Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-12-25
Our Friend Avoids the Facts.

Our Friend Avoids the Facts.
We publish elsewhere in this issue
second communication from Merton
r Goodrich with reference to the
United States Senatorial contest We
are frankly disappointed in it. Mr..
Goodrich has gracefully skated all
around the only question at issue, but
never once has he touched it, nor any
of the vital facts bearing upon it.
The issue fairly stated is simply
this: ,.
Did the Progressive party deliber-
ately promise the voters. of Maine
that il would stand by the Republican
primariesg If so, is it going to keep
faith?
only by ignoriiig.z as does Mr.
Goodrich, both the issue and the
pertinent facts bearing upon it, can
any man for moment obscure that
issue or evade the answer. That
there may be no further excuse for
ignoring these facts, we have ar
ranged them in chronological order
in an adjoining column. They speak
for themselves. Neither Mr. Good
rich nor any other honest man can
look them squarely in the face and
then urge Republican, Progressive
Legislators to vote against Governor
Burleigh.
But let us leave the highway, and
stray among the footpaths for a mo-
ment with Mr.. Goodrich. He says:
Recent elections show that the
people of Maine prefer the policies of
the Progressives to the policies of the
Republicans and are opposed to the
policies of the Democrats. The leg
islators, acting as the agents of the
people, should register this prefer
ence. AS between Mr.. Burleigh and
Democrat, the Progressives should
support Mr.. Burleigh, but as between
Mr.. Rurleigh and Progressive, the
Progressives should support the cam
didate of their party"
That is precisely what we believe
they will do-"support the candidate
of their party" namely Governor
Burleigh. They participated in the
Republican primary which made him
their candidate, subsequently adopt
ed that primary and it's nominees as
their own by express vote in con-
vention assembled, went TO the peo
pie on a Republican ballot, on plat
form pledged to support that pri-
mary, and solicited votes on the very
ground that vote for any Repub-
lican legislative candidate was vote
for Governor BurIeigh. The people
have twice expressed their preference
for Governor Bnrleigh at the polls.
and, to employ the language of Mr..
Goodrich. the legislators, acting as
agents Of the people. should register
this preference is.
Mr.. Goodrich further says.
THE Progressiyes in their caucus
can vote to carry out the pledges of
the Bangor platform.
Very well. among those pledges is
plank promising support to all Re-
publican nominees at the primaries.
On July 81, the Progressive party de-
liberately voted to carry out that
pledge, and they received the united
Republican vote because of that
pledge. Shall they now repudiate the
pledge, Mr.. Goodrich?
Again, Mr.. Goodrich says:
MIR Burleigh. by allowing the
Kennebec Journal TO take an active
part in favor of Mr.. Taft after Sep
TENDER, turned against the Progress
sives. who had helped make his cleo
ton to the United States Senate a
possibility. He therefore forfeited all
right to claim Progressive support in
the Legislature"
Mr. Goodrich comedies, therefore,
that Governor Burleigh DID have a
right to claim Progressive support in
the Legislature" Now, having that
right. how did he forfeit it? Why
says Mr.. Goodrich: by allowing the
Kennebec Journal to take an active
part in favor of Mr.. Taft after Sep
TENDER"
The Kennebec Journal is a Republ-
can newspaper and has never pretend
81 10 be anything else. 1t ran the
name OF Mr.. Taft as the Republican
Presidential nominee, not only "aftei
September" but continuously from
June % until the November election
That was the extent of the ACTIVE
part taken either by the Journal oi