Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-01-20
eEWARE POLITICAL HuckSTERS
AND JUGGlERS

back 10 the days when they pretend
cd 20 foretcli the future from the
cntfalis OF the beast or made use Of
the cryptic utterances OF the sybil to
captiyate the imagination of the tin-
sophisticated n common habit among
those who would control the public
has been 20 mystify the people and
pa complicato situations that only
Jhoy might be able TO understand
them. Along with this and more
skilfuliy developed have been meth
DDS for so dividing the public into
warring or differently opinionated
factions that one might be played
against another in the same of poll
tics. the game Of ruling. These
methods are disable only by the COM
para,ivoly few. II the people are to
do their own governing Il must be by
simpler methods; the truth must not
only he made accessible but visible.
Tsuth may be ever So mighty but it
needs assistance, clarity in place Of
mystlflcation.
Tho need OF general information
respecting foreign as well as domestic
affairs Is being illustrated daily. So.
also are the difficulties OF obtaining
a.. Take the case Of France. A few
weeks ago people in this country were
confident Of French support in the
grand effort 10 limit ornaments and
remove rs far as possible causes for
war. we thought we knew that the
French people sympathizcd with
these aims and would respond in a
movement 20 accomplish these re-
suits
Sow ~ is by IN means certain that
this opinion was not correct in the
main. but all must admit It has been
greatly confused by recent moves on
Tho French political chcckerboard,
moves. which We naturally are I'M
ahlo 20 fully comprehend. Between
Right and Left. Nationalists,
Ciemcnccau, Tardieu, BRAND. Poin-
care. Nivinni, Millerand and what
each may represent or what the am
billion OF each may be, confusion has
arisen and after reading all the ex-
plantations obtainable we do not, at
least many OF us do not feel quite
sure We know what 1t is all about
This IL not strang3 as the French
during the Versailles conference
could not distinguish the influences
mt work between only two parties in
our country, the Republican and
Democratic.
Yet the having Of but two great
political parties wonderfully simph-
fies matters and better than that pre-
vents n lot OF individual huckstering
among those who would like to lead
q clique under Y separate party ban
ner and through that Obtain political
these ambitions exist here as else
whore but they are restsined by the
big party curb; they must obtain
FIRST the support OF their own party,
and 10 do this requires recognition of
other ambitions. OF general party
welfare. The resultant of these con-
nicting ambitions within the party
lines makes for stronger union Of
that party when Il comes to face the
other big party in the field. Radi-
calism Is so tempered, con-
servatlsm receives an infusion Of red
blood and the individual learns that
his success depends in no small de-
gree on his ability to cooperate with
others and be a good sportsman.
That self-governing instinct of the
American people which so often has
served this country has hitherto ap-
preclated the value of our bipartisan
government. In times Of stress there
have been of shoots but the tendency
OF partisan sentiment has been to
crystalline into two opposing political
parties. In view OF the success which
has attended this we may we'll be
suspicious of and hostile to schemes
TO split the voting population into
fragments. Gratifying the ambition
OF individuals to that extent is not
held In favor May It not be.
Disrcgarding previous efforts to
that end the tendency to split up il
being assiduou;ly cultivated at this
time. A few days ago 1 woman's
Roosevelt party was started. We feel
confident II Roosevelt could speak he
would insist that his name be d.
vorced from such an attempt. He
had experience with that sort of en-
deavor and It was not profitable
And what he could net lead to sue
cess the puny specimens now making