The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-09-07
MAINE ELECTI0N
NOW ATTRACTS
ATTENTION
Can Democrats Hold Control In
That State Monday
is A STRAIGHT CONTEST
No Third Party Ticket Is In the
Field and Prohibition Question
Affects the Issue.

Portland. Me-, Sept. 6.-With the
Vermont election out of the way
Maine has assumed the responsibility
of telling how the nation is to vote
in November.
The situation in this state is en-
tirely different from that among the
Green mountains. There are but two
tickets in the field, Democratic and
Republican The question of nation
al politics to be settled next Tuesday
is not how strong the Progressives
are, but whether Maine is more Dem
ocratic than it was when Governor
Plaisted and the Democratic legisla-
ture was elected in 1910.
The Democratic national committee
is not open to the charge of criminal
neglect here, although such a charge
would hold against it in Vermont
Green mountain Democratic leaders
went to New York and pleaded for
help, but they were told. in effect,
that the national committee had
never heard that there were any
Democrats in that part of the country
Now IL is realized that IL the national
committee had sent speakers into
the state the Democrats, who had a
good candidate and good issue to
work on, might have made a better
showing.
s.aine Democrats got recognition
because they have put their state in
the Democratic column. The nat
ional managers realized that il the
country is to get advance word that
this is Democratic year there must
be no backsliding in the Pine Tree
state. Although Governor Wilson
was not sent into the state, Governor
Marshall and Speaker Clarke were
turned loose.
The liquor question, the ever pres
ent issue in Maine. has taken its
place of accustomed Importance In
the campaign. In Maine according to
the popular idea Democracy means
local option; Republicanism stands
for prohibition. Two years ago the
state went Democratic partly be-
cause the voters favored the Demo
cratic proposal of resubmission and
partly because there was q swing to
the Democratic party in all sections
of the country
Ii was the liquor question which
kept the Republicans and the Pro.
gressives from flying apart over the
state ticket, as was done in Vermont.
Maine Republicans are progressive
and the state convention was domi-
mated by the progressive element
which had carried the state OF Roose
welt in the spring. Many of the
Armageddon soldiers are intensely
interested in the matter of prohibition
and they were not willing that there
should be any division in the ranks
OF the Democratic opposition which
would permit the continuance OF that
party in power in the state.
Since the Roosevelt convention in
Chicago some Of the members of the
new party feel that they should have
cut OF their alliance with the Repub-
licans at the conclusion of the first
Chicago convention.
As the Progressives have no ticket
of their own in the field, they are
showing no riotous enthusiasm over
the support of William T. Haines.
the Republican candidate. AT the
same time they are not opposed to
him, and they will vote for him pretty
generally.
AS to the position to be taken in
November, II was generally agreed
that a determination would be made
after the state election. The Repub-
licans have tried to keep out OF The
campaign any reference to their forth
coming differences as to the choice
of president.