The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1868-11-20
THE ,xxxcgr1ys COUNCIL.
y AsoussA. Nov. 10. lssa .
Enron OF TIE Unox Am JoulxAI ,l3hs
dutje Seths Bzscutiw CJlssl. q dsessd By
4 fConstitufsp Of Ne etsss. ars d1plx $50
=. the go|e6s - ths I sSssiSs
Amenf, whom u Devgnof snAAl
- sifrssn. % 10y -


average annual expense Of the CDc 10 In The peighbo.
hood four housaod do,Au. An Amendment Of the Con-
',itution making .he Hoe 49, 49, 4. e Az
and Adjutant Generai--Sf Q1ieto Ne members Of the
Council would bring 70 the board the experience Of men
who from their posio WOULD be acquaintd With the II.
While il would reduce the expenses q NE Hxseuilve De.
making proper aoyAnce tor The saay Of
Inc Auditor AMI the incrsase Of saay which some Of the
State officers might justly claim from an ucss Of duty
by he sum q at least thousasa dollars pr anuum
mink Il worthy Of your consideration whether, % con.
siderable saving this be effected b. change In
the Constitution In this respect there are reasons Of prn
cipie or Of policy which would render Il unwise sxpcdi-
snl."
The Council is composed Of seven members.
Each county in the State il entitled to one mem
Der, ON regularly recurring years, which are
designated In State apportionment made once
every ten years. The Councillors are elected
annually by ballot, In o joint convention Of both
branches Of the Legislature called for that espec-
ial purpose and they only hold their Office for
one year. Each of these Councillors Is nomina-
tod by the delegation Of Senators and represen-
tatives Of the party, In power to the Legislature
from tho county which 10 entitled 70 the officer
for that particular year, and the seven. nomina-
ted by the different delegations are oil voted for
on the same ballot and the whole, Of course,
elected by the party which IL, for the time being,
in power, no matter what may be the wishes Of
the county which Is entitled to the officer that
year, or whether the dominant party has . ma
jority there or not, If the Democratic party Il
In power In the State, no matter II seven Of our
sixteen counties have . Republican majority,
unlike the Senate and House Of Representatives,
the Council will be unanimously Democratic and
rice persa. The persons selected by the county
delegations Of the ruling party are therefore GER
tain Of an election, whether that party controls
tho locality in which they live, or whether It Is
In o pitiful minority there.
Now the candidates for these county nomina-
selects Its own candidate, irrespective Of the &C.
ton or preferences Of any other As they do their
Senators, or rs municipalities do their represen-
tatives to the Legislature. There are, always,
several candidates for every Gfiice to be filed.
II some leading man Of some locality,-"a wire
puller" In small way perhaps, whose sole aim
Il to crafty his own personal ambition and ac-
cuse his "friends" ofit,-happens to prove less
popular in his own county or town than he do
sires. and SO fails to secure the nomination or
election he seeks, he turns up In January fol-
lowing the September State election as candi-
date for the Executive Council, that being the
last place open to ambitious ofice-seekers, whose
Just claims for position have not, In their opin-
ion, heretofore received the consideration TO
which they were entitled, nor been properly sup
ported by the suffragcs, Of their constituents.
Sometimes ex-senators, representatives, or the
head Of one Of the different departments Of the
State government, who have been fattensd at
he public crib the allotted term and who can
no longer remain In their old positions. strive
to serve term In the Council before finally re-
firing TO private life, from which they will n o
more be recalled TO devote their valuable sbili-
lies to the public service. These classes Of men,
are, almost without exception, the only candi-
dates for these positions, which are as conse-
3uencc. rarely, II ever, filled by persons Of dis
tinguished ability. In fact, Councillors, as .
rule, have invariably been men Of no more than
ordinary capacity, Of small experience In mat
tcrs they are called upon to adjust, and eminent
ly unfit "to advise the governorin the executive
part Of government" The Executive Council
Is, and ever has been, mere hospital, or asy-
lum, for broken-down, second-rate, local poll
ticians Of the party In power. II Is the church
door through which 60 out the pall-bearers who
carry to their political graves the corpses Of de-
funct wirc-pullers and Insignificant, local man
ipulators Of partisan machinery. There have
been, occasionally, eminent exceptions to this,
but not more than enough to prove the rule.
Still these same men, hardly up to mediocrity,
mostly, in the remote towns from which they
,ome, regard themselves as the very next man
IN authority to the Governor, In the government
,f the State, and instances have been known
where some Of them considered themselves more
enlightened and important than even he, and
Who, from that, attempted to dictate the action
of their superior in authority Us we'll rs capaci-
ly. Their real position Is that Of listeners to the
dictates Of tho Governor. who not only tells
hem what he wants done and how, but he whips
hem into line and makes them do It. Their
familiarity with the wires Of politics and power
md the details Of political machinery from the
'ountain head Of its motive power to Its very
iebauehe into the tumultuous waters ofthc great
,ccan Of politics and agitatcd public sentiment,
,auses every one Of these Councillors to desire
% "ride upon the whirlwind and direct the
,torm" Of party warfare, to become command
.r-in-chicf ofthc army, after having held nom
officers warrant "for three years
" during the war; and almost every one Of
hem has aspirations for the gubernatorial chair
.fter serving his term as adpiser to the Cover
Tor, who legally occupies II. Past instances are
not infrequeut where such candidates have, with
heir friends. regarded the action Of State con-
rentions which ignored their claims to the high
,osition they sought, rs striking examples Of the
ingratitude Of republics.
As soon as the election Ii secure and the du-
lee Of the Office entered upon, your councillor
axes seat in the executive chamber-whicb
s splenddly fitted up-puts his feet under .
ong, semi-circulsr, mahogany table, on an eI-
,ensive Brussels or velvet carpet, and ut once
assumes that from his exalted position, he Is
inder no obligation to transact any manner Of
business rs any experienced or properly quail
led business man would do Il. Notices are
published In one paper in each county (if there
$ newspaper published In the county, Of the
ime OF each meeting Of the Council, 30 that
hose having business with that body may ap-
,ear on the day designated, or soon after.
such persons as appear are obliged to remain |
n Augusta, on expense, till they get attended
o by the Council. Often there Is no quorum
iii several days after the appointed time, and,
,onsea uently, no action can be taken, 90 that
persons with important engagements at home,
ire Obliged to leave the capitol to attend to
hem, AFTER having been there several days and
nothing at al on those matters
euuiring their presence there, when public |
,otice had beea given for two weeks In the news
,apers Of every County, Of the readiness Of the |
Executive Department 10 attend to them on . |
lied day. II has often been necessary to write |
md to telegraph for members Of the Council to |
appear, In order 10 secure quorum, days after |
he time ct for their meeting and to which the |
majority Of that body had paid no attention |
md instances have been known where single |
member who was sent for expressly to complete |
. quorum, replied that a. there was no quorum
present Il would be useless for him To come, - |
10 business could be done until Q quorum was |
n attendance and % te did not present him.
Elf, even after having been especially summon
d BY the Governor on account Of bis previous |
Almost invariably the time Of tho meeting Of |
he Council Is fixed some days in advance Of |
heir intention 10 Be In session and moreover
no session Is unnecessarily prolonged, then g. |
ally adjourned. several days before the date |
he payroll reaches to, purposely to exc out |
heir pay, which by the statutes Of the State, |
an be but two dollarsper day. So, frequently,
a the day the session was notified 70 commence |
a Augusta. -snd the notice Is only given for
L - L. IA