Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 September 1908 — BIG SLUMP 111 MAINE [ARTICLE]

BIG SLUMP 111 MAINE

Republicans Carry the State, but by a Plurality of Less Than 10,000 Votes. THEY HOLD THE LEGISLATURE Also All the Representatives in the National Congress. Bryan Replies to Roosevelt’s Letter Indorsing Taft—Two State Conventions in New York to Nominate Leaders. Portland. Me., Sept 15.—Although the Republicans came off victorious in the state election yesterday, Bert M. Fcruakl. of Poland, be|ng chosen governor over Obadiah Gardner, of Rock land, the Democrats had the satisfaction of seeing the normal Republican plurality cut to less than 10,0<Xt votes for the first time in a presidential year for more than a quarter of a All four Republican candidates for congress were elected, and for state auditor Charles P. Hatch, of Augusta, Republican, defeated his opponent. The returns show a Republican loss of 4 per cent and a Democratic gain of 32 per cent. With fifty-erne small towns to hear from Fernaid has 7,124 plurality, and figuring on former votes of the missing towns Fernaid’s final pin rallty is estimated at 7,700. In 1906 the Republican plurality was 8,064 and in the last state election in a presidential year 26.816. Gardner Is a Popular Man. The result, which was much closer than any of the Republican leaders had anticipated, showed not only the warmth of the contest, but the popularity of Gardner throughout the state —in the cities as well as in the little rural districts, where his fame as the head of the state grange Patrons of Husbandry proved a great vote gainer. The Republicans were on the defensive throughout the campaign, seeking to hold the state by the usual plurality by replying to the various Democratic arguments, which were mainly for resubmission of the prohibitory law, taxation of the wild lands and reform in administrative methods. But little was said of national issues, although the Republcans, through outside speakers sriught at various points to bring such subjects to the attention of the people. Ixxuil Issues Dominant. Local issues, however, proved more popular, and in the last days of the campaign the Republicans joined with their opponents in discussing them and in doing so strongl.v defended the so called Sturgs law, and urged the voters to support its stringent methods in the enforcement of the cause of prohibition. The result of the hard work by party managers and speakers on both 'sides was a large increase in the turnout of tiie voters, nearly T4o.< 00 goin gto the polls. Legislature Is Republican. The next legislature, from the returns received, will undoubtedly be Republican. but the size of the majority will not be definitely known until the little towns and plantations far up In the woods are heard from, which may not be for several days.

NEW YORK REPUBLICANS Root Delivers His Speech as Chairman of the State Convention. Saratoga. N.» ¥., Sept. 15.—Elibu Root, secretary of state of the United States, was the central figqre in the first session of the Republican state convention. The convention effected temftorary organization, heard the speech of Root as temporary chairman and adjourned" until 2 p. m. today. The applause that greeted Root surpassed that given to any oth“r man, including Roosevelt. Hughes and Taft. Root’s opening speech contained 11,000 words and was largely devoted to national issues. but began with a tribute to Hugties and the state administration. Th'e applause which greeted the mention of Hughes’ name l>cgna with the New York’countj delegation, but lacked unanimity, and most of the delegates sat silent. Charles \V. Anderson, a colored delegate from New York City, offered resolutions paying a glowing tribute to Taft and extending congratulations on the fifty-first anniversary of his birth, which is today. The resolutions were adapted with a shout, and ordered telegraphed to Taft. The antl-Hughes men made a strong effort to beat Hughes by getting Secretary Root to permit the use of his Mme. Tlie move was promptly turned down by Root, who said that such action would make him disloyal to the president or the president open to accusation of insincerity in his attitude relative to the nominee. . .<• 'TWIXT CHANGER AND GERARD Idea the Race for the. Democratic Nomination in New York. Rochester. N. Sept. 15.—At the conciuson of a day of extended and

