Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-07-27
Editorial Comment
The Reward of Success.
cortland Expressly


A great laugh went up from all over
Maine when, during the Baltimore
convention. newspapers here reprinted
dispatch which appeared in the New
York Sun, announcing that a boom
had been started for Governor Plais-
ted of Maine as Democratic candidate
for President. The Sun is always do
ing funny stunts, so the people of
Maine SAID, as they leaned back in
their chairs and guffawed over the re-
markable story.
Why not Plaisted as well as Will
son? What was there about the sug
gestion that the Democratic delegates
might turn to the Governor of Maine
instead of TO the Governor of New
Jersey. that should incite our risibiii-
ties. and set che whole State in laugh
teri Nobody laughed at the idea of
Governor Wilson being a Presidential
candidate. What is the difference?
Both Wilson and Plaisted We're cleo
ted in 1910. Both men entered upon the
discharge of their duties with fine
promises of improvements and reforms
which they proposed to secure for the
people during their administrations;
and in these promises and in the full
fIlment of them on the one hand, and
the failure to fulfill them on the other
hand, lies the difference which we
have been seeking.
Governor Wilson, with a politically
hostile Senate. secured the enactment
of public utilities law. Governor
| Plaisted promised but did not per-
| form, and the man who is really the
power behind the throne, an officer
unknown in the New Jersey state gov
eminent, was the man who made the
motion in the House of Representa-
| tives to Kill the proposition TO enact
| public utilities law in Maine.
| Governor Wilson secured the enact
| ment of a real direct primary law.
| Governor Plaisted's Legislature enact
| ed a law similar in many respects to
the one which the real, new law. dis
| placed in New Jersey. The law
| enacted by Governor Plaisted's Legis-
| lature was so mean an imitation of
| the direct primary law, that the peo-
pie assumed the power granted to
them under the new constitutional
| provision of the initiative and refer
endum. and repealed the makeshift of
| the Plaisted administration. and
4
a real direct primary law. But there
are no thanks to Governor Piaisted
nor to his administration for this re-
| form,
| Governor Wilson secured the enact
| ment of corrupt practices act which
| Wilson's biographer describes as one
(which reinforces the election law and
| does away with 'spook' voters and
| dishonest elections. 1t keeps both the
voters and the candidates for office,
| straight" The Maine Legislature of
| 1911 had been in session more than
| two months before any steps were
| taken toward the enactment of a cor
rupt practices act. 1t was March Z of
| that year when the bill was presented
| by Mr.. Williamson of Augusta and
i referred to the Judiciary Committee.
1t was the 10Th of March when the So
called corrupt practices act was final
| ly enacted, and received the official
approval of the Governor. This law
| was copied from an unavoidable law
| that had been discarded in the state Of
| Connecticut. The law which proved
unavoidable in Connecticut has aireay
proved unworkable in Maine. and in
i stead of giving the people of the State
law which keeps both the voters and
candidates straight, as Governor Will
| sons law is said to have done, the
law enacted in Maine will do neither.
So it would be possible to go on
| pointing out the things that were ac-
complished by Woodrow Wilson and
| the things that failed of accomplish
| ment by Frederick w. Plaisted. The
Governor of Maine did do what he
could to secure the Introduction of the
licensed saloon into Maine, PROPOSE
ton which the people promptly vetoed.
Governor Wilson was the Governor
of New jersey in fact as well as in
| name, from the hour of his Inaugural
| ton. He meant what he said, and did
| what he promised to do Governor
Plaisted has played second fiddle to his
own attorney general during all the
months of his incumbency in office,
and he has not done what he promised
to do. That is why no one laughed at
the suggestion of the Governor of New
Jersey as Presidential candidate, and
why everybody who knew laughed AT
the suggestion of the Governor OF
Maine for that high office.
|