Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-02-15

common between Washington and Aroostook,
except the love and pride Of the former for
the wonderful progress Of the latter. He
spoke of the easy lines of communication be-
tween Washington and Hancock counties and
pointed out the difficulties attending jour-
ney to Asoostook or Bangor. Still. his
county, as he understood it, WAS not disposed
to be csptious. 1t wished to do what was
right. Ii presented its claims, and if they
were voted down. il would yield with as good
grace as possible, and would vote for the
report of the committee, he thought.
Mr.. Moves of Whitefeld. as member of
the committee, said il was mistaken idea TO
suppose that any member had subscribed to
the plan of the majority under duress, or
that any member had been choked off.
Several members had been asked by the
chairman to propose plans, but only
had been presented The gentleman
from Houlton MIR. Powers had presented
no plan, vet he had warned the committee
that its report was an outrage on fair dis
tricting. WHY had not that gentleman sub
mitted plan that would commend itself TO tn.
good judgment of the House, so that members
might conscientiously change their minds:
No objection had come from that gentleman
or from the gentleman from Portland Mr..
Mattocks to the report in regard to the first
and second districts, where there is
difference of $4,000 in population. but
they had vigorously assaulted the plan of the
majority in regard to the third and fourth
with but $1,000 difference in population. 1t
had been asserted that the report was in the
interest of personal aspirapts. He was not
aware of working in the interest of any party
politician, but simply to assist in making the
...l.. IL.
convenience and business interests of the
State. Hs repealed the insinustions that had
been made and plead not guilty to them. He
had subscribed 10 the report of the majority
of his own free will and accord. in accordance
with his views of the best interests of the sew
eral districts. regardless of the personal as
pirations of any one.
Mr.. Ambrose of Sherman found himself in
an unpleasant position because he must
either refuse his support to personal. and po-
litical friends to a gentleman whose leadership
he had been proud to acknowledge. or utterly ig
more the wishes of his constituents. Aroostook
county was county of magnificent dis
tances.' and the Inconvenience of attending
congressional conventions had been great.
To remedy this evil he had been in favor of Il
district composed of Washington, Aroostook
and Penobscot. as was the entire Aroosto, k
delegation, and by this he would still stand :;
but when it came 20 the plan of the gentle.
man from Bucksport, which would perhaps
draw his people further away, it occurred
to him that it would place his county very
much in the position of the cat in the we'll,
that climbed up two feet and fell down three.
This would not not be a very desirable solu
ton of the difficulty for his county. So ig-
noring all personal relations, and acting upon
the urgent and eloquent appeal of the gentle
man from Portland to adhere to the express
wishes of his constituents, ignoring alike the
claims of all ambitious aspirants for places of
power, either present or prospective; he felt
it his absolute duty to support the report of
the committee.
Mr. Hall of Rockland, thought the argu-
ment of the gentleman from Whitetield Mr..
Noyes on the point of population, ha
thoroughly riddled the position taken by the
gentleman from Portland Mr.. Mattocks. !
In the matter of valuation. the differ
ence between the third and fourth
districts was 50 1928, POI, while between the
first and second districts it was nearly as
much. SS, l54 ,6S7, and between the second
and third there was difference of $40, $50
63S. to which the gentleman from Portland
Mr. Mattocks did not see Fl, to allude.
The difference in valuation between the first
and third. as proposed by the Spofiord pl an,
which was so strenuouSly advocated, was
So, 0s7, 720. He cited these figures as
illustrating the absolute importance of coming
to some harmonious conclusion on the matter.
1t was very easy to use invectives; but the
burden of proof was upon those who object
ed to the report to show that it was unfair
Not single democrat on the floor of the
House had raised his voice against it. or in
favor of the Spofiord amendment, although
gentlemen had spoken strongly and with
much feeling of the great wrong and in Justice
being done to that party.
Mr. Rogers of Bath opposed the report
and favored the motion to recommit. The
minority of the committee had been willing
to accept the report as to the first and second
districts, but if they could see serious objec-
tons to the manner in which the third and
fourth were made up he submitted that they
had right to urge them upon the attention
of the House. The words, ''motive" and
principle, had been used in the discussion.
To his mind they were very suggestive. Was
it motive or principle which prevailed with
the committee in regard to the third and
fourth districts? To his mind it was motive
and not principle He did not accept any of
it on the ground of principle. Was it prin-
ciple to take from a county which had
gained two or three thousand during the last
decade and give it to county which had
lost two or three thousand. in the matter of
senatorship? Or was it motive or principle
to deprive that county which had lost and give
it to the one which had gained! He enter
tanned a suspicion that there had been motive
enough exhibited to condemn the whole APP
portionment The same that he had seen ex-
hbited in the apportionment of representa-
tives applied to the matter before the House.
Adiourned