Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-02-04
Kccean IS. hickey were taken from the la

Kcrtan vs.. hickey were taken from the ia
bic.
| Mr.. Barker said he desired to submit
motion 20 the House. We are on the MIN
weuk of the session, and the question yet re-
mains undetermined by the House--the prop.
| err authority to determine when OF these ci'iii-
ANTS is entitled to seat in TINS iious'Io.e
sitting and the other dancing attendance-hoth
under pay, If the sitting member is wrooeiahy
here. il is a wrong upon the people OF this
| Stnte and this House. If the man IN attend
ance is wrongfuly here he ought tp be sent
home There is no reason why House OF
Rppreseptatiyes should keep two men under
nav of the State and claiming seats in thlS
! body so long a time. 1t occurred Ill 1907
from this very district, and now the same
ouestion presents itself. Two men claiming
a seat, one receiving the certificate OF the
Governor and Council and is admitted. lie
found that by an amendment to the Constltu-
on in 1864 power was coli Cd u OF
the Governor and Council to examine the
votes and give their certificate to the man VINO
appears to be elected, and that shall be Pftnia
facia evidence of a claim TO a seat, and the
member holding such certificate shall be en-
titled to a seat in this House until the House
can pass upon it and dcte rminc who are Its
members.
Mr.. Dickcy had taken his seat in this man
ner, but on the 9TH of January another party
appears and presents to this House remon-
STRANGE against the right of said Dickey hold
ing said scat.
Mr. b. here quoted from the minority re-
port showing the number of votes was ~
for Mr.. Keegan, and 432 for Mr.. Dickey, and
that he was therefore elected by majority
vote of fifteen over his opponent; also that IN
the returns of members elect in the Secretary
of States office, his (Mr. keegan's name APP
pearcd as being elected, but that the certh-
cate was sent to his opponent, (Mr, Dickcy.)
by mistake, and that he now holds seat in
the House against law and right.
This matter has been to II committee as
matters requiring legislation generally do,
and had been reported to the House 1t was
not binding upon the House however. lie
found the committee divided; that five made
their report in favor of Mr.. Dickey. The
substance of which is. that Cyr plantation
cast thirty-one votcs,-thirty for Mr.. keegan,
and one for Mr. Dickey. The majority sug-
gests that that vote be not counted; that we
distranchise thirty-one men. 1t we do that
we can retain Mr.. Diekcy in his seat by
majority of fourteen. But he found Mr.. Smith,
chairman of the committee, and Mr.. Ham of
Lewiston suggested otherwise, and that the
required of compliance with the requirement
of the statutes in organizing plantation, be-
fore its votes are counted, they lind that no
plantation in the Madawaska district has full
filled this condition. and said keegan Is
elected by the votes of the towns Of said dis
trict by seven majority. Ii on the other
hand the votes of all the towns and planta-
tons are counted, Keegi then is entitled to
his seat, so that by the popular vote he would
be electt d.
He (Mr Barker) desired further light.
As member OF this House, sitting mere
amenabie 20 the Constitution and the laws
that gives to every male citizen in the State
the right to be heard by himself or his repre-
sentative, he wanted 10 know why this House
should go buck upon the record of this gov
eminent and the purity that has administered
it. by dsfran,h ising any of its citizens, in
order to seat man here as Il member Of this
body against the popular will. The mission
OF the party that is to-day administering this
government has been to broaden, to widen,
to enlarge the f anchises, and at the same
time to purify the balot-box. the mission of
the enemies of the Republic has been to limit
the franchises. TO say that the color of the
eyes. the hair, the checks, should be dis
qualification from the mans participating in
the government under which he lives. And
the same party has been powerful agents in
debauching and corrupIing the ballot-box,
as well as limiting and restricting the fran
elise OF men.
Mr.. BARKER moved that the minority re-
port be substituted for the majority report.
Mr. Power. did not intend to speak on this
question, but as member of the Committee
who had cndeavored TO investigate this mat
ter. he would state what he believed to be the
., ~. 10
kerr wants to know how we have arrived at
the result we have. He thought this was
clearly stated in the report signed by the ma
jority of the committee
There are four towns in that district, the
rest are plantations and townships. 1t is adj
mittcd by both parties that the votes in the
four towns are legal. Then comes the plan
tations of St, Francis, Fort Kent, ST. John.
Eagle Lake and Van Buren,. legally organized
and complying with the law, and having IA
right to vote. He believed these plantations
to be legally organized; if not he would like
to know the defects. There were some pre-
tended defects pointed out before the commit
tee, but he could not find them. There were
two points of objection raised before the COM
mittve. The first was, that the proper and le
gal notices for the organization of plantations
for election purposes were not posted in 4
pU6lic and conspicuous place.
Mr.. Powers quoted from the Constitution
and law to show that they are required to
post in public paces-saying nothing about
conspicuous. When they posted such notice
in public places he commended that it was ac-
cording to the letter OF the law. This he said
done away with the first Objectionable lille
galiiy of the plantations.
Mr.. Powers entered into an explanation in
regard to the issuing OF warrants for the
convcning OF the people at some central place,
and commended that it was done in conformity
with the law. Ii any one could show him any
more errors in the organization of these plan
tations, he would go for counting them out as
soon as any other man, but until he did know
Of thcir-bcing illegal he would not go for cast
ing them out, and he would not go for mixing
them up with illegal ones.
Mr.. HAYES, as member of the Committee,
entered into an explanation why he signed the
report OF the majority, but was not heard by
the Reporter on account of noise and CON
fusion going on around his desk.
Mr.. BARKER replied to Messrs. HAYES and
Powers. lie had called for Information, but
had learned nothing of Cyr plantation
In reply to Mr. HAYES he said if the fact ex-