Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-08-29
NUMBER "a.

ernor was not present and adjourned to
a given day. From that time to the
present, such instances are numerous.
The record of the Garcelon council in
this respect is full Of precedents. March
7, 1879, the council met the governor
being absent, Mr.. Foster took the chair.
A pay roll was passed which was sub.
sequently approved by the governor; an
order was passed submitting the milage of
members of legislature to the Supreme
Court; the record of a previous meeting
was corrected; and an adjournment to
March IL was voted. April % the
record shows that Governor Garcelon was
absent, but the council passed an order
providing for the appointment of a Pen
sion Agent, changed standing commit
tee, voted to investigate the Liquor
Agency and adjourned to May 20.
Like instances are numerous in other adj.
ministrations. In his letter to his DEM
ocratic friends Governor Plaisted claims
that he not only has power TO assemble
the council at his pleasure, but also to
keep and hold it and adjourn it at his
pleasure. He has a wonderful facility
for constituting the constitution so as to
centralize all power in his own person.
Here is what the constitution says -
The governor, with the councillors or a
majority Of them may from time to time,
hold and keep council" 1t is the gov
ernor and council who shall hold and
keep council, not the governor, unless
the governor is PERMITTED to arrogate to
himself all the powers of the governor
and council. During the sixty-two
years that Maine has been a state, {. the
Chief Magistrate has been honored with
such men as King, Lincoln, Fairfield,
Kent, Paris, Crosby, Wells, Hamlin, the
Morrills, Washburn, Coburn, Cony and
Chamberlain-the first jurists, the most
experienced and able public men, and
the most sagacious business man in the
state; but all of these illustrious men
were unable to make the discoveries
which Governor Plaisted has made in
two years, namely, that the governor
is clothed with power to abolish the
council and that he can remove officers
which he cannot create. Another term,
with similar discoveries, would enable
His Excellency to so modify the consti-
tuition and eliminate coordinate branches
of the government that the governor
alone with the assistance of a military
staff, would be enabled to assume all its
functions, and to exclaim, 81 am the
State"
In strict compliance with the prece-
dents, and upon the assumption that it is
a constitutional body which cannot be
abolished or shorn Of its power By the
governor, the council met on the day to
which it had adjourned. 1t was of the
utmost consequence that the council
should meet at that date, because S50,-
900 of the state debt matured at that
time, the payment Of which should be
provided for. The council met and
passed the order which must precede
payment, attended to routine business
and adjourned.
The warrant which the council had
made for the payment of the matured
installment Of the state debt Governor
Plaisted refused to sign, leaving the
State Treasurer to assume the response
billity of providing for the $4,000 Of
maturing obligations, which he did on
his personal account. To this date Gov.
Plaisted has refused to sign the report of
the council authorizing the payment of
the $4,000. Consequently it is not yet
legally paid.
THE PENSION CLERKsHIP.
The disbursement of the appropriation
for the relief of needy and deserving SOL
diers and their heirs devolves upon the
Governor and Council, and is under the
direction Of the chairman Of the pension
Committee. The selection Of person to
do the clerical work was in earlier years
left with that chairman, as he is particu-
larly interested to have a competent mi an.
Councillor Campbell has attended to that
business for two and one-half years past,
and Major Gallagher, an accurate and
pains-taking clerk and ex-soldier, has per-
formed the clerical work since 1871, ex-
cept part of the year 1879, until APP
ril of this year.
His long experience and familiarity
with the duties make his services val
liable to the State and acceptable to the
Council, fact which however, did not
have weight with the governor. Mrs.
Sarah S. Sampson of Bath applied
through her friend for appointment as
Register of Deeds for Sagadahoc county