Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-04-11
Mr.. H. p. Gardner Writes to Us.


Monday morning was scurrilous,
school-boy communication from one
Halbert P. Gardner, head of the Bull
Moose party in Maine. 1t is Of the
making faces type long since outlawed
by self-respecting newspapers. Mr..
Gardner enclosed a demand that his
cheaply vitupefative literary triumph
be given place in our columns Monday
morning. We should not have used it
II we had been present on its arrival,
because we can make better use Of the
space for which our readers pay. We
have good notions Of fairness to politi-
cal opponents but no mistaken notion
that an insulting fling without single
fact or shred of argument entities the
writer to public hearing. II Mr.. Gard
ner has any reason for his position or
explanation Of his acts he does not re-
fer to them, and we have no interest
whatever in his opinion Of us.
Mr.. Gardeners letter is, in no single
particular, an answer or even an at
tempt to answer, any utterance of ours
in recent or remote days. 1t is boy
ishly abusive and uncleverly offensive
without touching a fact or an ISSUE 1t
is typically Gardneresque and we are
confident that our readers would have
as little interest in that sort of mire as
we have.
Mr.. Gardner and his close ring
associates who are misleading a few
voters of Maine, should remember that
the newspapers are not in the slightest
degree concerned with what he
THINKS. but are following what he
DOES and will quite probably criticize
as they see fit, his performances
We are convinced that Mr.. Gardner
is doing everything in his power to de-
feat the very things honestly patriotic
men are trying to accomplish; namely,
the reestablishment of responsible AM
ERICAN government in nation and
State and a return to the conditions of
prosperous business. active industry,
employed labor and moral standards
that are not perverted by official COL
fusion with crime. We believe that Mr..
Gardeners course is aimed to defeat
that end, and that he will do his ut
most to call about him by one method
or another, a sufficient number Of vot-
ers to prevent full Republican control
OF the next Legislature. That is all he
could hope to do with any strength he
can arouse at this time-make possible
a Democratic victory in few close
districts.
In his diatribe Mr.. Gardner does not
even confine himself to the issue to the
extent OF answering our charge that the
Bull Moose party was moribund until
he came back from New York with
funds to fan it into bugbear for tenn
porary use. The only place in Mr.
Gardeners silly communication where
he attempts to approach our editorial
utterance was in the following:
"In answer to your vicious attempt to
make it appear that l prejudiced the
convention against Charles A. Milliken
as a candidate for delegate at Large,
you deliberately lie. l don't need your
columns in which to manifest my es-
TEEN for Mr.. Miliken."
Without noticing Mr.. Gardeners brave
fighting talk we wish to remark that
we never even limited that Mr.. Gard
against Mr.. Milliken." We think it
would have been impossible for him to
do so. AS matter of fact, in spite of
his pretenses Of high political stand
cards, Mr.. Gardner never gave the con-
vention a chance at it. He and his
ring cut and dried the thing and rush
liken nor his friends protested the
outrage on the floor. That is what
we call employing the steam roll
err" Mr.. Milliken was steam roll
cred" AS to our statement, the lie"
rolls off like water from ducks back,
because Hon. Charles A. Milliken was
the author of our statement and he is
fully supported by others who are be-
coming tired Of Mr.. Gardeners duplicity
Mr.. Gardner INDUCES his venom by
personal attack upon the editor Of this
paper who must, from the very nature
Of his business, remain a more or less
impersonal factor. Mr.. Gardner says
he is fully aware that the writer Of
the editorial Is a former Democratic
postmaster." Later he refers to it again
in a sort Of boyish. "rll tell my mother
on vou-u-u!" It is serious charge.
anyway, don't you think? that young
voter graduated from Democracy be-
cause that party preferred Bryan and
John p. Altgeld and George Fred Will
,iams to Grover Cleveland and Richard
olney. Mr.. Gardner casts q slur. the
very worst thing he can think OF,
AGAINST the editor Of this paper. be-
cause. said editor followed mckinley
,n.tead Of the free silverite.
- NJ, Cordpor will