Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-09-08
54-H0UR BILL
And POLITICS

| Editor kennebec Journal:
September IL. Maine will have an cleo
tion to determine the choice Of the voters
for two United States senators, four
congressman, governor, State auditor.
! members of the Legislature and the sew
eral county officers. This would seem to
be responsibility enough to place upon
| the electorate at one session, but there
has been injected into the campaign
issues that purpot to be of such vital
Importance that the perpetuity Of our
institutions and the question as to
whether Maine Is to continue as a great
! prosperous manufacturing commonwealth
depends, we are told, upon how we cast
our votes upon certain issue What
| has caused this mighty upheaval?
! At the last session of the Legislature
law was passed limiting the hours of la
| Dor for women and children employed
in certain industries to nine per day or
81 hours per week This humane meas
ure would have become effective 30 days
after the adjournment of the Legislature
! had not the referendum been attached
| to it principally through the instrument
tality of the manufa acturers who employ
|
tries. The matter Of putting the referen-
dun on the bill was perfectly legitimate
| proceeding and is in strict accord with
| the spirit and intent of the law, and be-
! fcte we criticize or censure those who
favor this referendum. we should remem-
| ber that in 1911 we. in defiance of the ac-
! ton of the Legislature and the politi-
/ clans of both parties who refused to act
! favoraby on the bill, initiated and made
/ law through the referendum the direct
primary law.
American workingmen are very jealous
of. their rights and extremely Independent
in their actions whether it be the sign
| Ing of a petition or the expressing of
! their views publicly and we would be un-
| deserving of the rights that we claim
and enjoy as American freemen did we by
any act or word deny to others the rights
! that we insist upon for ourselves. Our
| Democratic fellow citizens grasping at
every straw that can be used in an en-
/ deavor to elect their candidates at the
! coming election. have made a special
! issue Of the referendum on the 54-hour
I bill, and the surprising thing about it is
the fact that some voters allow them
|
that the Republican party and Republ-
| can candidates for office instigated the
! movement to put the referendum on the
| 54-hour bill. The Democratic campaign
managers in their quest for material to
keep alive the dying fires of enthusiasm
with which they hope to allure Republ-
I can voters to cast Democratic ticket.
! have gone to the State House and after
! very careful and exhaustive examina-
tion of the petitions that were filed for
! the referendum on the A-hour bill discov-
cred As names of men that were known
| to be Republicans. This would be quite
| serious were it not for the fact that it
creates the impression that the other
1900 who signed the petitions, or at least
| the most of them are Democrats, but
suppose they are, what significance does
| that have? Both the Republicans and
Democrats in their proclamations and
principles promulgated in their platforms
| have solemnly declared their belief In ana
of affirming the 54-hour law and we have
no reason to fear that the Teutonic prin-
! ciple of "only a scrap of paper" applies
| to these declarations. II the Democrats
are honest In their aff1rmations the "a
| hour bill is not In the least danger Of be-
| ing rejected. because they assure us tnat
they are all in favor of it and 1t is rea-
sonable to suppose that there will be at
| least Republicanes enough to act with
them to make the affirmative vote de-
cisive.
Among the names discovered as signers
Of the referendum petitions in question
are those of Bert NJ. Fernald. candidate
for United States Senator. and Guy p
| Gannett, candidate for the Legislature
from the city of Augusta All Of the
Democratic vocal artillery both OF long
range and iniin cracker caliber Is con-
centrating its fire upon those two unfor
tunate victims Of Misrepresentation.
Why, there are some people who have
almost been led to believe that Fernald
and Gannett have already killed the 54
hour bill when as a matter OF fact no one
has ever voted on the bill but the members
| Of the Legislature Both Mr.. Fernald and
Mr.. Gannett have declared publicly that
! they believe in the law and will vote for
| It when the opportunity presents. Can
any thing more be expected Of them?
| I sincerely trust that no Republican
voter will be Influenced into voting
against any candidate on the Republican
| ticket by the inconsistent attitude Of the
| opposing party. especially on the refer
endum proposition. well remember
| their persstency In demanding that the
people be given an opportunity to vote
| on the prohbitory law through the refer
endum. Let the people rule was their
cry and now. playing politics. they would
| deny to the people the right to settle an
other question by the same method. Ac-
lively engaged in the agitation for the
referendum on the 54-hour law is an or
ganization that is doing business here in
Augusta under the name Maine Indus
trial Expansion Commission" This is a
nice sounding title and no doubt it would
be winner il there was anything moro
to 1t than the name. Industrial expan-
sion In manufacturing. the mechanical
trades. agriculture, ETC., should and !