Arizona republican., 1916-09-13
The Maine Election


 As have remarked before do believe in the political superstition that Maine the country" though doubtless this year the country will go as Maine has gone. We do believe that ordinarily the result in Maine is indication of any change of opinion the country has undergone within the preceding four years.
 The Maine election this year, however is a fore cast of a matter which never before has complicated American politics It surely indicates the probable action of great party which not only the second party in the last presidential campaign but which in northern and state held the balance of power and determined the result The election of day before yesterday leaves little doubt that the wheming bulk of the progressive party in every state will be in the republican party November |
 The September elections have invariably shown that the republican majority in Maine will be sur passed by the partys majority in November. The only exception to that rule, and it only ap- parent exception occurred in 1912 when a republican governor elected in September and Wilson ried the state Roosevelt and Taft in November. But Wilson fell short of majority by 22OOO the opposition while the republican governor had plur- aty of more than 5000. Thus, counting the repub- lican and progressive vote together the democrats suffered loss of 19OOO in the presidential election. From the results of Mondays election may be believed that Wilson will lose the in November by figures ranging from 10000 25OoO Curtis, the defeated democrat was popular. He was elected two ago by plurality of 5000 Haines, though he failed by than 15.GOO receive a majority the republican and progressive candidates Local issues then contributed to his election. It may be supposed that the issues he then espoused had Monday lost all of their popularity and that he cupied the position with respect them had held in 1914. Here we have clear reversal of Maine's sentiment which can be accounted rfIua adr We may believe that it would have been more pro- nounced if there had been other candidates than Curtis and Milken before the people last Monday. The most significant occurrence in the Second congressional district, where D. J. McGllicuddy, dem ocrat, defeated after having served three terms in congress. The Second has always been close dis trct. Charles E Littlefed republican represented 1t for many years. He resigned in 1909, and special election that year he was succeeded by John E. Swasey, who defeated McGlcuddy by majority of about 1000. The following year McGillicuddy elected by plurality of 2,OOO and twice succeeded himself. McGircuddy is a strict administration dem ocrat, who has allowed himself be even tenn porarily shaken off by the sudden and violent gyra- tons of the president.
 The Maine election furnishes the first documentary proof of the of the progressive drift" toward democracy that Chairman Mccormick thought he had observed. Because of such phenomenon the democratic managers predicted victory in Maine last Monday. All declared that they had seen the most positive and convincing evidence of the drift" Yet the figures show that while the republican gain in Maine 35 per cent, the democratic gain was only per cent. This comparison is made with the figures of two years ago, when there a progressive ddate for governor in the field and when his vote about 34 per of the cast for Haines re- publican.
  states. Roosevelt, in spite of 26545 votes for Taft, came within than 5000 votes of leading Wilson in 1912. The progressives of Maine must therefore, almost a body have joined the repub- licans That due without any doubt, to the pow erfu influence of the great progressive leaders Colo mel Roosevelt, Raymond Robins former United States Senator Beveridge and others who took part the Maine campaign What the progressives of Maine did Monday the progressives of every northern state may be expected to do in November.
 The only thing that may have turned democratic away from the democratic ticket in Maine was the administrators shipping legislation We do not that it did have an adverse effect but 1t may be presumed to have had such effect in state where shpbulding is an industry of so great importance
 But there condition in Maine or rather the absence of condition that may be regarded as having rendered the democratic defeat less decisive than it would have been if such condition existed the absence of heavy German vote. There are no German colonies in Maine, there comparatively fewer Germans in that than in any other north state.
 Altogether, if the democratic national campaign managers extract grain of comfort from the Maine election, they industrious little ex- tractors, beside whom the busy bee is a soveuy and careless insect.