The sun., 1916-09-13
Dirigo!

Analysis or the Maine election re-
turns. which are nearly all in. leaves
M room for doubt that national is
sues were paramount in the campaign,
and that the result Is an index of
what will happen on November Z.
when the nation votes for President
and members of Congress. Well may
Mr.. HuaHEs say. II don't see how we
can lose now" Independent observers
will agree with him.
lf the Democrats can get any cheer
out ~ the retrOspects or post-mortems
of Maine politics to which they resort
for consolation. 1t Is only by shutting
their eyes to the rise and decline of
Progressive Republicunism In the Inst
four or five years. The fact that III
the days of BLAINE nnd MCkiNLEy
Republican pluralities In Maine were
two or three times ms large ms the
plurality recorded In the election on
Monday is m%anifestly irrelevant. In
those times there had been no strong
independent movement in the Repubii.
can party and no great abyss between
factions In any national election. In
those times Maine W had two
Democratic Senators in Washington.
appointed or elected by the legisla.
turp. nor q Democratic Representative
In the House term after term. Patron
has had something to do with add.
ing to the number Of Democrats In
Maine in recent years.
If we really desire to know how the
Republican party stands in Maine af-
ter the September election this year
ami what the returns mean. conpari-
sons be made with the results In
1912 and 1914. The first thing notice
able about tho Maine September elcc-
tion figures this year II that both the
Democratic candidates for the United
States Senate. Senator CHARLES r.
JOHNSON and KENNETH q. NJ. SILLs.
ran about 1000 votes ahead of the
Democratic Governor. OAKLEY 4. CU.-
tbs. who was up for reelection. Never
theless. senator JOHNSON was beaten
by about 10000 votes and Dean STILLS
OF Bowdoin College by approximately
1o.Nn votes. State issues Of cour>e
! did not enter into the canvass made
by the DemOcntic candidates for the
Senate. and q special appeal was made
by MIR. WILSON'S phalanX Of platform
orators. lnciuding severed members or
the Cabinet. tn send Senator JOHNSON
back 10 Washington. He u well
known to he an Administration Sen.
ator with patronage to distribute. At
the same time he was n man If
ability and character and greatly e>-
teemed ia Maine. II n Cleveland had
been In the White House Senator
JoHNsoN's chances would have been
much brighter.
Certainly the Wilson policies We're
the undoing Of Senator JOHNSON. and
Representative DANIEL j. MC(;ILII.
CrDDY nf the Second Congress district
was also Il victim-thc silver tongueh
and eve popular DAN MACK. who was
serving his third term in tn" House.
Il never failing spring Of patronage.
Names only Democrat in the House
was not running on state issues.
Three times Mayor If Lewiston. the
champion vote .eitpr of Maine, DANIEL
J. Mct%;ILLICUDDY. was knorkei out by
! the unInpularity of the Wilson Ad'
m~inistration. succumbing to II novice
His fall will resOund from the planta.
lions to the 4 In 1914 the Republi'
can candidate in the Second District
plled only ll.335 votes and n Pro
gressive G.:I39. while MCGuLICrDDy's
plurality was 5.173: on Monday there
was no Progressive candidate, and the
Republican. W. II. WHITE. Jr.. won by
1857 votes five precincts missing). In
the First and Third districts the very
slight Republican advantages Of 101
were converted into plurNlities ol
thousands. and in the Fourth the Re
publican plurality Of ".726 w years
ago was almost doubled.
National issues were paramount IL
Maine on Monday. and Governor CTR
tbs. who was elected by a piuralit!
of 3.1I7 two years ago. could make
no headwny against them and wa
buried In the wreck. The Progress
sives returned to the Republican
party in Maine, almost all Of them
That Is what the plurality Of 1900
means in the State whose motto Il
"DirigO," the State which gave WOoD
ROW WILSON II plurality of 1870 II
the last national election. .Abou
$4,000 votes were pOlled in Maine
on Monday. New York's total in 1911.
when WOODROW WILSON carried tn
State by 2OO,O47, was 1873 8 votes
The plurality Of about $4,000 in Main
is therefore equivalent In Significance
10 a plurality of more than 10000
for HUGHES in New York.
The Plight Of Gre zee.