Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-04-18

ed no concern.
much Republican rejoicing in that
they show conclusively Republicans
are actually the second party. OF
course President Roosevelt will
soon be back in the United States,
stirring matters up politically and do
ing his very utmost to instill new lie
and activity into the thinning ranks
of his great. Chicago revolt. Presum-
ably he will rage much, question in
terpretations of events. and denounce
his opponents generally. He promises
to go from state to state, reviewing
and exhorting, putting candidates
afield and all that
Looking to Maine
But Republicans have made so GER
tain of second place that they seem
really on the road to first place and
the plans for the Congressional cam
paign are going ahead with such a
program in mind. Maine Will lead off
in early September with the election
of four members Of Congress. Ire
mendous efforts will be made not only
to carry those four Congressional dis
tricts but to do so decisively. Three
of the four districts are now Republic
can but the Republican leaders in
Congress say that the second Maine dis
trict, now Democratic, should be re-
captured and that it would be a splen-
did achievement to advertise to the
country If this could be done. The
second is an historic Republican dis
trict and If it were recovered in Sep
TENDER the victory would be worth
hundreds Of thousands of votes to the
party throughout the country the fol-
lowing November.
There have besn numerous political
contests to divert Washington atten-
ton of recent days. The first of the
important primaries for United States
Senator for the six year class. the
service of whose members will date
from March 4, 1915, was held when
Representative Oscar w. Underwood
was designated in Alabama. They are
counting the votes down there yet to
ascertain accurately how large Mr..
Underwood's majority was Represen-
tative Richmond p. Hobson was snow
ed under by something like 10000 ma
jority and his pretensions squelched.
AS legislator in the House Hobson
has been a dismal failure. He has
never attended to his duties on the
hoor of the House and probably will
be seen little there from this time on.
he has given close attention, however.
TO the correspondence of his constitu-
ents and has had their errands before
the departments attended to diligently.
Hobson will not greatly miss his
salary of 1880 a year as a member
of the House. however. He is still
popular on the lecture platform where
his extreme radical utterances at
tract audiences. Much of his time as
a member of the House has been de-
voted to lecture engagements, which
have yielded him a handsome income.
He has identified himself with the
prohibition movement and sought to
utilize it as a vehicle to keep him in
the public service. His prohibition lee
lures are certainly very edifying and
entertaining. He has delivered them
before the House in the form of
speeches and circulated them under his
frank among people in Alabama and
elsewhere.
While Hobson will disappear from
the public service after March~4 next,
it is believed he will bob up again. The
chances are he cannot get to the
House or the Senate for two years
but in 1916 he may be a candidate
for the House from his old district or
he may seek the seat in the Senate
which is now held by John H. Bank
head. 1t was Bankhead whom he de-
feated for the House two years ago,
after Bankhead had served the district
long and faithfully for many years, but
Immediately upon Bankhead's defeat
for the House there came a vacancy
In the Senate to which Bankhead was
elected. This was much described as
kicking him upstairs" Now Senator
Rankhead's son. William, is to sue
coed Hobson in the House.
Washington took great interest in
the Underwood Hobson contest. Ma
jority Leader Underwood is probably
the most popular Democrat in the
District of Columbia, bar none He
will continue as majority leader for
another session Of Congress and then
go to the Senate for six years He will
undoubtedly rank as one Of the lead
ing Democrats in that body, but will
have to take his place at the foot of
committee lists and work his way up
as the rules of the Senate require.
The primary nomination in Alabama
was equivalent to an election.