The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-02-26
The Political Situation,
- hv Hon. Reuel Robinson Of Camden.

pn nv views concerning tHe PleSens
pres; situation, and my opinion as to
poli'.'; 10 necessary to be done by those
what rs dissatisfied with existing condi-
VINO On IN order to effect change. My
tons :" is no better than that of any
Opll,onn erson who has been IN touch with
o'hpi si; affairs for the past quarter of
p ov,,v and l do not consider that it
ceu u bo Of much value to anyone. except
wiz ~ az 1t is the opinion of one individ-
50 a" 'nt of the many which together go
aa 4 Ha making up of the great public
TO s"1 1t is true that during the above
op.u.,ionpd period have been resident
n MT 1'mox County where there is, think,
Of h A,ncb politics to the square rod as
as u IRE else in the State, and although
any "n aot an office-holder l have had an
! an ,rtnnitv to come in contact with
opP.off nolitlcs and to observe, from time
o' W the display of more or less polit-
70 I" misdom as we'll as good quantity of
i' 't;tiral unwisdom. and for that reason,
Pp, he qualified, perhaps, as we'll as
may others at least, to express an
9P5,'s have today a Democratic Presi-
3oot large Democratic majority in
S Sst6 branches of our Congress. and are
i oo!- Under a Democratic tariff. New
lH"E ass. our President is minority
n-,s,4snt, our Congress is minority
Ess,r,sgress. and our tariff a minority tariff.
j. .tber words, majority of the voters
- his country were not in favor OF the
,.,'an of Woodrow Wilson, they were
a, favor of Democratic Congress.
o sgs tbey did not favor the present tariff
a, This. fact, however, does not make
~. wilson any the less President, Con-
~, any the less Democratic, nor the
ss,,,;F 4gjslation any the less real. The
. .ar why things are as they are today,
e'S veil known, is because the opposi-
a.,g TO the Democratic party and Demo
s ,.oti, oolicies was hopelessly divided at
y taIssf election. The effect of this new
.n,,f legislation is already being felt
'% rse here in Camden, and if it results in
~, fsetories closing their doors or great
" enrtsilng their business, has al
gs.s5q happened in some other places.
with the prospect OF another season OF >,
s.rf3gity in the Summer business,
onr .rosperity will be pretty nearly at
ar sE4. In any event it has obstructed
yt,t rrosperity without giving any CON-
,srs5tion whatever in the matter OF
E,q,rirr the thigh cost of living as
i.ss nr5nised. And what is true of Cam
;sn IS also true Of every other town and
,irr NJ The State, for there is not a Maine
S.lI.,r Of any consequence that is moi
.r.,tg adversely, to greater or less
,s,r.. nv the recent tariff legislation.
n order to get out of the condition
.+.. AZ nave gotten ourselves into GER
,.. tb7gs must be done.
st- 1t ought to be obvious, | be-
... the merest tyro in the knowledge
NJ o..riaal and business affairs, that the
,.'os-. ON to the Democratic party and
fg-. -rs,., e principles must be harmonious
srt.git d. otherwise the present condl-
t,.. .,l continue indefinitely. Person
s hrlieve that they will have to unite
oo.sr the name OF the Republican party.
SOM daubtless may not agree with me
an .7gl assert that the Republican party
.ss5 or that the Progressive party is
,rs-r m membership and consequently
,aa..d unite under that name. AS
.ao.y giving my opinion do not care
n ARGUE these questions only so far as
rs. Sem necessary in order to give rea-
sons for nv opinion. In the first place
,mu,t be observed that the Republican
,grt, IS not dead" An old party does
moi lie so easily. Several times the
Tsmocratic party has been dead, - and
n l3q6 when the Gold Democrats left the
/ rsrty. much as the Progressives left the
Republican party in 1912, and when the
Democratic candidate for President re-
ceyed. as will be remembered, but lit
H tie over one hundred votes in Camden, it
looked as if there might possibly be some
reason for the statement. But the
Democratic party is very much in evil
denee today. If the Democratic party
aftsr Surviving the odium that the Civil
Var brought upon it and after suffering
various other death blows" besides
being minority party nearly all of tie
tn. for over half a century, can still
w- u become the dominant party in
H ijlg. what reason is there for supposing
aet tte Republican party may not be
a0lg,E tenacious of life? Is it suppos-
ale That a party which has been the
.ga7.st party in the country for over
En- ears. with it's mighty history, its
g--4 r4.tions and its noble principles,
su 1.er whose control the Republic
las iul great and rich and in many
--t the foremost nation of the
n ~og sill not survive the first really
4 .ar a.! | believe, on the contrary,
4 asl n- trouble through which the party
LAS teen passing was necessary for It's
| reg. alton and will make it bet
e. stronger and more worthy Of the
elaG l40re of the people than ever be-
| 'ore again it does not appear to
ne that the Progressive party is the
larger or stronger. To be sure Mr..
Roosevelt received much larger vote,
both IN the State and in the nation, than
Mr. Taft received, but notwithstanding
that IN the same election, but one Sena-
tor and nile Representatives were elect
ed 10 Congress as Progressives from the
Whole country. The same thing was
true IN Massachusetts last fall, where
among the multiplicity of candidates for
Govefnor, on account of certain local
conditions, MIR. Bird, the Progressive
Candidate. received few more votes
than were cast for Mr.. Gardner, the
regular Republican candidate, yet the
legislature is controlled by the Republi-
cans. only few Progressives being
elected. Many Republicans voted for
Nr Roosevelt in 1912 for various reasons
Without any intention OF permanently
Changing their politics. Especially was
lhH rue in Maine as was fully demon
S'fated by the special congressional cleo
aon N the Third District, where Mr..
Roosevelt received over 1900 votes to
about 900 for Mr.. Taft, yet a popular
man running as Progressive candidate
lgf Congress a year later received only
about + 900 votes after an extremely ag-
RfeSslVa and active campaign, and Mr..