Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-01-07
Wednesday, January 7, 1914.
Issues of the Coming Campaign.
We cannot agree with our neighpol
the Portland Press, in the following

,apncb I'll the Republican party in Maine on oii
the sea upon which the dangers are Nc
undersfood The intent OF tnose ~ 49,
i uiluei 49, sro,,hie to go to Augusta to give
tbis tone to the state gathering Was Wsaa "a
aycellent one but they nave -, s,,o :,
in directing, the afternoon 2, tba vi armor and
against this point of weakness, az I'm In
eeronnon enemy regards II, every s.h sh
will be directed from thls Ills niis and
Ths McGillieuddys, Pattahgaltts an in
~ ~Democratie politicians reJoice ~
The prospect which lies oeiore bone
frnon the rum question they ea ,l intar-
- sro,ise in the cities at least, an n.trt NJ
70. 70 Ind partisanship which VIII Hateii H..i
siiv aid them in the. approaching aito.
aInon other issues they would pc 49,
,1d,Sar upon the defensive ana these NJ ~
getner upU peYnerienee, realize that at the
yarv wr outset with other issues . 10 nnen, aees,
,bey would be defeated before the epe4-
Ing gun of the battle is lifeu'
In the first place prohibition Is Noi
ths weakest spot in the armor Oh
Republican forces. If it were' II 10
strong enough to Withstand any az
.o.,, of all the McGllicuddys, Pattan-
calls and others of the licensed saloon
uersuasion. And while they are
shooting at that the Republican pat
teries can plug them full of holes at
several we'll known weak spots.
Nor can we agree that they tine
rum crowd) can arouse the cities. ihes
are unouestionably weaker IN the
cities today than they were year
ago. in spite of the loud claims oi
those in employ of the liquor inter-
NJ 10 minded.
abiding citizenship of every city mas
been added large business interests Oh
the State which prosper under en-
forcement. And with these s.aho
hundreds of clubmen who frankly say
that they enjoy club life better no"
,ba+ tbev are not forced into drinking
more than they wished for the sake Oh
keeping up the social end Of "gooo
fellowship" where liquor was always
at hand.
Nor do we agree with our nelghbor
that the Republican party is likely 10
allow the Democracy to choose all the
weapons and the fighting grounds.
The Democracy of Maine must answer
to the people on all the issues which
we name below, and more.
But the Republican party Is NOT 10
abandon a single vantage point al
ready taken, however much the liquor
interests and their friends may clamor
for it.
If the Republican party wishes to
everlastingly discredit itself then let IL
listen to selfish interests and weaken
on great moral principles.
With full knowledge that they are
licked from the start, on any one OF
half a dozen issues, Democratic lead
ers of Maine are in blue funk
Three years ago they were defeated on
the resubmission issue, and two years
ago on the temperance issue. Pro-
hibition and temperance sentiment
have been increasing every day since,
and the Democratic party is the same
old party today that it has been in all
recent years, and will be until it
dumps, bag and baggage, the brew
cry servants now directing its for
tunes.
The very first move of the Demo-
cratic party directors this year is for
certain leaders to appeal directly for
funds to the brewers, and the party
organs set out to make themselves
doubly useful to the interests which
they blindly serve. This movement
has already begun.
OF course the Democratic plan is to
arouse as much bitterness as possible
in that element which feels that its
personal liberty" is infringed by en-
forcement of law. That is the ele-
ment which 1t has always had and
which the Republican party could
never get by any manner of trucking
with the great moral issue.
The Republican party is irrevocably
placed for prohibition and for rigid en-
forcement of temperance laws and
laws against all allied vice and social
evils. It has taken one fort after
another by hard fighting and now. on
the heights of Moral Progress, 1t is
receiving reinforcements from the
best that Maine has to offer in the
way of honest manhood and woman
hood.
The Republican party can abandon
no positions on prohibition and en-
forcement. That line must always
be sharply drawn between the two
parties until the rum evil is wiped
out. The Democratic party is FOR
the traffic and has every advantage
from that standpoint, the friendship
and financial support of the allied
liquor and vice traffic. II the Re-
publican party wayers or hesitates
as recommended by some of its faint
hearted advisers. it will forfeit the
support and friendship of that deter
mined element which stands for up