The Washington times., 1913-09-09
HEARD THE NEWS FROM MAINE? /?
Have you heard the news from Maine:

How it went,
Hell-bent,
For Governor Kent
Tippecanoe and Tyler, too?
The Pine Tree State was political barometer be
fore the log cabin and hard cider campaign; it sti
is, and never has it produced more suggestive re
suit than on yesterday.
The old Third district of Maine last fall wen
for Wilson because the Republicans and Progressive
divided the opposition. Yesterday it elected a Re
publican of the most progressive type, because tn
Republicans and Progressives largely got togethe
again. The votes of last November and of yester
day may thus be graphically compared:
November, 1872 September, 1s1;
Replhlcan ............. LIB ls,1O6
Democrat .............. 1852 1853
1ioSiessFe ............ 1o,Ioo o,4o'
The figures represent practically complete un
official returns What do they indicate?
John A. Peters, now elected to Congress by tn
Republicans, was the speaker of the assembly dur
ing its last session at Augusta. He proved himsel
a real progressive, supported the liberal program
throughout, and proved effective and apparent
thoroughly sincere advocate of new order in publ
affairs
The regular Republicans of the district recog
nized that their only chance to deserve the sup
port of Progressives. So they named Peters on hi
record and started the fight not so much in the ex
pectation of winning but rather with the hope o.
landing their man in second place and proving tha
the Progressive party is an evanescent affair They
were not able to make so powerful showing ir
the campaign as did either the Democrats the Pro
gressve party people, because the liberal Republican
regulars who were invited to come and campaign fol
Peters were for the greater part unable to leave the
duties in Washington Even Senator Cummins, who
has been leader in the effort to reorganize the Re-
publican party on the exact lines adopted by the
Peters supporters, was unable to leave Washington
and take part in the fight because of the demands
which the tariff legislation made on his time
The Democrats and Progressive party people
poured their best oratorca headliners into the dis
trict, the Democrats especially making an effort
whose desperation amounted to confession that
they were prepared to regard a defeat in this bye
election as a real calamity. They have now en-
countered just that defeat and no explanation can
give it any other character. 1t is demorstrat
that the split among elements formerly Republican
is not hopeless that those elements can be brought
together again when the regulars turn their faces
toward progressive ideals, and the Democrats are
engaged in soaring the country with their tariff and
other activities.
Suppose the Republicans would do, in every Con-
tumn, the thing that they did in the Third Maine this
autumn? That is, suppose they should frankly accept
the leadership of their progressive element, nominate
candidates against whom no real Progressive could
raise objection and proclaim that they are done with
the old order and ready to follow the new. What
would happen?
The swing toward amalgamation and reunion has
been powerful in recent months that the answer
is easy The Republicans might not yet be able to
carry the next House, but they would make it close
election. Much would depend on the final attitude
Of the last remnant of Progressive party people, the
reconcables who yesterday stuck their candidate
in the Augusta district. If that element should join
the procession back into the new and liberazed
Republican party, the next House would be Republi
;an. If maj ority of it should take the other tack
and 60 off with the Democrats, they would win.
As between these two possible results it is very
plain that chances decidedly favor the presumption
hat the big majority would 60 back to liberalized
Republican party,
There is, in eptome, the national situation
Project the Maine result of yesterday over the whole
county, and give the leaven another year to work,
md nobody can claim that the Democrats have ground
or assurance that they will control the next Con-
,resS. Much depends-very much, indeed-on the
workings of their tariff bill. After that the Demo-
ratio chance largely lies in the hope that the Repuo-
leans in other parts of the country will refuse to do
he very thing that the Maine Republicans have
'roved is the right political move.