Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-05-04

Senator from Portland filed his primary
nomination petitions in the office of tho
Secretarf Of State, as required by law
His paper, the Portland Press, of that
date says, 1.-THE primary nomination.
petitions Of Frederick Hale of Portland
candidate for the Republican nomina.
ton for United States Senator wera
filed at the office Of the Secretary NJ
State this forenoon. There were peti.
| tons from IA different counties contain.
| ing total Of 1928 names within five q,
the maximum limit allowed by the di.
rect primary law Major Philbrook
/ held in reserve petitions containing
over 5000 names to be used in casa
any errors were found in the papers
filed In addition Mr. Hale had mum.
Der of papers out which had not been
gathered in"
After filing the limit allowed by law
the Colonel still has in reserve more
names than the amount filed. What il
he to do with this extra 5000? His
Industrious agents searched the field
| for some purpose. What was it? II
could not have been possible that the
! Colonel desired to keep these signatures
as autographs to exhibit to his friends
in the future. The law provides that
person can sign for only one candi.
date. BY obtaining these extra sig.
natures he certainly deprived those
voters from signing the nomination pa.
pers of any other candidate, and from
( the idea that has been impressed upon
the voters throughout the state by Ger.
tain politicians, the people have been
led to believe that signing these nomi.
nation petitions binds them to support
the candidate for whom they signed
late in March and found no difficulty
in obtaining all the signatures that the
law requires. Judge Spear would
doubtless have found plenty Of friends
to give him the necessary signatures to
place him upon the official ballot but
such use of the Primary Law in the
getting Of signatures can have but one
of two objects, either to save the sig
natures as mementos, a collection Of
curiosities or autographs of Republican
voters, or what is possibly the case
to obtain an unfair advantage over an
opponent, by claiming that these per-
sons so signing were obliged to support
the Colonel in the Primary Campaign.
I want the voters all over Maine to
understand that no matter whose nqmi-
nation papers they have signed, they
still have a right to work and voteif for
whom they please; that nomination pa
pers were never intended to deprive the
voter of his choice, and on the 10th day
of June, the voters of Maine, In the
Republican Party, should forget whose
nomination papers they have signed
and place their cross upon the ballot
before the name Of the man who'in
their sober judgment is, Of all the can
didates best qualified to do the business
of the State Of Maine in the United
States Senate.
| On the 23rd day of last March, the
great Republican party of Maine. in an
swer to a call. met in State convention
| in the city Of Portland, for the avowed
purpose, under the Primary Law, as set
forth in its call. of adopting a party
platform, electing presidential electors
and delegates to the National conven-
ton; also electing state and county
committees, and for no other purpose.
The party caucuses sent delegates to
| this convention, and the interest in the
party was such that practically full
delegation was present at that great
convention.
The State Committee in it's call an
nounced that headquarters Of that COM
mittee would be established at the
Falmouth Hotel, where the night be-
fore the convention at $50 o'clock the
delegates would meet, make and formu-
late a platform of principles to be re-
ported to the convention the next day.
Continued on Page 10-CoIumn 4)