significant conferences, participated In by practically all of the state leaders who are here, the nebulous condition surrounding the nomination by the Democratic state convention of a candidate for governor took definite form and the problem is declared to have been reduced to a choice between lieutenant Governor Chanler, who is being urged by State Chairman Conners, and Justice James W. Gerard, of New York City, who is announced as tha choice of Charles F. Murphy, leader of Tammany Hall. The race seems to have resolved itself into a contest between the upstate delegates, who are declared to be strongly In favor of Chanler, and the Tdmmany delegates, with their alliances throughout the state, who will follow the suggestions of Murphy. Justice Gerard has long been prominent in Democratic councils in New York city and was elected last fall to the supreme court bench. He has heretofore been mentioned but casually in con nection with the nomination, and the prominent position into which be has been elevated came as a distinct surprise to close followers of the recent trend of affairs. Definite progress also has been made on the groundwork of a platform, the principal feature of which will be a ringing denunciation of the administration of Governor Hughes. The platform was discussed in conference and practically agreed upon. It will indorse the candidacy and policies of William J. fir Van in glowing terms. Tlie entire Denver platform will be heartily approved,' especially tlie planks as to labor and injunctions and the guarantee of bank deposits. The convention met today at noon.

BRYAN REPLIES TO ROOSEVELT Nebraskan’S Comment on What tha President Says of Taft Baltimore, Sept 15.—“ A few plain, simple sentences from Mr. Taft will be worth more than the eulogy that the president pronounces. The president’s indorsement is of no value unless he will agree to stay in Washington and see that Mr. Taft makes good.” In these words William J. Bryan summed up bls opinion of the letter of President Roosevelt commedatory of Taft, soon after the Democratic candidate arrived in this city. “It was expected, of course,” said Bryan, “that President Roosevelt would support Mr. Taft. He could hardly do less in view of the fact that he selected him as the administration candidate. * ♦ • “The president’s letter, however, may l>e objected to as irrelevant, Immateriii), and not the best e vidence. If Mr. Taft were dead it would be interesting to know from Mr. Roosevelt what he knew of Mr. Taft’s opinions and work, but as Mr. Taft is alive and able to speak for himself it is hardly necessary for Mr. Roosevelt to tell us what Mr. Taft will do. Mr. Taft is running upon a platform which was s<> unsatisfactory that he had to amend it in several important particulars, and yet even as amended it gives the public no definite idea as to what Mr. Taft stands for. “Mr. Taft also has made some speeches and promises to make some more. Tin ones he has already made have not thrown any light upon the political situation. • * • It is not sufficient for the president to say that Mj. Taft is a friend of labor. That is a subject upon which the laboring man is entitled to an opinion and Mr. Taft’s friendship is to be determined not by the presklent’s indorsement but by the measures wbclt Mr. Taft advocates. “Mr. Taft believes that the labor organization should come under the operation of the antitrust law. thus dealing with the men who lielong to the labor organization as if they were merchandise, for the antitrust law deals with tlie monopoly of the products of labor. Mr. Taft is oMiosed to trial by jury in cases us indirect contempt, thus denying to the laboring man a safeguard which is guaranteed to every man tried in a criminal court. Mr. Taft does not agree with the laboring man in regard to the use of the injunction in labor disputes.”

NO CHANGE OF ATTITUDE Bryan Says. Is Made by the President's Indorsement. After saying that praise from President Roosevelt could not change Taft's attitude'on the labor question Bryan went on: “Mr. Taft’s position on the trust question is not changed by the president's indorsement. The president himself has not succeeded in putting any trust magnates in the penitentiary and only a few of the trusts have been disturbed. If Mr. Taft is no fiiore successful than the president in his attack on the trusts he will not satisfy the expectations of the public. There are more trusts in the country today than there were when Mr. Roosevelt was inaugurated, and Mr, Taft favors a weakening rather than a strengthening of the antitrust law. • • • “On the tariff qeuetion Mr. Taft haa failed to express himself with clearness. The Republican platform does not use the word ‘eredvetion.’ .It only promises revision. and Mr. Taft

