Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-06-04
Who Says II Is Easy Pick
ing Democratic Winner !?
The Maine Delegation in Wash
ington Sadly al Odds.
Whichever Way They Swing Events
Show Them to Be Wrong.

-Presidentially II gets more and more
distressing for the Maine Brethren. of
the Democratic persuasion. in the SEN
ate and the House from Maine. They
have been guessing wrong, one time
after another. till they are plumb
flabbergasted" Their position is as
painful as that of the chameleon, fa-
nous in aneedote, whose owner put him
ftsrt on one color and then ON another,
to see him change, and then Killed the
poor little fellow by putting him on Il
piece of scotch plaid He simply could
not keep on the job there.
Some of the wisest of the Maine
Democrats, put a bet down on Coy.
Harmon early in the presidential con-
test. But they We're way off, The
Harmon guess OF the wiser portion OF
the delegation to Baltimore. went
wrong very badly but hardly more so
than the Wilson guess. While johnson
and Plaisted We're disposed to go over
TO the reactionarv wing of the Demo-
cratic party. Senator Obadiah and Dan
McGiIlicuddy went on record early in
favor of Gov. Wilson of New Jersey
They came right to the front with their
candidate when some of tile big Demo-
tidiG ut NJSIiIStOil were
out on the parade ground
All was merry for astime. and then
the Wilson boom began to go into
eclipse and kept going in deeper and
deeper. And how that made Senator
Obadiah and Dan Mac groan. Their
eyes We're fun of tears and they lina!iy
as good as yielded up the ghost They
wanted the sage of Princeton hut they
wanted more to be on the winning side
and so they began 10 cast friendly
Chances the way of Speaker Champ
Clark. PERHAPS they would have gone
over to Clark bag and baggage but for
the sturdy resistance of Senator John
son who has refused tacenlmit limself
for publication and accordingly had no
open record on the subject.
The spectacle 0f these two Maine
Democrats. confined that they had
gone wrong on the presidential candi
date was painful to behold. Now, how
ever Wilson has carried New jersey
with a sweep. and also Minnesota. And
at the same time Texas has been COM
ing in with 40 more for Wilson and the
prospects of the New Jersey candidate
are looking up materially. That helps
the feeling of Senator Obadiah and
McGillicuddy but everybody around
Washington knows how they were
ready to flop over TO Speaker Clark and
consequently their feelings can be bet
ter imagined than described. They are
just towering nervously between Clark
and Wilson. fearing that the one or the
other may get big lead without the
active support of these two Maine dele
gates to the Baltimore convention.
And then there is the strain upon the
immediate Democratic friends of these
two Second District Democrats and of
their other Democratic friends through
out Maine How can they take coun
sci from Senator Gardner or Represen-
tative MeGillicuddy when neither of
them sticks at all to his own predic-
tfons. And Who can tell down in
Maine whether these two WORTHLESS will
he for Clark or for Wilson by the time
the next mail from Washington comes
in.
Last but not least is our friend. Rep
resentative Samuel Wadsworth Gould,
of Skowhegan, Maine. He, too, Is a
delegate elect. and has been holding
steadfast TO the Champ Clark boom. 1t
looked for quite while as though Sam
the others of his colleagues to Balti-
more, who did not think very highly of
his qualities for picking a winner
However, Mr.. Gould was growing a lit
tie mite chesty about his powers for
picking a winner, when the Clark boom
began to wane and the Wilson boom to
pick up tremendously. OF course that
made the third district Congressman
shrink materially and now he stands
no higher as a guesser than any Of the
Maine Democratic quartet in Congress.
The Democratic delegate campaign is
not over yet and will not be for a
couple Of weeks and that means a
couple weeks more Of agony fer those
four Maine Democrats in Congress.
Bear in mind that they are expected by
the home folks, of the party faith to
have all the light and TO shed ii for the
benefit of the more benighted back IN
the bills
Continued on Page Nine.D