The Republican journal., 1912-10-10
Why | Am a Republican.
Two Reasons.

If should be asked why have been
a Republican should say it was because
was born so. My father was Repub-
lican and his people were Republicans;
my mother was Republican and her
people were Republicans; by heredity, l
could no more help being Republican
than corn can help being corn.
Besides that, was brought up in a
Republican environment. The village
where | lived was almost unanimously
Republican and the church which | at
tended entirely so.
There were two types of Democrats
during the Civil war, the War Democrat.
who favored the defense of the Union,
and the "Copperhead, who opposed it.
did rot see much of the former for they
were at the front fighting shoulder to
shoulder with their Republican brothers,
but the latter were in evidence and
could hear them in another part of the
town celebrating Union defeats. Also.
on July 18th, 1864, a meeting was held in
Barton ; grove, Dexter, which has come
down in history as 1.-The Great Peace
Meeting of the Democracy of Eastern
Maine. and during which Mr.. Lincoln S
administration was denounced and the
ympOssiuility of conquering the South
proclaimed.
This attitude of the Democrats
towards the Union cause made a deep
impression on my youthful mind. an i'm
preston which was not obliterated until
IN later years / found that Democrat
could be loyal.
At the close of the war saw the Re-
publican party bringing order out of
chaos and the country growing and pros
pering greatly under its administration.
And SO ! continued being Republican,
for | could see no advantage in a change
Of administration and the temporary
changes that had been made without my
consent had not proved beneficial; in fact,
the only time in "a years when my busi-
ness has gone hard was under Demo
cratic administration.
If | should be asked why am a Re-
publican today, and not Progressive,
| should say in the first place that while
| was great admirer Of Mr.. Roosevelt
up to the time of his announcing his
candidacy for the Republican nomina-
zion in 1912, | see no reason for dis
crediting President Taft. He may have
made mistakes (Which no mortal can
avoid doing) but | believe his admins
tration sizes up we'll with those of his
reelection.
Again, the Republicans met in State
convention at Bangor last April, with
the Roosevelt followers in control, and
passed resolution in which they re-
the great growth and prosperity of the
publican rule from the administration of
inool, fbrp1rb tho admins.
tration of President Taft" If l leave
the party | must go back on the party
platform.
Besides, all this, have lived to see
the rise and fall Of two third" parties
the Liberal Republican in 1872, and
the Greenback or Fusion which was
organized in Maine in 1875, and their
history does not encourage me to become
identified with third party. Also |
know that some Republicans who left
the party to join a third party (the
Greenhack, for instance) are not proud
Of that fact, although they were as
Jealous then as the Progressives are
now, and when | came to the Greenback
campaign in going through the files of
the Observer, omitted mention of their
names in connection with it.
A man who had done profitable, al
though small business, in one of our up
river towns, aspired to larger business,
so sold out and moved to larger town.
a mutual friend was speaking to me of
Che change and said, Charley went
away from home when he left M. - And
so it proved, for he lost both property
and health by the change.
shall neither quarrel nor argue with
my friends who have left me but shall
remain with the Republican party, fear
ing that if | leave it | shall be going
away from home. L. P. EVANS.