Adopted at the Maine State Republican Convention
BANGOR, MARCH 27, 1930
NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION
We, the Republicans of Maine, in convention assembled, unreservedly commend the administration of President Hoover. The public confidence in Herbert Hoover, so overwhelmingly expressed at the last national election, has been fully justified during the first year of his service as President.
He promptly called the Congress in extra session for the purpose of fulfilling the platform pledges of the Republican Party for relief to agriculture and industry.
A farm relief law endorsed by the organized agricultural interests of the country was enacted, and is being administered in a spirit of helpfulness to the depressed farm industry.
The long delay in the enactment of a tariff revision intended further to assist agriculture, and to promote employment by extending encouragement to such American industries as are suffering from foreign cheap labor competition, which has been caused in the Senate by elements antagonistic to the administration and to the protective policy of the Republican Party, coupled with a stock market crash for which our government was in no way responsible, has caused only a temporary interruption in our national prosperity. In mobilizing the industrial, financial, and labor leadership of the country for co-operative effort to prevent industrial depression, President Hoover has prevented the development of serious consequences and insured the gradual restoration of normal business conditions.
The country has reason to congratulate itself that at this time the administration of national affairs is in the hands of a great organizing genius of profound economic knowledge and the demonstrated ability to solve the difficult problems with winch modern governments are confronted.
We commend the President for the intelligent effort he is making, through the scientific investigations of experts, to ascertain accurately the facts underlying vital national problems upon which alone intelligent legislation and administration can be based.
The effort being made by President Hoover, through the participation of our representatives in the London conference, to bring about a mutual reduction of excessive naval armaments without the sacrifice of national security, has the approval of the American people. The administration’s policy of international co-operation without entangling alliances or the sacrifice of national independence in the determination of questions vitally affecting our own national safety and prosperity, has our endorsement.
We condemn the captious criticisms of the administration, and the organized effort to discredit, embarrass, and obstruct it, by factional and partisan leaders more anxious to secure selfish advantage than to join in the task of maintaining and promoting the general welfare of the American people.
The tremendous majority by which President Hoover was elected less than seventeen months ago, clearly indicated the faith of the American people in his policies and his leadership, and the attempt to obstruct his policies and dead-lock the government is in effect a defiance of a mandate of the public will.
The American people know that President Hoover has at heart only the advancement of their social and economic welfare. They have full confidence in his ability to translate purposes into action, and they will condemn those whose vain purpose clearly is to prevent the success of his administration at any cost to the American people. We urge the election of a Congress which will uphold the banns of the President, and assist rather than hinder him in the fulfillment of the pledges of the Republican platform and candidate in the campaign of 1928.
State Administration
The Republican party unreservedly endorses the present State Administration. It has been marked by a devotion to duty on the part of our Chief Executive and his associates in the State Government never excelled in the history of Maine. A program of economy in the administration of state affairs initiated and promoted along constructive lines is developing into results which should show marked effect in stabilizing the State tax rate. Already those improvements in our State Institutions authorized by the last legislature when and if the money is available out of surplus, have in a considerable measure been provided for and we confidently expect much more will be accomplished during the present year.
Roads
This convention endorses the Highway Program of the last legislature in its efforts to provide sufficient funds to enable an early completion of the states trunk-line system and also endorses its policy of providing sufficient funds to meet the towns’ appropriations for state aid work and recommends a continuation of the present policy for the construction of Farm-to-Market roads, as provided in the third class Highway law.
Prohibition
The last Republican National Convention repudiated a proposition for repeal of the 18th Amendment, and pledged the party to its support. We endorse that action and reaffirm the position held by Maine Republicans for more than 70 years that the sale of intoxicants for beverage purposes is subversive of good citizenship, inimical to efficient government and injurious to the economic and moral interests of the State. We approve the course of President Hoover on this question and pledge him our support.
We hold that candidates for Republican nomination in this state and officials elected as Republicans are in honor bound to conform in their actions to these declarations.
Education
The Republican Party is proud of the sound development of our entire educational system, and especially of the rapid improvement in school housing conditions with a better resulting physical environment for the school children of tire state. The attention now being given to the revision of the elementary school curriculum with the definite aim of increasing thoroughness in fundamental subjects, the better preparation and training of teachers, the placing of the University of Maine on a sound and definite financial basis, the teaching of the basic principles of good citizenship, and the efforts being made to solve the problems of an improved environment and a better type of education for backward children, has our hearty endorsement. We endorse the renewed interest in a program for the removal of illiteracy now officially recognized as a national problem.
Forestry
For three hundred years the utilization of our forest resources has furnished one of the principal occupations of our people. It has passed through many stages during these three centuries, yet at no time has it failed to exercise a dominating influence upon the industries of the State. Our protection system has greatly reduced the losses by fire, insect and disease. In order to maintain and encourage this industry, careful attention should be given to the question of taxation of forest lands and to the reforestation of burned and waste lands.
Agriculture and Farm Relief
In view of the recent enactment of a Federal Farm Relief Law, we urge that every encouragement and assistance be given the State Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural College in the work already under way to determine the number and type of marketing organizations best adapted to Maine conditions and that these institutions be urged to assist in every way in the establishment of such organizations to the end that our Maine farmers may be placed in a position to take advantage of any assistance that may be made available by action of the Federal Farm Board.