Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1924-10-08
HAUNTED BY POLITICS
No Peace for IL Jeffersonian Demo-
crat These Days.
By the Surry Philosopher

CBy the Surry Philosopher)
The State election is over. I'm
glad It's been a nerve-racking cam
paign. My reputation as a political
prophet has been ruined. l pre-
dicted that Hancock county would go
democratic, but it now appears it did
MT. | bet that Augusta would go
democratic, but it went republican,
Then | bet that Skowhegan would go
republican, and it went democratic.
The only town | can bet on with
any certainty is Waldoboro. That
town has gone democratic every
election since 1912. l had good luck
betting ON Grover Cleveland. | bet
that he would be elected in 1884 and
that he would be defeated in 1888
and that he would be elected again in
1892. | won the bets. If Cleveland
had remained in public life and con-
tinued a candidate for office,
would have been burdened with a
fortune by this time.
Yes, Waldohoro is democratic
town. | thought of settling there
and running for office, but when
learned that every male voter in that
town between 81 and 80 was slated
for office, abandoned that idea and
settled in one of the strongest re-
publican towns in Maine. They were
good people in this town, kind and
industrious, but painfully one-sided
politically. | was elected to office
before any one knew what my poll
hn nf
the G. o. p. found out that l was
democrat, they made it exceed
ingly unpleasant for me- l explained
Cat least l tried to) that l was a
Jeffersonian democrat. But this
made no difference. They could see
no difference between Jefferson
democrat and democrat of the
common herd.
One day one of my friends whis-
pered to me the sickening news that
the republican town committee was
planning to take my scalp. l must
confess that this threat nerved me
up. | Immediately resigned my town
office, paid all of my bills excepting
the one due the minister, and at
1880 a. m, standard time, under
cover of darkness and in raging
snow storm, l left that town for
good. But there was no need of my
leaving, for as l afterward learned,
these men referred to my political
scalp rather than that part of my
anatomy | am so careful of.
l moved to Hancock county, think
ing that here | might spend the
evening of life in peace. But | soon
learned that Hancock county is the
center of redhot republicanism
When we came here, my wife was an
ardent democrat now, she is a
rabid republican. She not only
breaches republicanism, but insists
that the children be brought up in
that faith.
I'm thinking of moving to Ala
bama. / have already prepared my
resignation as one of the town Of
| ficers-surveyo of wood, bark and
lumber. Yes, I'm thinking of NOV
ing to the land of cotton and demo-
crazy. Cotton is what has kept
democracy alive in the South. The
| mills and factories of the North have
kept the republican party alive. The
time will come when the people of
| the South will vote the republican
| ticket. The South is to become a
| great manufacturing center. Then
| her people will ask for protective
| duty on the products of her mills.
At the same time, New England will
demand free trade in food stuff.
| | have learned that this tariff
question is of the pocketbook rather
| than of the mind