Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-08-18
Arthur L. Thayer Re-
ceives More Than He
Asked for in Pub
lie Letter
He Is Welcome to 1t All and Is
Politely Requested to Clear
the Progressive Organizations
Skirts of Charges of Violation
the Corrupt Practices Act

IudyeT, SECRETARY VI eiC
fPenobscot county Progressive commit
tee to Col Frederic H. Parkhurst,
chairman of the Republican State COM
mittee which had been published and
widely commented upon, Chairman
Parkhurst has written the following
open letter:
Bangor, Me-, Aug. Is, 1914.
Arthur L. Thayer, Esq, Sec'y. Penob-
scot County Progressive committee,
Bangor. Me.
Dear -Sir:--If you had desired a
prompt answer to your recent letter
addressed to me and published in the
press, you should have delivered
copy of the letter to me, instead of
leaving me to obtain knowledge of
your inquiries by chance, as you did.
Under the existing laws of Maine as
interpreted by long usage, the Re-
publican party organization consists
Of
First, The State committee composed
of one man from each county. chosen
by the State convention, having as
officers, chairman, a secretary and a
treasurer.
Second, The four congressional dis
trict committees composed of men Sc
lected by each county in the congress
sional districts having as officers,
chairman, a secretary and treasurer.
Third, The sixteen county commit
tees composed of men chosen from
their respective counties having as
officers, a chairman, a secretary and a
treasurer.
Fourth, Glass committees chosen in
each legislative class having Is OFF,
GERS. chairman, secretary and a
treasurer.
Fifth, Town committees acting for
single town or city and having as
officers a chairman, a secretary and
treasurer.
There is Of course in charge of party
affairs in the nation the National COM
mittee, consisting of one member from
each State who is chosen by the dele
gates to the National convention.
These committees are absolutely in
dependent of each other and I do not
as chairman of the Republican State
committee possess any direct control
over the other committees and cannot
from my own knowledge furnish you
with any Information in regard to the
receipts and expenditures of or the pro-
ceedings of the Penobscot county COM
mittee. Knowledge of these matters
of the committee and II you will ad-
dress the secretary and treasurer of
the Penohscot county committee, Hon.
Charles E. Smith of Newport, or the
chairman, Mr.. Charles F. Sweet of
Bangor, 1 feel confident that you can
obtain from them a full answer to the
inquiries you make.
/ have not personally received or ex-
pended single dollar since I became
a member of the Republican State
committee in 1912. I have not myself
attended an executive meeting of the
Republican county committee, but
am assured by the officers of the COM
mittee, that full record has been kept
of all votes had at their meetings. !
have inquired of the treasurer of the
committee in regard to his receipts and
expenditures and am informed that
there has been, up to the present time,
no disbursements of money and that
receipts consist of a single small con-
tribution made by a citizen of Ban
gor. If Of interest TO you, I am sure
that the treasurer will give you the
amount and the name.
can see no objections to having the
various expenditures and receipts of
the committee published, as you sug-
gest, but it occurs to me In this con-
nection that before asking the Repub-
lican county committee to adopt the
plan you propose or furnishing details
in a manner not required by law,
that your party committees should
free themselves of the suspicion that
naturally exists by reason of their
having failed to observe the laws of
our State. that improper receipt and
disbursement of funds have occurred.
You are undoubtedly familiar with
the fact that under the Corrupt Prac-
tioe act, all expenditures during the
political campaign must be m2de by
the treasurer of some party committee
or by some person particularly ap-
pointed as a political agent and thus
it is the duty Of such treasurer or
such political agent to file with the
secretary of State at Augusta within
fifteen days after the election a full
account, sworn to, of all receipts and
expenditures.
You must be familiar with the fur
Their fact that In the last campaign,
the one in the Third district for the
election of a congressman, your Pro-
gressive State committee omitted filing
a report in accordance with the law
and that they are now subject, by such
neglect, to a penalty Of $25 for every
day that has elapsed since the expira-
ton of the period named In the cor
rupt act for filing their report.
In order to qualify yourself to re-
quest Of our committee this particu-
lar information, you and your COM
mittee should free yourselves from the
reproach of having violated a very
proper law in regard to political con-
tributions and disbursements.
You will find that the Republican
State committee filed full report at
the close of the Third district CAM
paign, accounting for every dollar re-
ceived and every dollar expended. You
will find that this report shows that
every dollar VISA received from prop
!. er source and spent for proper pur-
pose. You can also ascertain that In
the last election In Penobscot county
!, the treasurer of the Republican county
committee filed, both in September and