Evening star., 1926-11-30
Maine Goes Hell Bent"

AhdlIic Has uOile ftne expected.
Arthur r. Gould, Republican, was
elected to the Senate in the Pine Tree
State yesterday by an impressive
majority. This Is not surprising in
a State as strongly Republican as
Maine and would cause comparatively
little comment were it not for the
fact that If the Republican candidate
had failed the Democrats would have
had a plurality in the next Senate.
But Maine has made 1t a practice to
go hell bent" for Republican candi-
dates. 1t has again sustained it's Re-
publican reputation and record.
The election of Mr.. Gould comes on
top of charges brought against him
of bribing Canadian official in 1918.
when he was interested in railroad
construction across the border. 1t
comes in spite Of charges that in the
primary election he exceeded the
$500 limit permitted candidates for
nomina ton. 1t comes notwithstand-
ing the eleventh-hour opposition of a
Republican governor of his own State.
Ralph o. Brewster.
Fulton j. Redman. defeated Demo-
cratic candidate, has announced he
will file a contest against Mr.. Gould
IN the Senate. He is not satisfied
with the hearing given before the
secretary of state in Maine on the
charge Of excessive expenditures in
the primary. At the conclusion of
that hearing Mr.. Gould was given a
clean bill of health on the ground that
his accusers had failed to produce evil
dence necessary to convict. 1t is fire.
auently much easier to make charges
than to prove them. Without at
tempting to prejudge the Gould case,
it may we'll happen that it is another
instance of loose accusation. Admit
tedly there have been influences at
work in the campaign in Maine which
make for hasty and irascible action.
The vote cast in Maine yesterday.
showing that Mr.. Gould carried prac.
tically every city and county Of the
State, is an indication that the elec-
torate has not taken the charges
against Mr.. Gould with great serious
ness. II there is to be contest in the
Senate, and apparently there is unless
Mr.. Redman abandons his intention
to fight the matter out in Washing.
ton, it will come at the session of
the Senate which begins on Monday.
Mr.. Gould has been elected to fill
vacancy caused by the death of Sem
ator Bert M. Fernald last Summer.
The contest may be vehicle for air.
ing generally the charges of excessive
expenditure and corruption in primary
elections in other States, particularly
Pennsylvania, Illinois. Indiana and
now Massachusetts and Maine.
Should the Senate determine that
Mr.. Gould's nomination was improp-
erly obtained and that he is not
entitled to a seat in the Senate 1t
would not result in the seating of Mr..
Redman, his Democratic opponent :
VINO COulO IlOl ny liC Wi0Col SIACISA
of imagination be considered as the
choice of the Maine electorate. 1t
would, however, result in second
special election to fill the Fernald
seat. Yesterdays election clearly
showed that unless the Republicans
should become seriously divided, a
second election could have but one
result-the choice of a Republican
Senator.
The Gould case may prove an i'm.
portant precedent in the Senate when
it comes later to consider the cases
of Smith of Illinois and Ware of Penn
sylvania. against whom charges have
been made of excessive expenditures
in the primary elections. Smith and
Ware do not enter the Senate-even
temporarily-until the next Congress.