Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-01-03
United States Senators
kDeny Gardner's Story.
Even { Democrats DispIeased
with HisIAppeal to PTogressives.
Would Have Done Better Had He At.
tended to Business at Capital.


Washington, d. C. Jan 2.-(SpeciaD
-Progressiyes in the Senate are not
pleased with recent interview in
Maine, when Senator Obadiah Gardner
represented them as favoring his re-
election. Several inquiries among the
senators, whom Mr.. Gardner mention
ed as favoring him, indicate that no
one of them went that far. Some OF
them, like Senator Bristow of Kansas,
never had any talk with Senator
Gardner at all about his reelection.
There Is no more representative Pro-
gressive in the Senate than the Kan
san but he refuses to be dragged into
the fight before the Maine Legislature
and does not want Senator Gardner
To represent him as taking any sides
at Augusta.
In certain cases Progressive sena-
tors conversed with Senator Gardner
at some time about his reelection. This
was the case with Senator Borah of
Idaho one of the ablcst ProgressiVes
in the Senate, but a man who has
nevertheless remained throughout with
Z the Republican party. He, too. de-
. elines to be drawn into the eontrover-
<Ysy before the Maine Legislature but it
sEean be said positively that Senator
North never told Senator Gardner tina:
& IT, haped he (Gardner) would be re-
II eiectsd.
u Il 1hink Senator Gardner should
rot have given any such interview in
Maine" said one of these Progressive
ksenators today. 1T locks to me q lit
tricky. If a Democrat were to be
ted, why we might be willing
hgh for Senator Gardner to be that
i>)a, but VHen it comes to represent
M us ask fay oring Senasor Gardner
5}3Nst 4nyI Republican, Senator
q f5&r4nek~ goes too far. There is no
Warf1lnt whatever for it. We have
never told him we were for MIN. He
5 has had no encouragement To think
that we. were for him. beyond cour-
& ie1ais Nordssuch as senator's have for
d their zhrathTe txho have been defeat
B MI " express~ouf regrets in the
ci<a kf{>9fiIS Hjaen any senator goes
III ~ I{efh<f !. 3lpfificaily, he is in ac-
E 5yEl {: 4 ii lii5 III mot. : But there is a
& < III Il FHre1ce Between those corte-
AUS cuinfil&nf sfnong ourselves and
'sx deeiarations that we want Democrat
elected to the Senate from Maine
Another of thc Progressive senators,
protesting thar he did not want TO fig
ura in the contest at Augusta, remark
ed that Senator Gardner had been a
DISAPPOINTMENT when ne first came
to shington," remarked this Pro
gressive senator we were interested
in seeing what Mr.. Gardner would do.
He seemed 10 give some promise Of
good service. But our opinion Of him,
instead of going up. has been con-
stantly going down. ! am afraid there
is not much to him. The Democrats
of Maine have not acquired any par
tioular credit for their choice of Sen
ator Gardner. understand his Dem
ocratic colleagues in Congress from
Maine have their own opinions about
him and that their private discussions
of him are somewhat interesting"
Those Progressive Senator's who en-
joyed acquaintance with ex.-Gov. Bur
leigh during his service in the House,
are personally very friendly to him.
One of them emphasized this. today.
s'My own idea is that the Progress
sive members of the Maine Legisla-
ture would feel reluctance about vot-
ing against Gov. Burleigh. if for no
other reason, because they participant
ed in the Republican primary which
nominated him and because they might
be accused of bad faith if they did
not respect the result of that pri-
mary"
AS already stated, Senator Card
ner's professions about being a Pro-
gressive are not taken over seriously
among the Progressive brethren of the
Senate. They do not question his
willingness to march along in advance
and do not accuse him of being a re-
dictionary by any means But they
regard his professions as being alto
gether hollow and do not rank him in
the worthy Progressive class. His fire.
uuent emphasis, since the September
election, of his own prominence as Z
Progressive has been noticed here
along with his more recent protesta
ton that he did not feel tied up very
hard to any party The latter wa'
brought to some of the old line Dem
ocrats in the Senate. who wondered
whether the old line Democrats in tn
Maine Legislature would particular,
enjoy voting for a United States sen
ator, who was not altogether asser
tive about his Democracy.
There has also been some inquir
in Democratic circles at the Capito
ner's campaign for reelection befor
a Republican Legislature. The Sen
ate Democrats, of course, would wei
come the election of a Democrat fror
Maine. 1t would increase their mar
row majority. But the wise old Dem
ocratic heads of the Senate doubte
whether Senator Gardner was dom
his cause any good and, consequent
~, whether he was helping the Dem
ocratic party in the United State
Senate, when he put out his state
ment Of recent days and also whe
he left the Senate, while Congress
was in session, to prosecute his cam
pafgn for reelection. One could hea
it said with considerable emphasis ths
Senator Gardner would have don
much better had he kept still as
mouse and remained at his duties
Washington.