Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-05-26
Rival ClOuding Issue
Continued from Page one)

Protestant or otherwise. 1t is q
most deplorable thing that an at
tempt has been made to have peo-
pie believe that there Is any danger
confronting the public school sys-
teh of Maine. All fair minded peo-
pie should know that there Is no
such danger. The SO called issue
has been raised simply for the pur-
pose of creating prejudice in the
minds of the voters Of Maine and
for the purpose of capitalizing that
prejudice in votes.
what I am opposing In this
primary Is the spirit of intolerance
which has been injected into the
campaign for the purpose of Great
ing prejudice and misunderstanding
in the minds Of the people and the
obtaining of votes as the result of
that misunderstanding and prejudice.
shall to the last continue to oppose
that. i can not believe that the
people of Maine are ready to APP
proach the solution or consideration
of any subject with any sort of
bitterness or intolerance in their
hearts. The question of whether the
Legislature should have the right to
grant money to Sectarian schools is
one that should be settled calmly
and without discord, and l oppose
with all the strength there is in me
the efforts which are being made in
Maine to-day to create a false I'M
preston of danger to our schools
and at the same time to create in
the hearts OF the men and women of
this State a feeling of hostility and
intolerance toward any group or
denomination.
MY opponent, in his public utter
ances, has declared that in 1915 and
prior to that date, and increasingly
SO in 1917, there was being an at
tempt made ON the part of a GER
tain denomination to secure public
funds and that the danger was
growing more threatening all the
time, but in spite of that fact in
1917 he himself introduced the Re-
solve in favor of st. Joseph's
Academy in Portland, one of the
two Catholic sectarian schools in the
State, had this Resolve referred to
his own Committee on Education
and a favorable report was made
which granted to this institution
the full amount of money asked for.
He now says that this shows his
lack of prejudice. 1t shows clearly
that he knew no danger existed and
he knows that no such danger exists
to-day.
Il am offering no brief for any de-
nomination. l am a Protestant my
, self, q member of q Protestant
Church for thirty-five years. l can
not find words in which to express
my regret that there has been such
a persistent and constant endeavor
! to cloud the minds of the people and
to create the bitterness that has
followed in the wake of this
primary campaign. To say that it
is not intolerance, that it is not an
attempt to create bitterness and
, discord, is idle talk. The claim that
equally with Catholic schools is
simply subterfuge and an evasion,
nothing more, because my opponent
has in his public speeches shown to
the Protestant sectarian schools
how they can come out from under
UNCONVENTIONAL control and be in a
position to receive aid from the
State. Nobody is being fooled by
any evasion of this sort. and it is
time that the people of Maine looked
at this thing fairly and squarely and
honestly and in a Christian spirit.
THE argument as to the situation
in the st. John valley is simply an
other phase of the endeavor to create
Iilo IilolSIdllSc anu ulSCOIu " WHICH
l have referred. 1t is referred to as
1.-The merger of the parochial and the
public school," 1t would rather seem
that it is a swallowing up of the
parochial school and that where the
parochial schools did exist in that
section public schools now exist,
with some feature which are being
rapidly corrected and which will soon
completely disappear. The real test
of the matter is shown in the fact
that in Fort Kent at the April town
meeting in 1924 the people them
selves, almost entirely French Cath
ol1cs, voted a sum of money sufficient
to build an eight room modern public
school building on the site of for
mer convent. The people of that
section appreciate the value of the
American public school and want
the1d children to have all that it can
give them, and for that reason they
have voted to build this school build
ing. L can not see how stronger
indication could possibly be seen of
the fact that our public school sys-
tenn has replaced the parochial school
system; not only that, but that the
whole thing has taken place with the
sanction and the enthusiastic an
prevail OF the French Catholics them
selves. Would my opponent prefer
that these schools should go back to
thelr original status of parochial
schools? His reference to this situa-
ton is simply another attempt TO
arous the same prejudice and is in
jectcd into the campaign for no other
purpose.
NO men and women except those
VINO may have an inherent hatred in
tnelr hearts for any particular class
or denomination, will be influenced
Tor one moment by this persistent
effort to create religious feeling. in
tolerance and discord. The only
thlng that l am fighting as the DAYS
OF this campaign come to q close il
the regrettable situation that 1 have
referred to along this line. If nom
1nated and elected governor of
Malne L snail stand for the spirit of
sood VIII and harmony and peace
among the people of the state IF
Maine. without which there can
never be any progress or deyelon-
inent or our resources. / am conf
cent that the people of the state of
MAINE are not yet ready to be swept
from their feet by any false doctrine
or anything that savors of intolere
ance and hatred, but that thew will
view things in their true light and in
tne spirit of love and tolerance
which Is so needed in these DAYS Of
Misunderstanding and deliberate and
subtle attempts to infiame the minds
of the people" N'
senator harrington will 20 to Lin
coin Monday. where he will give n
TAX and meet his workers and citi-
Zens or the town. On Tuesday he
VIII be In Lee and on Wednesday in