Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-02-16


great disparity existed between the popua
ton of the first and second districts, but said
he believed the same principle should appl,
in dividing the vest half of the State as tbs
east half. He thought he did his duty wher
he proDosd q fair apportionment of the third
and fourth districts, leaving the other
matter to those coming from the western
portion of the State. He ridiculed the prop.
osition that certain counties must be kept to.
gether in the same district on account of the
reasons advanced BY the opposers of his
amendment, and claimed that the whole mat.
ter was to be determined by the law and GER
| tain rules of arithmetic.
Mr.. White of Lewiston moved to amend so
as to have the first district composed of the
counties of York, Androscoggin, Franklin
and Oxford. the second of Cumberland, Sag
adahoc, Lincoln and Knox. the third of Ken
| nebec, Waldo. Hancock and Washington, and
| the fourth of Aroostook, Penobscot, Piscata-
Quis and Somerset. He said there was no
dispute that districts shall be made up of
contiguous territory, but upon the proposition
that they shall contain ''as nearly as practical
Bile, an equal number of inhabitants" there
seemed to be wide range and wide degree
of difference. He thought the very language
of the law so plain that no words of his could
add to its force or point out more accurately
the duties of members in the premises. He
proceeded to show the variations between the
population of one district and another, ac-
cOrding to the plan of the committee, the
least variation being between that of the sec
ond and fourth, and the greatest being be-
tween the first and second, about $4,000. He
claimed that by his amendment the four dis
tricts would be apportioned with variation
of not more than 10000.
Mr.. Hale of Portland, hoped the House
would not recommit the bill. He thought ii
was drifting in the channel of amendments,
of DISCRIMINATION, and of all the combina-
tons that different counties could suggest
He thought if the House stopped for amend
ments to bill that was already fair and reas-
enable it would be here until summer. He
did not believe il was within the purview of
the law, that the four districts should be
apportioned with tape-line and a sum in
short division. He did not read the law that
they should consist ofcontiguous territory and
should contain as nearly as possible an equal
number of inhabitants. He believed other
elements were suggested by the law itself in the
word practicable, elements which had been
ably commented upon by gentlemen on the
floor of the House. When tine law said las
near as practicable" it did not mean as near
as possible. 1t meant to say what was best
in practice. He believed in the plan of the
committee. While he thought that another
and better plan could be suggested,
for the sake of harmony and disposing
of the question upon what seemed to him to
be an honest basis, he was ready to support
the report. He also thought the Spofford
plan better in some respects than the COM
mttee's, because 1t united political acquain-
tances of Hancock, Washington and Waldo;
ht,f adj nf nnf hat
merely; it meant the opening of the door to
mass of amendments which had already
begun to come in, and the result would be a
very long session. 1t could not be charged
that it was a gerrymandering plan. No dem
ocrat in the House had protested against it.
Mr.. Talbot of East Machias 1T is not our
funeral.
Mr.. Hale 1t was not the funeral Of the
democrats. But he had no doubt they had
grave notions and very grave reasons for
keeping silent. He had no doubt that what
ever apportionment was made, it would be
heralded from democrats all over the State
that it was wrong. He believed the report of
the committee would stand the test of time
and that the people would endorse it.
Mr.. Robinson of Readfeld followed in sup
port of the report. 1t was the product of a
large and able committee in whose integrity
TIC Hdu bnc CUuuucbScs hc UeiiC'cu IL
complied vi it'll the requirements OF the law.
He understood that the minority presented no
report because they had been unable to agree
upon one. This was reason enough for main
tanning the report Of the committee. He did
not believe that in the apportiOnment the rel
alive valuation of these districts or the rels-
tive number of voters was to be taken into
consideration. He thought such propositions
had only tended to befog the question. The
first real element was contiguity of place,
which involved facility of increased commun-
icati6n, Of full community of interests, social
and commercial. He thought the report of the
committee met this requirement. In the
matter of population he argued that the COM
mittee had acted fairly, and concluded by
hoping that the report would be accepted, so
that members when they returned to their
constituents would be met with "Well done,
good and faithful servant"
Mr.. Mattocks of Portland said the qnes
ton had been asked why he had not found
fault because the first district was larger than
the second. That question had not been pre-
scented until now. He did not know why the
committee had made the first district an I'M
equal one. The gentleman from Augusta
Mr.. Haynes had quoted Bacon who said it
was easy enough to count individuals, but it
a. thS spun VI ehe PeoPiO th"e WIN. osSi-
Dir il might have been that reason why York
and Cumberland were left alone; because
there were among them certain restless
politicians that had been described by one
gentleman who had spoken. The threats of
q prolongation of the session until June had
no weight in his mind. He would stay until
June or February rather than to surrender
what he believed to be principle which, if
not carried out BY his party, might cause
trouble hereafter. The snsp of the party
whip had no terrors for him. He represented
a constituency which had long felt the grip
which certain individuals had had up
on their throats. He had charged that
the report was made up, not in the interest
Of the republican party, for which be might
perhaps forgive the committee, but in the
interest Of individuals in that party. If he
had any doubts of it in the start they had all
vanished The gentleman from Augusta Mr..
HAYNES had told the House that the waters
which carried the wheels of industry at
Skowhegan fioated down to renew their duty
in Hallowell, Gardiner and Augusta. Was
the House t. believe that the changing of a
congressional district would cause the river
TO run up etream, and that the water which
did its work at Augusta and Gardiner could
not resume its function further down stream
The doctrine that the ''water-sheds" all tend
ed in the direction of this report was certain
ly a new one. He had frankly stated that the
matter of valuation and votes not an
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