Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-12-25
MIR. Goodrich Again.
Preble & Robinson Camp No. >.
Lake MoXie Me. Dec. d 1912.


Lake MoXie, Me, Dec. q, 1912.
Editor Kennebec Journal:
| thank you for the respect shown
the Progressive cause in your candid
editorial of Dec. Is.
| have reconsidered the matter in
every particular but can not change
my position. / can agree with you in
just one particular. 1t would be in
eXcusable for a Progressive to vote for
"a Democrat for the United States
Senate, because the policies of the
Democrats in regard to the tariff are
fundamentally. different from those of
the Republicans and those of the
Progressives. ~
But the Progressiyes are opposed to
the Payne-Aldrich tariff for which the
Republicans stand THE Progressives
stand for a tariff that protects the far
mer and iaborer as well as the manu-
facturer. The Republicans support the
highest possible tariff. Recent cleo
items show that the people of Maine
prefer the policies of the Progressives
to the policies of the Republicans and
are opposed to the policies of the Dem
ocrats. The legislators, acting as the
/
this preference. As between Mr., Bur
leigh and a Democrat, the Progressives
should support Mr.. Burleigh, but as
between Mr.. Burleigh and a Progress
sive, the Progressives should support
the candidate of their party.
We now have this situation. A ma
jority of the legislature have been
elected by the united action of Pro-
gressives and Republicans. The Re
publicans are claiming that all mem
bers of the legislature SO elected
should be Republicans and that none
should be ProgressiKes. Is that fair
claim? Any man who, after being
elected to the Legislature, took any
part in the Presidential election be-
yond that of casting his vote, Niolat-
d very rule af common honesty and
decency. He turned against those
who helped elect him. This is true
whether the Legislator who did SO is
a Progressive or a. Republican. But
in the legislature the ProgresSiVes and
Republicans should line up. The Pro-
gresSives in their caucus can vote to
support the measures introduced to
carry out the pledges of the Bangor
platform. The Republicans in their
caucus can vote the same. If there is
no Progressive candidate, both can
vote to support Mr.. Burleigh. BY such
action, every pledge implied by their
being elected on the same ticket will
be fulfilled.
1t would be bad taste for me, in a
letter to you, to make a bitter attack
against Mr. Burleigh. 1 stand by my
former letter every statement OF
which | can prove true. | can not
change my opinion that Mr.. Burleigh
by allowing the Kennebec Journal to
take an active part in favor of Mr..
Taft after September turned against
the Progressives who had helped make
his election to the United States SEN
ate d possibility He thereby forfeited
all right to claim Progressive support
| in the legislature.
Sooner or later, all legislators OF
whom we are writing, must decide,
each. according to his own judgment,
which party is fighting hardest for
| the principles of government he be-
| leves to be right The time for a
| man to be a Progressive is when there
| is work to do for the cause.
| So far as I know, everyone, at the
| time of the September election, sup
posed that some of these Legislators
would be Republicans and that some
| would be Progressives. Everyone
believed that this was fair and honor
able, because of their common stand
against notification and free trade
Progressives accepted Republican
| support. Republicans accepted Pro-
gressive support. Now, we are told
that it is all right for the Republicans
to accept Progressive support and
call themselves Republicans in the
Legislature, and all wrong for Pro-
gressives to accept Republican sup
port and be Progressives in the
Legislature. If the one act is right