The Washington herald., 1916-09-14
More About Maine.

The fellow who inserted his nose between
the teeth of his enemy and held him down had
nothing on Secretary Daniels and some others
who have been able to find evidence Of Republic
an defeat in Maine. The Secretary of the Navy
says that it Democratic victory because
of the reduced Republican majorites Chairman
Mccormick and Senator Walsh possessed of
the same kind of optimism, and Vice President
Marshall never did expect the Democrats to
carry Maine Speaker Clark alone among Demo-
Gratis admits that they beaten good and
plenty.
To add to the confusion of tongues, the chair
man of the National Prohibition Committee bobs
up serenely with the claim that il was a great
prohibition victory although Gov. Hanly, the
Prohibition candidate for President, discreetly
kept as far away from Maine as possible, and
is speeding toward the setting sun as
though trying to get beyond the reach of all
election news. No one will deny to Democrats,
Prohibitionists and Samuel Gompers the Jobs
comforters they are nursing with forced smiles
on their faces, but it is not so comforting to
the defeated candidates in Maine. They have the
plain evidence Of their defeat, and like Speaker
Clark admit that they were beaten good and
plenty. They also know that Hughes, Roosevelt,
the Old Guard and the Progressives coming to-
gether national issues, made Maine again
Republican State to send out the old
message of 184o Maine, Maine. have you heard
the news from Maine, how she went hell bent for
Gov. Kent for Tppecanoe and Tyler too"
There strong local issues In Maine and had
the Democrats been able to keep the campaign
keyed entirely on these issues there might have
been another story to tell But the Republicans
pitched the key to national issues and the
Democrats followed, with Secretaries Daniels and
Baker, Attorney General Gregory Speaker Clark
and other national characters telling the voters
of Maine what the President and the Democratic
Congress had done for them and the whole
country why Maine should endorse
the good work
One of the most significant features of this
first election was the vote in the cities and labor
centers Gov. Curtis had reason to believe that
he would hold his vote Of two years ago in the
cities which in favor of resubmitting the
prohibition amendment to the constitution, and
Representative McGilleuddy had reason to think
that he would hold the labor vote in the Second
district But under the inspiration of Gov
Hughes and COL Roosevelt the Republicans
in the cities dropped their contest over local
issues to unite with those of the rural districts
for victory national issues. And when Samuel
Gompers appeared on the stump to tell the labor
ing men how to vote, they quietly rebuked him
by leaving McGillicuddy at home
The timid Republicans who feared that Cow
Hughes had made mistake in going to Maine
now realize that too proud to fight" is not a
telling method of campaigning. The fighting Re-
publican candidate carried conviction to the
voters Of Maine and they forgot all factional
differences. 1t is probable that large number
laid aside State issues to send out the old
familiar message which the country has waited
for every four years since I84o, when Maine
went hell bent for Gov. Kent just to show that
1t would be for Tippecanoe and Tyler, too in
November. The only prohibition victory was
the closing of the saloons in the cities during
the hours the polls were open. For ten hours
in the year 1916 prohibition prohibited in Pro-
hibition Maine.