Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-01-06
Tuesday, January e. 1914
The Only Hope of Democracy.

.Naine Progressives failed TO respond on
TO the invitation TO meet W. WI Inv ,,i9ht
publicans at Augusta, itts, friuas nsrtv
and members of that political paaiS. J.
49, a. consnicuous by their absence,
saws an Augusta dispatch. They wouie .o,,s :
have been a good deal more colspiiSSuooo oa
r. their presence There is on eNIoehoe
-. tbe Maine Progressives take any
stock in the amalgamation plai 80 VIC l
Gently advanced by Repubncans who .ho
need their votes Tor tne eITenarass,ues
olo .Lis state have had their experience
With amalgamation in state pohaes
Portland Argus
Our Portland neighbor is mistaken
as usual Progressives WE'RE pres
ent. and by that term we refer speci-
6cally to men who are allied WIN inc
..Rul1 Moosers" and openly declare
themselves. And, using the term Pro
eressive" in its true sense, ana Tell
ing the exact truth, every man Pies
ant at the Augusta gathering, was
Progressive; every man cheered 10 'he
echo every progressive policy an
nounced, and made the leaders under-
stand that only men of the hlghest
moral character, business aolilty anu
nroorossive policies would stand ghost
of a show for Republican nomination.
From here on it is TO be the best men
of most advanced thought for Repubh-
can candidates. Republican candidates
must stand for public utilities control
by competent board, for werkmens 5
compensation, for woman Suffrage LOT
enforcement of all laws, for prison re-
forms. for higher efficiency in protect
ing unfortunate human beings ana
dumb animals: in fact for every high
er and broader purpose that makes
civilization better and leads toward the
millennium.
Our Portland Democratic friend
speaks from the same angle and Tor
the same obvious purpose as some OF
the deeply selfish and bigoted so-called
Progressives, namely: If a Progress
siye sees the shining writing on the
wall and dares say that it Is necessary
for good men of progressive thought
and aspirations to stand together and
sink any petty differences for the sake
of defeating a common enemy, he is
imediately denounced by such as Ding
ley and other Democratic haters of all
Republicans and Republican policies,
as mot a Progressive but traitor to
the cause"
Two years ago the great Republican
State convention at Bangor was domi-
mated, wholly controlled by the Pro-
gressive element. The late Hon. Her
bert NJ. Heath, the leader in Progress
sive thought and policies in Maine,
wrote the platform and 1t was adopted
with tremendous enthusiasm by such
delegations as came down from Aroos-
took OF course, according to the Lew
iston Journal and the Portland Argus,
the Hon. Ira G. Hersey of Houlton,
and other high minded men of Aroos-
took county, are not Progressives. But
that they are. Senator Hersey, as
chairman of the Augusta House gath
ering, declared that "Aroostook went
hell bent for Roosevelt. and We are
not ashamed of it,
Our Portland friend also failed to
notice the words of Hon. Z. N. Merrill,
chairman Of the Progressive county
committee of Somerset Mr.. Merrill
eaid that the sober-minded rank and
file Of his party demand progressive
policies and men of unquestioned
character. and they are tired of al
lowing small factional disagreements
to be distorted into something large
enough to spell triumph for the COM
mon opponent.
But the purpose of such as the Port
land Argus and Lewiston Journal is
plain.