The Portland daily press., 1882-08-29

| anything Governor Plaisted would have to
| pre]ent these coven executive councillors each
| demanding that the appointees in councillor
| districts belonged to him; then he " 0uld have
| parallel case.
| But the President of the United States never
made nomination in Tho Senate that he did
not accompany it with the understanding that
| when there grew up dispute about one nom
ination he accompanied it with repeated dec
| laration that the Senate had just as clear a
| right = confirm or reject as he had to nomi-
nate, that each was absolute within his own
| sphere
| What the President asked was, in q certain
| nomination which became of great interest
throughout the country; what the President
| asked was that the Senate would either con-
| firm it or reject it, 1t was demanded that it
| should be withdrawn; the President declined
| to do it, and said the nomination is before You
| Senators, deal with it in your discretion.
| have no right to ask you to confirm it. l have
no right to ask you to reject it, but | have
| right to ask you that you will do one or the
| other, because the constitution gives me the
| right to ask that. (Applause) Where the
| analogy varies is that Gov Plaisted wanted to
strike the Grand Heroic and parade himself as
! the shadow of the late President Garfield.
| President Garfield nominated William II.
| Chandler, the present Secretary of the Navy,
| for Solicitor General, the second office III the
| law department of the government next IN
| rank to that of Attorney General, and after
| contest in the Senate the nomination of Chan
| dler was defeated. What does the President
| say, inasmuch as Gov. Plaistsd has put hun
| self in parallel line? Did he turn around
| and say to the Senate, We'll, you rejected Cham
dler and 1 will not pay Phillips dollar? You
| You can't force upon me a Solicitor General
| IT he had been playing Plasted he would have
| said YOU have got to take Chandler for Soic-
| itor General or there shall not be another
! SO long as / am President. So Plaisted says:
| You have got to take nay law partner or David
| K. Hastings for reporter OF decisions OF TINS
| State or there shall not be any reporter paid
| out of the treasury of Maine.
| Now did President Garfield ever take such
| an absurd and silly position as that. Why,
| Chandler rejected by political vote, not
| by vote that did diecredit or dsnOnor to
| him. 1t was political vote made by men
| who did not want him to interfere as they
thought he would interfere tco actively IN
| Southern affairs They combined solid
Democratic vote against him and defeated
him, and it left Mr.. Phillips in the office OF
| Solicitor General where he is to day, but am
not aware that President Garfield ever refused
to pay him his salary
The Governor has written letter lately; L
have been looking over it, and took an ex-
tract from it. / want to call your attention to
it, Now this is what Gov. Plsistsd solemnly
writes in his letter accepting the nomination
for Governor. He is going, as the boys say,
for the Council. "Under the constitution of
Maine the Council is no part of the executive
power of the government The Council has no
part even of the appointing power or the par
doning pewer or the power to draw warrant
where they have qualified negative upon the
Governor" That is what Gov. Plaisted says
"The Governor shall nominate and, by and
with the advice and consent OF the Council,
shall appoint all civil officers" That ls the
appointing power.
Now he saws that the Council is no part of
the pardoning power. Let us see what the con-
stitution says:
"The Governor shall have power. with the
advice and consent of the Council, to remit, al
GNrf rfarfr and
to grant reprieyes, commutstions and pardons
except in cases of impeachment upon such
conditions and with such restrictions and limita-
tlons as may be deemed proper, subject to such
regulations as may be provided by law, relative
to the manner of applying for Lardons."
He cannot pardon for the slightest possible
offense unless the Council votes that he may.
Now, lie says they have nothing to do with
drawing warrants. The constitution says:
"No money shall be drawn from the treasury
bat by warrant from the Governor and Coun-
cil'-can't take dollar of it unless the Coun-
Gil say So If the Council had been, will not
saw as mean, if they had been as fairly re-
yengeful as seven men could pick out in the
state of Ohio they would have said "You are
trying game that two can play at, end II you
say YOU will not permit warrant to be drawn
to pay the Reporter of Decisions of the Su-
preme Court, we say we will not permit one to
be drawn to pay your salary" and he could not
have got dollar, not penny
But We are less aggressive people down
here, and the Republican party is better dis
cplined to the observance of law and they
| very properly refrain from playing the Cover
| nor's own game upon him.
