New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-10
Plot to Defeat
Republicans i1n
Maine Fiizzles
Parkhurst Expects to Win
Governorship Despite Sem.
sational Raid Conducted
ON Counterfeit Charges
Old Crudge Is Blamed
Pattangall Said to Have
Tru1mped Up Allegations
About q Business Deal
By Charles T. White
sLccia, Dispatch to The Tribu,,,

SLScs0t DtSpnfcn TO The Tribune
AUGUSTA, Me-, Sept. 9.-The most
interesting chapter of the Maine state
campaign now closing, with every in
dication Of record-breaking Repub-
lican sweep, is the utter collapse OF
the sensational raid engineered by w
R. Pattangall, an Augusta lawyer, head
and brains Of the Democratic state
machine, to bring about the defeat OF
Colonel Frederic H. Parkhurst,, the Re-
publican candidate for Governor.
Colonel Parkhurst managed the cana
paign of Representative John A. Peters
at special election in 1918, while the
Republicans were split by the Progress
sive fight, and had much to do with
the defeat of Pattangall, who was a
candidate for Congress. Pattangall
one of the cleverest political workers
in the state and a rafting good stump
speaker, never has forgiven Colonel
Parkhufst for the bad turn we did him
in 1913, and as soon as Parkhurst was
nominated for Governor he set about
to blow him out Of the race.
The Democratic Scheme
What he did is more or less ancient
history to Maine voters, although it
is less than two weeks old. Colonel
Parkhurst is the head of j. F. Park
hurst & Sons Company, concern
manufacturing leather goods in Ban
gor. The Parkhursts had q. contro-
versy over a bill for leather furnished
them by Allen & Co., of Wisconsin,
and the tangle landed in the office of
the Secretary of War, because the
Wisconsin company alleged that the
Parkhursts were holding out more than
should have been paid to them, the
government having paid the Park
hursts for a contract which was can
celed because of the signing of the
arinistice.
Seeing an opportunity to embarrass
the Republican campaign manager and
bowl Colonel Parkhurst over, the
Democrats told the story that some
thing terrible was going to be done to
Parkhurst by the government because
of an alleged irregular contract job.
Mr.. Pattangall never has denied that
he had lot to do with the scheme,
and in the Portland papers he took
pains to explain that he never had
charged Colonel Parkhurst with crook
edness.
On Tuesday the government filed a
@AFAA oNAC dEdIASb aIhAuGSC "
Sons Company as company without
charging Colonel Parkhurst, who was
not named in the complaint, with any
wrongdoing. The action was made re-
turnable in February. Bets are being
made that the action will never be
brought. to trial. All over the state
the whole business is interpreted as a
campaign dodge to defeat Parkhurst.
AS piece of strategy the plot fell
fat. Instead Of hurting Parkhurst it
has been a godsend to the entire Re-
publican campaign, which was going
stale for lack of excitement and oppo-
sition.
A Friend of. Hays
Democratic newspapers criticized the
Democratic managers for starting
something they could not finish, and
hundreds Of Democratic voters have
written Colonel .Parkhurst that they
are through with their party Colonel
Parkhurst is a close personal friend
of Will H. Hays, chairman of the Re-
publican National Committee, fact
that at the start made the Democrats
all the more eager to bomb him.
WhaN Colonial pa khuret uoo c,op 70