The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-06-22
SOMETHING ABOUT Ex.-G0v. e0aJRN
ELECTION AND POLITICS At THAT TINE
He Was Hustler And People Of This State and
County We're Greatly Benefited by Him

/ mond and those who can recall that
time will remember that about every
other day for a fortnigh. the report
would come that Richmond had fall
len and McClellan's army was en-
te.ing the rebel capital
A DEMOCRATIC IDOL.
Gen. Mcclellan was then and for
some time after the Democratic idol
and when he was Obliged to fall back
when almost at the gates of Rich
/ mond, the report was industriously
circulated among the Democrats that
Lincoln withheld the support of troops
I idle about Washington for fear that If
Mcclellan captured the rebel capital
1t would make him a popular military
hero. II was pointed out that Lincoln
well knew the fondness of the Demo
Gratis for clinging to military coat
tails and If Mcclellan took Richmond
history would only repeat itself, and
another odd Hickory" would rise up
in Little Mac" and the whole Re
publican regime would be turned out
to root hog or die, while the Demo
Gratis would gather all the fruits of
the war.
The Republican editors claimed that
the Democrats were utterly insincere
in the resolutions of their State con-
vention
According to these editors, the
strange spectacle was presented of
the Democrats unanimously adopting
as their main resolution, what none
of them were in sympathy with.
These editors further charged that
nearly all the Democratic delegates
were from the first opposed to coerc-
ing the South and believed In allow
ing their "erring brethren to depart
in peace
1t would be nearer the truth to say
that the delegates were entirely at
sea, at the beginning of the war, as
to what course should be pursued
with the South, and few were any
clearer in their minds after the war
had been going on for over a year,
with no visible results but disaster
defeat, debt and death.
A NOTABLE CAMPAIGN.
The campaign was notable above
all others before or since in that there
was no campaign.
Not an orator or spellbinder ap-
peared to hornswoggle the electors.
and even the emergency editor of the
preceding year, known as the cam
paign liar, was conspicuous by his
absence.
No boomerangs or roorbacks ap-
peared in any of the organs. and
their columns even the last week be
fore the election failed to bristle with
scare headlines of damnable plots,
abominable outrages, spurious bal
lots. stuffing the ballot box, whole
sale bribery of the poor laboring man.
and other tricks against which the
watchful editors were alert to warn +
their subscribers.
The only charge brought against T
Bion Bradbury was that he wasn't T
as enthusiastic in support of the Re
publican administration war meas i
ures as some of the Democratic pa
pers would make appear. which WAS
undoubtedly true. The only charge
urged against Coburn was that his
father was one of the original Abol
itionists. and this was known to be
true. so the campaign was conducted
on the novel basis of not having a lie
told by either side.
The reason OF the absence of the
usual methods was the fact that most
of the orators and public speakers
were engaged in addressing war meet
ings, in which the young men were
urged to fly to their country's rescue
by enlisting in the Maine regiments
then being recruited for the front, but
few of the orators We're prepared to
go to the front themselves. though |
they made it clear to the young men |
that it was glorious to die for ones I
country.
With such a campaign or lack of
one, it could not be expected but the
vote would fall off. which il did near +
ly 10000 over the year before.
The total vote was 81,718, OF which .
Coburn had 1874 to 32.l08 for Brad
bury and 6764 for Jameson; the
shrinking of his vote to about third
of the year before being the only
surprise of the election.
Abner Coburn, the 18th Governor
of Maine, was the oldest of the two
sons of EleaZer and Mary Weston Co
burn and was born on March %. 1903
in that part of the town of Canaan in I
Somerset county that was afterwards T
made a part of the present town of
Skowhegan.
His mothers father, Joseph Weston.
the way through the Maine wilder
ness for Benedict Arnold's army in
1875.
HUSTLED ON A FARM.
Abner hustled on his fathers farm
when a boy and picked up what edu-
cation he had in the district school,
and later became associated with his
father and brother Philander In the
lumber business under the firm name
of e. Coburn Il Sons. On the death
of the father in 1845 the firm was re-
organized, and did business as A. & p.
Coburn, the two brothers being the
lumber kings of the upper Kennebec
for many years.
The firm did not conflne its hold
ings to Maine timberlands but owned
vast tracts in some of the Northwest
ern states and at the time of the
election of the senior member as Gov
ernor the firm was reputed to be the
owner of over a million acres of valu-
able timber lands, and the Governor
was easily the richest man in Maine.
During his term as governor he
made tour to Washington and with
some of his staff rode over into Nir-
ginia to visit some of the Maine reg