The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1910-04-07

p. ordway, DR.. S. F. Greene. and per-
haps some others, each of whom de-
clare they are Powers adherents first,
last, and all the time.
Why are Mr.. Patten and these other
gentlemen Republicans as they are,for
Powers? Have they any good reason
why Judge Powers should succeed
Senator Hale? We have asked the
question before, applying the query
to Mr.. Patten and the Independent
Reporter has replied as follows: 1T
probably would not be very difficult
task for Candidate Patten to explain
why he fayors Judge Powers. Prob
ably he will do SO; but the Sentinel
may be assured that he will do so
in his own good time and at his own
sweet pleasure without any coaxing
cajoling or threatening by partisan
organs
We have no desire to coax. cajole
or threaten any Powers adherent or
Hale follower. Certainly we have no
desire to coax, cajole or threaten SO
fine a gentleman as is Roland T. Pat
ten or as Is Edward n. Merrill for
that matter. But Mr. Patten and Mr.
/ Merrill are advocates of the doctrine
embracing the creed that men who
aspire for popular support should be
frank with their constituencies. Why
not be frank in the present instance?
Why should not the public be inform
ed as to the reasons which prompt
! them to displace one of the most
prominent Republicans in the nation
by another whose attitude upon any
question of public policy is absolutely
unknown?
The Hale policy has been one of
the people be damned" Can Mr..
Patten or either one of the other Som
erset gentlemen who are against Hale
afford to announce the same policy?
Can Judge Powers afford to maintain
silence which implies the same
| haughtiness of manner, the same
| breadth of contempt? Can the indie
pendent Reporter afford to endorse
/ the "people-be -damned policy" while
it is advocating the defeat OF Senator
4 Hale?
Senator Hale should be defeated for
many reasons, the principal one of
which is that he has misrepresented
| the people of Maine every day he has
been in public life. but no more so
now than during the years he sat in
the House of Representatives. In
what way or ways would Judge Pow
ers be different, should he by the
votes of Mr. Patten or Mr.. Ordway
and Mr.. Merrill or DR.. Greene be
elected to Hale's seat in the United
States Senate?
The people of Maine should know
why any Republican now favors the
retirement of Senator Hale after hay-
ing supported him and his national
policies for many years. 1t will not
do to attempt to dispose of so serious
matter by any high and mighty
manner which implies that the only
policy which goes Is the Hale policy
of the people be damned. Water
Vile Sentinel.
That last is very effective phrase
when worked politically. 1t contains
brilliant argument without rhyme or
reason. 1t Is easy enough to claim
that one party maintains that atti-
tude of contempt toward the people
of a state but it is quite another
thing to produce proof that such is
the attitude of any particular party.
If the Republican party is guilty in
this respect, so is the Democratic
party. We all come of one great
family-the human family, and the
characteristics are much alike. The
only difference we happen to think
of just now is the difference existing
between the members of the two
great parties in Maine on the tenn
perance question. Prohibition and
Resubmission have now become ac-
quired characteristics of the Republi-
cans and Democrats, respectively,
and there's no getting round that
fact.
But speaking of Mr.. Patterns candi-
dacy and his position regarding Hale,
we stated that when Mr.. Patten got
around to it he would probably ex-
plain to the people, If he thought they
wanted explanation, why he supports
Judge Powers instead of Senator Hale.
We did not intend to be impolite to
the Sentinel. We had figured that
Lu6 oeHllUel is 81 DicooCu with an
absence of all sensibilities that it
would require quite 1ab to make
the necessary impression.
Now the trouble with the Sentinel
is that it has got ON such enormous
political binders that it can't see any
political party but the Democratic
party. If any man thinks along 9TH
er political lines than it's own, it has
no more use for 1t than a mouse has
for cat. We challenge any reader
of the Sentinel to find In its editorial
columns in the past two years any
honest expression of friendliness to-
ward any public officer or prospec-
tive public officer of a stripe differ
ent from the one it wears. 1t pro-
fesses friendship for Judge Powers,
but only to that extent that 1t may
bring about dscord in the ranks of
the Republican party. 1t processes
friendship for Mr.. Patten, but 1t Is
friendship to be summed The peo-
pie will not be fooled, any more than