Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-07-27
Democrats aEconomy..

Democratic ECONOMY.
If the State of Maine had occasion
to use a strip of paper 100 miles long,
and was obliged to buy that paper and
hire il cut up into 19-inch lengths and
hire each of these short lengths print
ed, counted, made up into packages,
addressed and shipped To every city
and town in the State-well, if all this
were to be done we would think it
quite job and quite an expense,
wouldn't we?
Now if some one with authority to
do it should increase the amount of
paper to be purchased land the work
miles-a strip of paper that would
reach from Fit. Kent to Kittery-we
would think said person in authority
had pretty strong reasons for increas-
ing the States expenses, now wouldn't
we?
Well. he had!
Our secretary of State. in strict OBJ
seryance of the letter of an untried
Law, instructed the Waterville Senti-
mel. which was acting under void
and Illegal contract, to print more
than one million ballots, at State ex-
pense, for use in the primary balloting.
1t is interesting to note. at this
point, that this marvel of official ex-
actitude. the Hon Cyrus w. Davis,
secretary of State, was the erstwhile
State printer while holding the office
controlling the work which, as con-
tracing party, he would do. When the
Kennebec Journal called the attention
of the secretary of State to this pal
pable violation of the law, he fought
bitterly to maintain both positions.
The Governor and Council refused to
invoke the law, which carried penalty,
/ and referred the matter to the Su-
preme Court. The latter body decided,
unanimously. that the law was plain.
Its intent obvious. and that it was a
wise provision by a deliberative law
making body.
Thus this strictly lawabiding State
official was obliged to apparently sew
er his connection with the publishing
company with which as its head he
had contracted as State printer. The
Governor and Council then made
temporary arrangements for State
printing until legal and permanent
contracts could be made.
This temporary" arrangement with
Mr.. Cyrus w. Davis paper (now pub
licly acknowledged to be under con-
troll of Hon. William r. Pattangan, at
torney general of Maine) has contin-
ued for eight months. Under this lille
gal continuation by official and private
connivance, Mr.. Davis as secretary OF
| State has obeyed, in all its manifest
inconsistency the primary ballot pro-
vision with such results as we shall
mention below.
For the sake of the Davis Pattangal
printing plant, the State of Maine, be-
cause of its June primary balloting
must settle for seven times as man,
ballots as were ever cast in any one
election in the State.
More than one million ballots
were printed and distributed for
the primaries of 1912.
The paper used weighed 20 tons
More than 100000 Socialist bal
lots were printed and sent out;
while in the election of 1910 only
1641 Socialist votes were cast.
In 1910, Franklin county cast
, eight Socialist ballots. To that
county for the primary haIioting
this year, 624o ballots were sent
; 7so times as many as there was
: any likelihood of needing.
In 1910, Pscataquis county cast
: three Socialist ballots; 1o,32o So
cialist ballots were sent there for
$ the primaries.
g In 1910, three hundred towns and
t plantations cast no Socialist vote;