Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-09

icrat and came within 5000 votes
of defeating Mr.. Hale.
This year Mr.. Hale is expected
to defeat Mr.. Oliver by a some
what larger margin than in 1854.
Mr.. McIntire is opposed by a
Presque Isle music store owner,
Kenneth C. Goliath, whom he
defeated in 1854. He IS expected
Ito win again.
The I'd district race is much
closer than the other two. Here
Democratic State Chairman
Frank M. Coffin has waged a
long and hard campaign. 1t un-
doubtedly will be a close race,
but the G. o. P emphasis on
votes to support President Eisen-
hover probably will elect Mr..
Reid by not too large a margin.
Labor Issue Interiected
Because this congressional
race is close--and because Gov.
Muskie appears to be ahead of
his opponent-G. o. P. planners
lreportedly made a campaign
move foreign to the normal
/ high-level nature of this down.
east States politics. They tried
to make Gov. Muskie and Mr..
Coffin strictly labor candidates.
The Boston Herald started a
series of articles last Sunday
which claimed that large sums
lof CLIO labor money have been
poured into the State" to help
elect Gov. Muskie and Mr.. Cof-
fin. G, o. P. State Chairman
John F. Weston. and Gov. Mus
ikie's opponent, Mr.. Trafton, i'm
mediately seized upon the Herald
series. Mr.. Trafton said such
reported labor funds constituted
a positive evil"
Mr.. Muskie and Mr.. Coffin
came right back-through the
same medium that Mr.. Trafton
uses regularly to speak his mind.
television-and charged that the
newspaper accounts were man
Iufactured and false" The Gov
ernor showed how a picture of
himself and a labor leader had
been cropped" deleting a man.
agement representative and thus
creating the impression that he
and the labor spokesman were
comforting on political matters.
Mr. Muskie also said the photo
had been taken a year and half
ago when he attempted to ne
gotiate a settlement during a
textile strike.
Democratic National Commit
teeman Richard j. Du Bord is
sued a statement asking if it
was just coincidence that a for
mer G. o. P. Governor. who has
conferred with Mr.. Trafton on
this years campaign, has a con-
trolling interest in the Boston
Herald. He obviously was re-
ferring to former Gov. Horace
Hildreth, now Ambassador to
Pakistan.
Finally, after Mr.. Reid had
said that a vote for a Demo-
crat was a vote for CLIO control
of Congress, Mr.. Coffin asked if
the same feeling were prevalent
in 1948 and 1854 when Senator
Margaret Chase Smith had labor
support here. Mr.. Reid did not
answer.
Gain in Cities Seen
Checks throughout the State
indicate that while the Muskie-
Coffin duo may have dropped
some votes in rural Maine they
apparently gained from the ex-
change in city areas.
There have been no politically
"hot" issues during the cam
paign which started after the
June primary elections.
Mr.. Trafton continually re-
ferred to Mr.. Muskie as an in
come tax advocate, but Mr..
Muskie replied that he has an
open mind" in taxation. Then
he added he. if elected. will not
propose an income tax for the
State when the Legislature meets
next January.
Both candidates want better
highways and schools. Both
favor a four-year term for Gov
ernor and annual legislative SEES
sions.
Both. in fact. are similar in
many ways. They prefer bow
ties. They are over 6 feet tall
They are lawyers who climbed
1.-THE political ladder via service
in the State House of Repre-
sentatives.
Both are family men - Mr.,
Traitor with six children and
Gov Muskie with two and a
third expected in October. Both
have attractive wives.
Mr. Trafton, 81, was the
choice Of G. o. P. leaders and
voters in the primaries because
they wanted to fight fire with
fire. Gov. Muskie's charm has
made him extremely popular
Statewide. Mr.. Trafton is per-
lsonable, likes to meet people
and stands well with legislators
around the State.
Mr.. Muskie two years ago be-
came the first Democrat elected
Governor in Maine in 20 years
He defeated flrst-term Gov
! Burton M. Cross, a mild-man-
------------------------------