Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-09-16
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. Is, 1914.
The Election.


The votes have been counted
Honors are divided. The republicans
have carried Hancock county ano
elected three congressman; the demo-
Gratis have carried the State, and
elected one congressman.
Hancock county, and Ellsworth in
particular, feel especially gratitied at
the re- election of Congressman John
A. Peters, of Ellsworth, by plurality
of approximately 1000, or ahout four
times that Of last year. Mr.. Peters,
as his personal acquaintance with the
voters throughout the district has
grown larger, has risen rapidly in
their estimation. He carried every
county in the district.
Some surprise has been expressed,
by those unacquainted with local con-
ditions, that his plurality in Ellsworth
was not larger. Here in his own
town, where the conditions working
against him - not personally, but
politically-were known, the result
is not surprising. The wonder is,
rather, that he did so well.
Post mortems are useful only as
showing what the victim died of.
Governor Haines was the victim of a
species of attack, wholly unjustified,
but which appealed to an easily-in-
fuenced mass of voters, and which
weakened his candidacy. The mig
represented mileage book issue; the
State highway proposition, on which
mis- position is eminently sound, and
the enforcement difficulties, of which
he was made the innocent victim,
were used against him with an effect
which his splendid business admins
tration was unable to overcome. We
believe he is the best governor ever
defeated in Maine.
The democratic press heralds the
defeat of Governor Haines as an
endorsement of the democratic
administration at Washington. 1t is
no such thing. An analysis Of the
vote shows splendid republican gains
all along the line. A comparison Of
the republican vote with the State
election OF two years ago is mislead-
ing, for then the progressives voted
with the republicans, but it is en-
Tightening to note that Mr.. Curtis
vote this year will fall something like
5000 behind that of Gov. Plaisted in
1912, when he was defeated, while the
combined progressive and republican
vote-the anti democratic vote-this
year is about 5000 larger than Gov.
Haines' vote two years ago, when he
was elected.
So much for the splendid endorse
ment OF the national administration.
In the last analysis, the progressive
party is responsible for turning the
State over to the democrats. 1t has
proven very efficient aid society to
the democratic party. This election
has exploded for all time the argu-
ment that it can ever be more than
that.
Those members OF the progressive
party who are honestly progressive
from principle, will speedily ally
themselves with the republican party,
where they rightfully belong, perhaps
not openly acknowledging allegiance,
but voting with the republicans as in
dependents as a great majority OF
them formerly did. And the republi-
can party viii be the better when
these right minded voters join in its
councils.
Those few leaders of the progressive
party, embittered against their old
allies, more than against the demo-
Gratis, because they did not follow
them in their star chasing venture
will sooner or later ally themselves
with the democrats, where they right
fully belong. And the republican
party will be the better when these
self constituted leaders pull down th'
flag of piracy and go over bag am
baggage to the enemy.