has construed that to mean that some Schedules will be lowered and some raised, but there Is no Ihtlmation that the average will be lower or higher thnn it is now. And so oh in regard to all the questions which are at issue. Mr. Tuft must make his position known. He cannot rely upon the president's indorsement. An indorsement on ■ note is not necessary if the maker of the note is good, and the Indorsement is only good when suit can be brought against the Indorser to enforce ft “If Mr. Taft had a reform record of his own he would not need to be Indorsed by the president, and the president’s indorsement is of no value unless the president will agree to stay in Washington and see that Mr. Taft makes good. We ought to have some definite statement as to what the public is to expect from Mr. Taft No such definite statement appears in the platform and no definite conclusion can be drawn from Mir. Taft's speeches, and It does not answer the. purpose for the president to say that he feels sure that Mr. Taft will do what la right or what is just for there is a wide difference of' opinion as to w'hat is right and as to what is just. A few plain, simple sentences from Mr. Taft will be worth more than the eulogy that the president pronounces."

TAFT TAKES A HAND, TOO. He Thinks the Nebraskan Has a Past of His Own. Cincinnati. Sept 15.—After asserting that his official record, his sj>eeeh of acceptance and his subsequent utterances nre ample indications of his own political position, William H. Taft replied to Bryan’s comment on the Roosevelt letter by suggesting that Bryan examine his own record—- “ From which he seems to be struggling to separate himself with all the adroitness acquired in a twelve years’ hunt for an issue on which he can be elected president. The readiness with which Mr. Bryan in successive presidential campaigns passes from one paramount issue to another shows that the chief consideration which Las affected his selection of an issue has been its plausibility in attracting votes. “He presents tlie remarkable spectacle of one who has been seeking the presidency for twelve years without success and without official responsibility, and without the opportunity to test the various propositions which he has advocated for reforms, and yet of having the event demonstrate what a colossal failure he would have made in each instance had he been permitted to his proiKwals in the policies of the country. “‘He does not now say whether he is still in favor of the free coinage of silver. He does not now answer the question whether, if lie were president and an exigency should arise in which he would he called upon to exercise hi« discretion affirmatively to main talning tlie parity between gold and silver, lie would exercise that dis re tion He has not permitted himself to discuss in this campaign the issue of anti-inqierialsni, wltcli was the [vara mount issue in 1900 as he declared, and in respect to which tlie policy of tiie Republican party has been vindicated. • • •

“He now says that he favors the more rigid regulation of the railroads. In 1896 be expressed the view that the railroads could not be regulated because the railroads would own the regulators appointed by law and therefore he was in favor of government owner ship. We hear nothing from him on this subject. Instead • • * he has attempted to give a bond to keep the peace with respect togoverninent ownership. which by its mere announcement showed its lack of the vote-catch-ing quality. “He professes to have been the father and now to be the heir of the Roosevelt policies, apd yet in no campaign of three in which be lias taken park and two of which he himself led, did he make them tlie paramount issue. “Mr. Bryan professes to be the great friend of labor, and yet he was one of the chief supporters of the passage of the German Wilson bill, that made labor helpless for four years/ He then proposed as a remedy for the disasters to which labor was thus exposed the issuing of a 50-cent dollar, which would have cut in two such wages as there were, and would have led to tlie hardest kind of a struggle on laUr’s part to restore Its wages to Its proper equivalent under tlie gold standard. “Tlie country has l>een most fortunate that tlie fallacy of Mr. Bryan’s railroad preposition has been ex|K>sed without tlie cost of putting them into actual governmental practice, and it will be fortunate, indeed, if the danger of four years’ depression, to which it would be exposed in ease of Mr. Bryan's ejection, may be averted, and if by Republican succeea in November, and subsequent prosperity; and by a clinching of tlie Roosevelt policies, lie may l»e again shown to lie a prophet without honor.!’

McC’arren Again Defeated. Rochester, N. Y.. Sept. 15.—The Democratic state committee voted to seat in the state convention the contesting anti McCarron delegates in the sixth and ninth districts of Kings county. Only five members of the committee voted with McCarren. The unseated men threaten to bolt.