Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-02-16


are inseparable when any great pub
lie issues are at stake.
I'm Maine today, an overwhelming
majority of the people, without re-
gard to their party, endorse the con-
stitutional amendment which l have
proposed to protect the public school
system. a militant minority arc
claiming that this is Khan issue or
that ! am Il Khan candidate. The
constitutional amendment proposed
by me was drafted four years ago
and has already been adopted 10y
thirty other states. | have never been
Il member of any secret organization
except the college fraternity which |
joined as an undergraduate of Bow
dom, nor am under obligation of
any kind TO any individual, any
group, or any organization. The
people OF Maine are abundantly able
to decide for themselves whether or
not this amendment is now necessary
for the protection of their public
school system. They are also able
TO determine whether or not the MILL
tant minority opposing this amend
ment are trying to drag red herring
across the trail of this necessary re-
lul al plutI " NoIliuSS ljlC NoANiT
as to the issue which IL really at
stake. Exactly these tactics were at
tempted In the recent charter election
in the city Of Portland when the new
charter was characterized as Khan
charter, and the council ticket was
characterized as Il kIan ticket. The
citizens of Portland were not con-
fused. however. and overwhelmingly
indorse both the charter and the
council ticket.
This constitutional amendment
was defeated in the last Legislator
and i: will certainly be defeated in
future Legislatures If leaders are
placed ir charge who are willing to
compromise OF this issue. The
citizens of Maine in these coming
months may well remember the
words OF Abraham Lincoln: 81 am
not bound to win, but am bound 10
be true. ] am not bound to sue
coed, but I am bound to live up to
what light ! have. ! must stand
with anybody that stands right,
stand with him while he is right, and
part with him when he goes wrong"
IT is certainly extraordinary doc
trine to propose tho elimina ton Of
great issue from popular discussion
IttblSt lISIt are StTIOuS
of opinion regarding II. If there
were any discrimination between re-
1igiOis sects proposed, ii might well
be charged that this is n sectarlan
issue. but such is not the case, as
Governor Baxter has so well pointed
out. Three quarters of the state ap-
preparations which would now be
affected by this amendment are go
ing to Protestant schools rather
than to Roman Catholic. The Amer
lean public school system IL the
thing which is at stake. This Is
not religious issue.
Governor Baxter closed his plea
for harmony ut the Lincoln Day
dinner with two clauses from Lin
coins second inaugural: with
malice towards none, with charity
for ALL To those lines | subscribe
in letter and spirit I also remember
that those lines were written in the
midst Of the bloodiest civil war that
the world has ever seen, with the
battlefields of this country peopIed
with thousands Of Americans who.
Under the leadership OF Abraham
Lincoln had given up their lives for
the liberty Of down trodden race.
and for the perpetuation of an ideal.
There is no suggestion of peace at
any price" in the life or teachings
of our martyred President. When a
great principle was at stake, he
came, not to bring peace, but
sword" III l read the earnestness of
the citizens OF Maine today Alright.
they subscribe in all sincerity to
the closing passage of Governor
Baxter's address. with malice
towards none. with charity for all"
but they also complete that quotation
as Abraham Lincoln completed II,
enid all the carnage of that dav
when he added.-"with firmness in
the right. as God gives us to see the
right let us strive on to finish the
DIRK we are in"