Evening star., 1928-09-11
G. o. P. HEARTENED
BY EASY VICTORY IN
MAINE ELECTION

| BY EASY VICTORY IN
! MAINE ELECTION
Continued from First Page)
and against Smith and Robinson. The,
were seeking the psychological effect OF
the country at large rather than ner
assurance that Names six electora
votes would be cast in November fo
the Republican national ticket
Seen as Straw Vote.
Maine is the last of the States t.
hold its State elections prior to the No
vember election. It does not vote TO,
its presidential electors until November
| 6, along with all the other States. I
provides the only early election in thu
whole Union today which may be con.
| sidered as real straw vote, showins
the way the national election may &C
eight weeks hence. True, the Natior
has not always gone the way Maine fa,
gone in the past, but generally it has
| done so.
Back in 1884, when James G. Blaine
the 'plumed knight" was the Repub.
lican candidate for President agains
Grover Cleveland, Names Septembel
election was carried by the Republican.
with 10000 plurality, but the countr,
later went for Cleveland. Again in 1892
when Cleveland was elected Presiden
Tor the second time, Maine in Septem.
Der of that year elected it's Republican
candidate for governor with a pluralit,
OF $4,000. and in more recent year.
Maine failed as barometer when il
went for Henry c. Cleaves, Republican
candidate for governor, with a pluralit,
OF $4,000 and elected Republican Sen.
ator, although the country was carried
by President Wilson over the Republi.
can nominee, Charles Evans Hughes
Republican pluralities in Maine have
been greatly increased since the womer
were accorded the vote. 1t is probable
that the woman vote had much to dc
with the big plurality rolled up for Re.
publican candidates yesterday.
Much work has been done among the
women, who are strongly organized ir
Maine. Prohibition has been stressed
although 1t was not involved at all in
the election of Governor of Maine. In
deed, the Democratic candidate for gov
ernor. MIR. Moran, is one of the driest
Of the drys However. the Republicans
ignored State issues in their campaign
this year and stressed the national is
sues, and prohibition has been recog-
nized as the main issue in the fight of
the Democrats to elect Gov. Smith to
the presidency. They have stressed. too
the tariff issue in the Maine campaign.
as they are doing in all the other New
England States.
Issues Are National.
While Democrats may not have ac-
cepted the challenge of the Republicans
to fight the Maine campaign out on ma
tional lines. the fight was made largely
on those lines. Mr.. Moran declared
again and again that the Maine election
was merely State election in which
prohibition and other national issues
had no real part. He strove nightly to
make water power the issue between the
parties. but the Republicans would not
have 1t SO and apparently the voters
have followed the Republican lead. The
water power issue. so called, in Maine
involved the expectation of hydro-elec-
trio power developed to other States and
to Canada. Mr. Moran took the posi-
tion there should be no power exported.
This has been popular position IN
Maine, espoused by many Republican
governors and legislators. Indeed, there
is law on the statute books now pro-
hibiting the export of power. Mr.. Gardi-
ner said early in the campaign that he
saw no reason why hydro-electric power
should not be exported after all the
needs Of Maine had been cared for. But
in the weeks of campaigning the Re-
publicans practically ignored the water
power issue and stuck to their campaign
on national issues. Mr.. Moran. by the
way, had discarded plank in the DEM
ocratic State platform which declared
for export of water power
The Republicans in Maine have
adopted more intensive method of
campaigning to carry their State elec-
tionS than in any other State. MIR.
Gardiner and Senator Hale visited per-
Sonally every city. town and hamlet in
the jurisdiction of Maine. In each
congressional district, Mr. Gardiner and
Senator Hale were accompanied by the
Representative from that District, or the
candidate for election in that district.
This practice of touring the whole State
was begun several years ago and has
been followed ever since with good re-
suits for the Republicans on election
day.
November Victory Sure.
Inc results IN maine yesterday make
the victory of the Republican national
ticket in November foregone conclu-
sion SO far as the Pine Tree State Is
concerned. Maine is so strongly Re-
publican State that there has never been
any real doubt as to where its electoral
votes would go. But the overwhelming
victory yesterday makes assurance
doubly sure for the November outcome.
Some of the Democrats insist that the
personal popularity of Gov Smith will
bring him greater vote than was cast
for the State candidates yesterday. But
none of them believe that he has the
ghost of chance to upset the Repub-
lican majority in the State
It Is expected that the campaign for
the November election from now on will
be rather perfunctory in Maine. Had
the Democrats made a surprisingly good
showing in the election yesterday. this
might have been different. The head
quarters of each Of the parties will be
maintained and the Republicans will
watch carefully to see the trend of SEN
timent and to make sure that they will
not lose by too much overconfidence
But 1t does not appear probable that the
Democrats will make any extraordinary
efforts in Maine
Their attitude in the State campaign