Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-02-14

Maine are due to the revenue service Of the
United States for assistance rendered BY the
revenue steamers along the coast Of Maine,
by which large amounts If property and
MANY lives have been saved during the past
two years.
On motion OF Mr.. Heath of Augusta, the
House proceeded to the consideration of the
bill to appOrtion the State for members Of
Congress, especially assigned for to-day. The
first question was on the motion of the gen.
tleman from Norway Mr.. Bearce to recon-
NIT. and the next question was the adoption
of the amendment offered by the gentleman
from Bncksport Mr.. Spoffordl to place
Washington county with the third district
and Somerset with the fourth.
Mr.. Mattocks of Portland, attacked the re-
port of the committee. He said it came be-
fore the House simultaneously with a news
paper containing an article commenting the
report, and saving that the opposition would
find FAINT with it as matter of course.
and that some republicans would
also find fault. lie was proud to say that he
was one of those republicans who did not
indorss the work of the committee. Mem
beers of that committee had stated on the floor
that there had been no fair discussion of the
subject and that the report as submitted here.
was voted through without any comparison
OF 1t with the other plans which were sub
mtted. If he had been correctly informed,
the bill under consideration had never been
discussed in committee. He had also been
informed that the Fessenden and Mclaughlin
plans. with some others, had been presented
and their merits advocated by various in
dividuais who favored them. He had been
further told that the committee instead of
discussing among themselves these questions
in their various bearings, were informed by
the chairman that he had plan which he
would submit, and which he pulled from his
pocket and distributed in print, plan that
had been made up and submitted to the
public before the committee met. He did no,
condemn the bill because it did not originate
with the committee, but he did not wish the
committee to impose upon the House by trll-
ing it that the report was the result of "long
and laborious investigation. He was
strengthened further in his position against
the report when he saw this sentiment of
supervision taken up and re-echOed by GER
tain republican papers, presumed to repre-
sent the party, and who have had the man.
agement and have assumed to dictate to the
Legislature its duties on occasions like this
He was still further strengthened in his position
when ne saw within this hall SO many federal
Office holders. 1t struck him that he saw
something in their faces which BETRAYED an
anxiety for the fate of the bill. The gentle
man from Augusta, Mr.. Heath had said he
dip not come here to surrender his party to
the opposition. Nor did he Mr.. Mattocks
While he might not be prepared to subscribe
to the fullest extent to the bill prepared by
certain members of the republican State COM
mittee and certain federal officers-holders in
the State, he would not yield to any
man in his loyalty to what he believed
to be the true principles of the re-
publican party. The gentleman from Au-
gusta Mr. Heath had invoked as the rule
the county unit of representation. This was
wholly immaterial. as all of the committee
agreed that county lines should not
be broken He Mr.. Mattocks was
in favor of the Spofford plan. believ-
ing it to be better than any of the others
offered in regard to the third and fourth die
tricts. He claimed to be more of repnbli
can than the chairman of the committe, be-
cause he was willing to take the vote of 1882
as the standard of republican strength, from
which the party would not recede unless drv
en- from it by the cruel attempt to force this
measure upon the people. He respected the
wishes of those locally interested, but hoped
it was not too late for an appeal to those who
had no interest in a quarrel which apparently
exists between certain factions of the republ
can party in the eastern part of the State, An
appeal to those who were willing to examine
the question candidy, and not for the pur-
pose of advancing the interests of certain
politicians or of inluring the prospects of
others. The plan adopted by the committee,
prepared by a member of the State commit
tee and Endorsed by newspapers edited by
men who are interested in this fight, gives
valuation, population and number of votes in
the third and fourth districts which show
considerable variation, one from the other.
The difference between the population of the
third and fourth districts is 16. 1872; difference
in valuation. 50, 1923. 900; difference in the
vote of 1882. 964 The Fessenden plan gives a
difference between the population of the third
and fourth districts of 1874 valuation. 3d.
s34, 7l3; votes, 1913. In the Spofford plan,
difference in population is 1874, as against
l6,432 by the plan of the committee and
1884 bv the Fessenden plan. Applying the
same principle to the valuation, he found in
the Spofiord plan a difference of "a, 4s9, O49 as
against S9.323 900 by the committees plan
and Sl9, S35, 7O3 BY the Fessenden plan. In the
Spofford plan he found the difference between
the votes of 1882 in the third and
fourth districts, 594 as against SIS
in the Fessenden plan and 764 in the
committees plan. BY the Spofford plan he
found the population nearer equal by over
5000, the valuation nearer equal by about
of So 900, 900, and the votes nearer equal BY
nearly 200. The law requires that Congress
men shalt be elected by districts composed of
contiguous territory and containing nearly
as practicable, an equal number of inhabi-
tants. Webster says. "If exactness cannot
from the nature of things, be attained, then
the nearest, practicable approach to exact
ness ought to be made He next took up
the question of territory and the various in
terests of the different sections of the third
and fourth districts, and argued in favor of
the Spofford plan. He was not present to
advocate the Fessenden plan. but he would
ask members for moment to lay Piscataquis
out of the case. placing it with neither dis
trict, and they would have the third district
with about 1900 less inhabitants than
the fourth; and vet this committee after
its arduous labors and fearful struggle
with mathematics, concluded to take Piscata
quis with its $4,000 inhabitants and
add it to district already the
larger and increasing more rapidly than
anv other district in the State. Certain re-
publican newspapers. members Of the re-
publican State committee, and more than
three-fourths of the more important
customs collectors in Maine had ap-
peared to tell members that the report
| should be accepted, or it would injure the re-
publican party. If his party asked him to
surrender his convictions in the interest Of