Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1924-07-30
CORRESPONDENCE.


North Penobscot, July rs, 1924.
TO the Editor of The American:
Political platforms are bait to
catch voters. They are an outlook on
the situation of public affairs, an at
TEMPT to embody public sentiment on
the apparent issues of the day. 1t is
quite easy to express political
opinions in fine phraseology, but not
quite so easy to enact those opinions
into laws or to frame a general policy
that will practically represent all
factions of any party. So, what
party can accomplish in the way of
legislation may be but a small part
of what ii appears to promise in its
platform Its leaders, its pull-to-
gether spirit, are important factors
in it's congressional work.
There are always independents
hopping up who aspire to impress
their individuality upon the nation,
and every important bill has to un-
dergo such an amount of trimming
that months sometimes pass before
any really constructive work can be
accomplished by Congress.
If our laws could be shorn of need
less phraseology, be as concise and
simplifled as the ten commandments,
then we might hope for a better I'M
derstanding and general obedience to
law. The body of the people have
but a Slight knowledge of statute or
constitutional law They think it is
the business of lawyers, mainly, to
know, interpret and apply the laws,
I9 10 i- in nnCt ion how
apply to professional sources for
knowledge. If many of our laws
were fully understood and insistent-
ly obeyed. they would be speedily
repealed as the result of public OPP
position,
A great many of our laws are daily
violated by the mass, and fall to the
ground like dead leaves. If we
should prane our tree of public laws
OF dead branches, we should be sur
prised to see but a skeleton left but
we keep on grating worthless scions.
| apprehend the coming campaign
Will evolve a confusion Of issues.
one party will attempt to show how
corrupt the other party is, and how
little it has accomplished, and try to
reflect some of the glory of former
administration by comparison.
The other party will attempt to show
how much it has done in spite of the
opposition Of the other party and dis
gruntled units.
One party will make the most of
the present let-up in business, and
viii forget that the uncertainty of
the next administration has an in
hucnce on industrial affairs. 1t will
forget the improvement in business
during the past year, or attribute the
decline in business to want OF
faith in the present administration as
its imperfections have been laid bare
by the other party.
SO we shall! have an attempt on
the one side to show progress and eff
fciency, and an attempt on the other
side to show, instead, weakness and
The people will be the
jury to sift the facts out of all the
campaign propaganda, weigh them
and decide the destiny
of the nation for the next four years.
My advice is, don't be swung
around by a few brilliant utterances
or highly-colored facts on the one
side or the other. Great orators are
not always great reasoners, though
they sometimes carry an audience by
a storm of eloquence. The great
mass of the people are too much af-
fected by thrills. A brilliant thought
or a cute story as an illustration
outweighs a ton of logic.
BE on your guard, keep on your
feet, and use your common sense,
which is the safest and surest sense
in the world. 1t is the safety of the
common people and the gift with
which the Lord has abundantly sup
piled them.
j. M. H.