Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-02-20
MAYOR Mclean
fcon+;nued from Page One)

he can imagine them as he wouIo lKe
them Rut that is merely form OF
,f-decention-which may have the
merit of giving for time at ieas'
some eIr-satisfaction-but ne Is the
subject of willful deception on the part
of all who are sufficiently dishonest 70
take advantage of his misfortune.
"The physically blind look upon tner
affliction as a misfortune. Inc pohti-
callv blind look upon their aHlclion do
virtue" 49, r..t
MAYOR Mclean stated that the real
leaders of the country have not Deeh
nartisans. They belonged to parties'
but they were not partisans. Lincoi,.
was not a partisan. Jefferson was no.
a nartisan. All should look TO THESE
two men for inspiration and example.
"Parties are usually forged In the
boat of some great conflict or issue.
Sbarn conflicts on vital issues are apt
to arouse strong feelings, sometimes
unfortunately, bitterness and unrea-
soning hatred. 1t is hard for some
of us to understand that others may
hold conflicting views as consc1en-
tiously as we hold ours. The poll
tician makes capital of this condi-
ton, He substitutes passion ana
prejudice and hatred, one or all, 1or
sane thinking. The party instead OF
representing an opinion or pollcy
becomes in reality an agency Tor
sidetracking the truth and so great,
sometimes, is party feeling that we
find men voting their party ticket In
absolute contradiction of their real
opinions"
Dnx IL
The speaker pointed out that dur
ing the past few years there has
been a marked decline in party or
ganization. Various schemes have
been devised to break it's power. The
city management plan is one. They
are for the most part simply schemes
to get the citizens to forget their
politics in municipal affairs and vote
intelligently. The community that
will vote in accordance with the die
tates of it's intelligence will need no
city manager. The city that will pay
its executives one-third what it will
have to pay a city manager and will
forget partisanship in it's voting need
have no fear of efficient manage
ment. Independence in municipal
voting is becoming more and more
common.
Honesty Must Be supplemented with
Understanding
zone of our largest dailies had the
following quotation from G. Bernard
Shaw at the top of it's first page a
few days ago: Democracy substi-
tutes election by the incompetent
many for appointment by the cor
rupt few Mr.. Shaw may be some
thing of a cynic. He is also a very
brilliant man. Statements like this
make us think. Why did he say
this? And why did this Maine pa
per publish 1t so conspicuously? Ac-
Scylla and Acknowledgements on
the one side and corruption on the
other.
"A few days later an intelligent
citizen writes in another of our
dailies: Get out of politics. The
history of Maine politics is not in
spring in its record of political in
fiuences on economic development,
and anyone has a right to be sus-
picious of any scheme which first
drew breath in a political atmos-
phere in Maine
SHAW, the paper that published
this quotation, and the writer of the
last quotation are all prompted by
very much the same thought. We
are struggling with ignorance and a
want of sincerity. The masses are
bound and restricted with want of
knowledge and the leaders in many
instances put forward some plan that
Will catch the popular fancy.
1T is interesting to note that even
Mr.. Shaw does not assail the hon.
esty of the people. The few NAV
be corrupt. The masses may be ig-
norant, but they are honest. The
honesty of the masses are the cor
nerstone of our democracy. The un-
dermining agencies are ignorance,
prejudice and passion. The cement
with which we must erect a per-
manent structure is knowledge and
understanding and when that struc-
ture is erected the goal set by our
fathers has been attained.
This is an educational club. AS
such 1T is its duty to abolish ignor-
ance and prejudice and passion. And
when 1t has accomplished that. the
word partisan as applied to politics
VIII soon be obsolete. And then.
parties will perform their real func,
ton of presenting issues and men
with respect to which the voter will
make an Intelligent choice