Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-06-14
GOVERNOR TALKS
ON RESPONSIBLE
PARTY GOVERNMENT

Pittsfield. June 12- Governor
Brewster in address here this even
ing spoke on the subject RESPONSE
BILE Party Government and Its I'M
plications.' Following is from his
address:
In my inaugural address Of a year
and half ago the position of first
Importance was given to a discus
sion of the prime necessity of re-
sponsible party government. The
situation at this time seems even
more acute.
Under the written constitutions
which are the peculiar contribution
Of America to the science of gov
eminent we have developed through
the sometimes painful experiences
of century and a half a system
of party government as the most
effective and perhaps the only means
by which the will of a great nation
of a hundred and ten millions of
people can find orderly expression.
In recent days party government
has tended to break down before a
system of blocs characteristic
hitherto of the governments of con-
tinental Europe. There it has pro-
duced an almost complete paralysis
of their governmental life-a gov
eminent of negation rather than
construction. In this country SINH
lar groups have formed on the lines
of some sectional or special inter-
ests, or under some popular leader,
and constructive governmental poll
cies have failed.
The fruits and the traditions Of
Anglo Saxon government for CEN
turtles argue very strongly Afor a
two-party system, with one @great
party in power, responsible for the
conduct of the affairs of the State,
and the other party in opposition.
criticising keenly and alertly and
honestly all the mistakes of its
opponent. This is the meaning Of
responsible party government as
distinguished from the personal gov
eminent toward which we have
seemed to tend in recent days.
A century of American experience
seems to have demonstrated that it
is practicable to be good citizen
and at the same time to recognize
a proper loyalty to a party. Abra-
ham Lincoln was not ashamed to
be called a Republican and at proper
times and in proper places to recog-
nized his obligations not only to his
lIdbiCli bttH W liiC pa ~ o4iANh iichb
given him the great power that he
used so wisely and so well.
was elected as a representative
of one of the great political parties
in this State. These parties have
for generations commanded the al
legiance of Americans who have
builded this country to a position of
prominence in the affairs of the
world. We shall consider carefully
before we abandon this tested party
system for the anarchy that seems
inevitably to ensue when the adj
vocacy Of principles degenerates
into the petty personalities with
which our politics has recently
seemed to be rife.
Men holding public Office from
either party can contribute in no
small measure to stablizing the un
settled conditions of our time if in
these days Immediately ahead they
shall demonstrate their loyalty not
only to their State and Nation but
also to the principles of the party
under whose banner they enlist. No
political platform can represent
exactly the views of any individual
unless the party is submerged in the
candidate and the platform thus
constitutes merely a personal ref1ec-
ton of his views. Anglo-Saxon
traditions call for compromise in
order to progress. and these party
platforms constitute contract by
whose obligations we are bound I'M
less prior to the election we have
manifested our dissent.
These platforms may seem mea-
ger in their directions on the press
ing problems of our day but it is
only by sincere endeavor to
interpret them in our acts that we
can restore party government to the
place of first importance it long
occupied in our governmental life.
This is the contribution which we
are privileged TO make to the sta
bilization of conditions in our ma
tional life today. A party that will
not stand by its banners abundantly
deserves defeat America will have
journeyed long way toward DISCO
luton when it becomes a govern
ment merely OF men.
This may seem to emphasize at
considera BILE length a subject with
which we are not especially con-
cerned. An examination of our
current political thought. however,
reveals a disintegration of political
parties that is giving thoughtful
Americans increasing concern,
The foregoing represents an cpl
tome Of the views that I constantly
expressed throughout the last po-