the expenditure OF all money
raised for that purpose. either by
municipalities or by the State?'
| have advocated this proposition
for the last ten years. People have
not been ready to accept the PROPOSE
ton heretofore. They may not be
ready now. But whether they are
ready now or not, circumstances will
force it upon them in time. Many OF
the roads in the rural districts are
unsafe for public travel now, and
growing worse year by year. The
towns cannot redeem them by any
means that they are willing TO put
forth. Nearly everybody claims that
he is paying all the taxes for road
purposes, that he can afford to. and
tie amount of money raised is INSULT
cient TO hold the roads in their pres
ent condition.
The second proposition is forbidden
by the constitution.
Third question: Would you be in
favor of the State building macadam
roads in rural sections where the, g
is much nelvy traffic?1 | don't know
at present | am not familiar enough
with the necessity for, and expense of
such a proposition, to answer the
question.
Fourth question: Would you vote
for a direct primary law" Yes. As
the people demand it in the plat
forms of both political parties there
is nothing for their representatives to
do but support it. Personally. how
ever, If it entails much expense upon
the State, / shouldn't be much in
favor of it, as it embraces nothing
new. 1t is to all intents and purpos-
es the caucus with instructions which
has never been very popular.
Fifth question: will you vote to
amend Section of Chapter IL of
the public laws of 1909 so to provide
that the common school fund collect
ed under the provisions of said Chap
municipalities on the basis of schol-
ars therein" Ii it should turn out
upon investigation, that it would be
TOR the best interest of all the schol-
ars in the State TO amend the law as
proposed, l would vote to do So |
can imagine how some towns might
have so few scholars that their pro-
portion of the common school fund
would be so small that profitable
schools could not be run with it. For
instance; If town had but a dozen
scholars. it might require as much
money to run profitable schools as II
would if it had twice that number,
but their proportional part of the
common school money would be
IL sufficient.
s. F. GREEN.