Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-08-19
From the Lewiston Journal.
The Council and the Governor.

The Bangor Commercial publishes Gov.
Plaisted's explanation of the differences he
tween himself and the Executive Council.
The material points of the explanation agree
with those stated by the Kcnnebec Journal.
II seems from this statement Of facts, that
the differences between Gov. Plaisted and
the Council have been greatly magnified.
According TO the Commercial, Gov. Plaisted
felt himself "insulted' by the remarks of
one or two individual Councillors. and took
the course that he did because Of this. This
certainly Is poor excuse for the Governors
course in refusing TO entertain motion to
table nomination for information, or for his
assumption of the power to adjourn them
without vote of the body. The motion to
table was clearly in order, and should have
been put.
According TO the Commercial, the Govern
or claims the right to adjourn the Council at
will because the constitution gives him the
power to assemble them. Il is sufficient to
say that the Council have always exercised
the right to control their own action after
they had been assembled. and no Governor
ever before supposed he had any right to pro-
rogue them. Indeed, for six months the
present Council has exercised the right to ad-
iourn without question by the Governor.
For sixty years each successive Council have
had their own presiding officer to serve in
the absence Of the Governor. have transacted
a large part Of the business in his absence,
and base adjourned from time to time BY
their own vote. Indeed, in auditing &C
counts and in authorizing the drawing of
money from the Treasury, the Couu-
sci take the initiative, and advise the
Governor; and he simply approves or
disapproves of their advice. Not a dol
lar can be drawn from the Treasury without
A Ii r A.
the approval Of the Governor. In appoint
mcnts, the Governor dominates to the Coun-
Gil. They. rs body distnct from him, con-
firm or reject. No one can be appointed to
any State Office without first the nomination
Of the Governor, and second. confirmation by
the Council. No important business Of state
can be done without concurrent action of
both Governor aud Council; one can get
along without the other. a. we'll a. the other
can.
The Council did entirely right in following
the precedent for sixty years. and adjourning
to such time as there would be public bust
ness to transact. But il Governor Plaisted
believes that the Council has no right to ad-
journ to a definite time and therefore must
be called together by him in order to hold
legal meeting. then il was plainly his duty
10 call them together in season to authorize
the payment Of the $50 900 State debt which
came due on the 18th. The Commercial
says he did not do this because he had not
been informed by the State Treasurer that a
portion Of the State debt would be due at that
time. This is an excuse at the governors
intelligence: for the Chief Magistrate of a
State, charged with the care Of its affairs,
cannot be supposed to be ignorant of so i'm
por,ant matter as the maturity Of the State
debt, and especially of an act Of the last legis-
lature signed by himself. providing for . ne~
loan to take mp the debt which would mature
August 18th.
The State Treasurer has sometimes taken
care Of the maturing debt on his own res
possibility, and obtained the requisite author
ity subsequently, from the governor and coun-
Gil; but this has always been done with the
previous approval of both and where they
were acting in harmony. In the present an
tag0nism between the governor and the
council, il Is hardly safe for either to assume
that anything will be done until it has been
Officially completed.
There 10 no reason why the Governor and
Council. though differing politically, should
NOS each discharge their duties in = kindly
sptrtk. ord accoeding to their respective judg-
meats- Where hey disagree, let the disa.
greemsat Be In rood spirit The Governor