The Republican journal., 1912-05-09
Mr.. DAVIS AND HIS DUTIES.
Lewiston Journal |

Just think of Cy Davis advising the
people of Maine how to vote on the rum
question!
In the first place, Mr.. Davis is Secre-
| tary of State, and in SO far is the servant
of the people. Hence, it is of doubtful
proprlety in the first place for him to be
out attacking the good name and reputa-
ton of citizens of our State while he is
public servant. But even at that, the
; tone of his speech in Auburn, Tuesday
evening, especially regarding liquor is
sues, is so far apologize and his argu-
ments so fallaclous that the wonder is Mr..
Davis has the self-assurance to present
them. According to his address, everyone
who objects to the Plaisted regime of
notification is a crank, and his only re-
Spouse to the State wide agitation against
the covered bridge, is that it is no worse
than it has been in times hitherto.
If this is Mr.. Davis message, we want
to suggest to him that he has lost step
with the folks. Two years ago the Pat
tangall~ Plaisted-Davis party promised the
plain people certain things. Chief among
these was the solemn pledge that if Plais-
ted were elected he would enforce the law.
In other words, Democracy was going to
make notification by-Word and shame.
This pledge has been broken. All over
Maine you hear this freely and openly
charged against the administration now
in power-it failed to keep its word. We
have proof positive from many CORE
spondents who have heard Plaisted upon
the platform in his campaign declare that
unless the folks wanted the law enforced
they must not vote for him. Again and
again did he declare that it was his mis-
sion, his purpose, to enforce every law
upon the statute books. This word has not
been kept. Instead of making Maine
dry, as was the promise, they have made
it wet. The saloon has been, week by
week and month by month, more firmly
intrenched. The administration has bow
ed the knee to the brewer and the dis
tiller. The Secretary of State himself
has insulted the traditions of his office
by going before the convention of nation
al brewers and delivering an address in
which he declared that the fetch of pro-
hibltion in Maine was approaching its
fall. Throughout Maine the Democratic
party has entered into an alliance with
the saloon. In Androscoggin county they
have made it nasty with open shops, and
today, they rely upon the rum vote to
pull them through in September
AS is customary in Democratic ad-
dresses of late years, Mr.. Davis relies
upon inference and imputations for argu-
ments. For instance, he says: "Do you
want Shaw, Haines, or a Boothby for
Governor? Do you want a Heath, Bur-
leigh or Powers for U. S. Senator?"
For heaven sakeS what is the point?
What is the reason why Maine should
not want either of these gentlemen as
much as it might want Cy Davis or Will
liam R. Pattangall or Fred Plaisted, or
any of the res t of the Kennebec Me-for-
Office ring? Is not Albert H. Shaw as
able, as successful, as responsible, and
as clean man as is Frederick w. Plais-
ted? Is not Mr.. Heath as able, as COM
petent for a seat in the U. S. Senate as
is Obadiah Gardner?
The campaign of 1912 cannot be fought
upon the issues of 1910. The great issue
of 1912 is that projected by the Democ-
racy itself. 1t is whether or not Maine
is to rule herself within herself, or
whether she is to ruled from without by
the whiskey monopoly from Kentucky,
or the national brewers association of
we know not where. The issue is whether
the future political welfare of Maine is
to be determined by the plain people, or
whether it is to be determined by the
saloon vote gathered today under the
spreading arches Of the Plaisted covered
bridge, or later, it Democracy should
win, sheltered under the protection of
license and local option law whereby as
in other license States candidates are
nominated in the saloon, financed by the
saloon, and elected from the saloon.
Mr.. Davis better stay right in his office
at Augusta attending to the regular
e. l., n1 10 |, i
Mr. Pattangall alike. For the duties of
these offices require the entire time of
their occupants-so much so that there
should be no time for the one to address
Democratic clubs or the other to conduct
a literary bureau, under the date line of
Augusta specials.