Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-08-22
EX-GOV. FER
Maids SPEECH
AT READFIELD
A Telling and Convincing Argu-
ment by the Republican
Ticket Should Be
Endorsed

Following is the speech of Gov
ernor Bert Fernald Wednesday night
last before the citizens of Readfield
at an enthusiastic Republican rally,
It's convincing truths and clinching
arguments met with the full approval
of the great audience and deserves to
be given to the entire citizenship of
Maine. Here 1t is:
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:
l should be very glad indeed if l
could give away my time to the gentle
man from Augusta. l feel well paid
for coming down here this evening in
listening to his splendid speech.
l do not feel like a stranger in the
town of Readfield, and l never swing
around this beautiful lake Of yours,
that your eyes look upon SO often,
but what l think, Senator Brown, of
the dark days of 1910, to me, because
have been in every phase of politics;
have been some times successful and
have felt the sweetness of victory, and
l have sometimes gone down to defeat
with the bitterness that accompanies
it. In 1910 when everything seemed to
be going wrong with the Republican
Party Of Maine, and when 1 was get
ting reports from all over the State
adverse to me, / got telephone mes
sage from Senator Brown, and he said
We have just had our votes counted
and old Readfield gives you 1863 votes
to Plaisted's 81" I said to my wife
that If ever in the future I had an op-
portunity to do anything for the town
of Readfield / should never forget it so
long as lived.
l am glad to come down here tonight
for other reasons. Like most of you
men, am farmer. / was born on a
farm and have lived all my life on a
farm, and still reside there am in
terested in the things you are inter-
ested in. I believe in anything that is
good for the State of Maine and for
the Nation. Every party and every
nation have something that they wish
to preserve. and some things in gov
eminent that they wish to destroy.
regret that have not the time to dis
cuss the great issues en- which the Re-
publican Party was founded: those
broad national issues In the early his
tory of the party, the abolition Of
slavery, the successful conduct of the
"1AI AOSOiioti uCtlon VI Tic south, re-
sumption Of specie payment, the bat
ties against fiat money, and Bryan her
estes, the building of the Panama ca
nal, the demand for sound currency,
the policy for the up building of the
Nation, and finally the long and bitter
war so successfully waged by the last
two Republican presidents against the
trusts. On every one of those great
issues the Republican Party has been
right. We fought 1t out and 1t has
been proven to be a successful policy.
made UP my mind a long time ago
that honesty for parties, as we'll as
for individuals, was the best policy. 1
am all out of politics. I am not a can
didate for any office, and never ex-
pect to be again. / have had all the
honor that ought to come to any citi- !
zen in Maine. having once been the
governor of the 725,OOO people of the |
State of Maine. that is sufficient hon. |
or and glory for any one man.
We have some parties and some |
policies, and they have been touched |
upon by the speakers that preceded |
me. l regret that at this time we |