Now, still further, even when you come to
swear in a legislature very important pro-
ceeding as it occurred in 1880, tho constitu-
tien says: "The Senators and Representatives
shall take and subscribe their oaths and affirm
ations before the Governor and Council" not
''bef0re the Governor"
When you come to the Secretary of State
and define his duties, "He shall attend the
Governor and Council P'-noWhere the Cover
nor alone,
And, even where the legislature, in the two
branches, proceed to the exercise of power in
addressing an officer from the beach, as they
addressed Woodbury. Davis from the Supreme
Bench twenty-six years ago, the Governor Is
incom petent to remove him unless tire Council
SAYS so.
Now, the Governor of Maine, am sorry to
say does not seem to have read the Constitu-
ton of the State, and, if were going to NOM
mate political committee to do very impor-
tant thing, it would be to give Gov. PlaisteL
some short and easy lessons as TO what the Con-
stitution of Maine confers upon the Governor
and what it confers upon the Council.
Now, no one contends that the Council has
any power to act separately from the Govern
or; no one contends that the Council has any
power TO originate anything. The Governor
has the power of origination No one contends
that the Council can take the lead anywhere,
DuJ they nave, Dy bDo SOEStItutlOH, d uoSdtlNo
upon the aciS of the Governor rs distinctly
and as emphatically as language can convey it,
Now, gentlemen that is the issue. That is
the issue which Governor Plaisted is trundling
up and down this State in various forms and
various moods and tenSes and yet IL all resolves
itself into this one simple issue, that he 1t IS
who is trampling under foot the Constitution
and laws of the State, and, when the issue Is
drawn between himself and the Council, he
refuses to obey the mandate OF that branch OF
81, fhoS S1ra
the Constitution, is authorized and empowered
t D decide as a court of last resort. So that, II
we had no issue in this State, whatever, relat-
ing to National politics, II the next House OF
Representa- ives trembling in the balance OF
close contest, did not depend as it probably
does upon the vote of Maine; If the next Sen
ate, even more closely balanced than the
House, did not depend, as L believe 1t very
probably will depend upon the vote OF the
Senatorial struggle in this state, IL these Trans
| cendant national issues were not here to en-
gross and engulf your attention, and you were
called upon to enlist your entire services III ald
of what they call State campaign you wou
| find arrayed before you two powers, the he
| publican on the side of the Constitution
| and the law and the orderly government OF
the State and you would find Governor for
the second time, Garcelon being the first, and
Piaisted his bad imitator-you would lind
Governor in rebellion against the orderly
government of the state. (Appause)
George the Second, was once, it is said, very
much disturbed about the parliamentary elec-
ito 49, Robert Walpole was his Prime Minis
ter as shrewd one as ever administered the
affairs of England, and he said to him with
native good sense, "Your Majesty need have
no fear of the election as long as wheat is six
teen shillings a quarter and the crops are
good"
Now that contains vast deal of politca-
wisdom, and it contains lesson that is preclsel
ly opposite here, and now, because this
country, tonight from ocean 10 ocean, and
from lake to gulf, presents a degree of pros
perity more widespread, more general, more
firmly based and founded than ever before in
its history.
Now i do not say that legislation has
brought about all that but legislation has
aided it, and it certainly has not hindered 1T.
If YOU wait for the law to grow crops or spin
cotton, or to forge iron and steel you vast for
long time; but, if you feel that the law is be-
hind you and above you and around you, pro-
teeting and encouraging you, you raise the
| CROPS and spin the cotton and forge the steel
| with a good deal more assurance OF good prices
| and fair market, and all that the law could
| do. and all that wise administration of law
| has been able to effect Can be claimed by the
| Republican party, without little OF division
| of the honor with any other party of The coun-
| try loud applause)
For twenty-one years past, last March, the
| destiny of the United States of America, in so
| far as that destiny can be controlled by po-
! litcal party, has been in the keeping OF the
| Republican party of tho United States
| ~, kr at,r ukNf