Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-03-23

Tbs Australian B sl1os.
Speechss OF Senssor. Gfia1Is, Peer.
Spear aasi Walton CO The Australian baiaot
bill. in Thafsisy's proceedings OF -
Senate:
Mr.. Grini.e Of Hancock.
Nr. Presidenf-
Il is very eviden. shs. tie only way IN
which the great mass Of eur people car
innaencs their sovefrnenf il through theii
rcses. AID, though this azercy, under tbs
PRESENT system. fer rsfi,d OF seventy
Years ve hare ssenred for enrselyes prob
ably better govern mess chan any people
in any other ecu1t:y has ever eIlosed.
AID when we are asked u completely
reve,rsioniEs . sysfem which has xsvea u
sreh .e.ulta, the question Immediately
occurs to me, what for: And il the sdvo.
Gates Of tie Australian Ballots are Urged
70 snswss this asstion xsd to apply theif
answer 70 individual c&sas they will fsA 70
do t. In ether words tasse $50 odd MEM
ners Of this Lesisissnre, many Of whom
viii favor tbs measure, and yet there 10 not
ns.n Of them who viii stand mp here today
AID Acknowledge that be believes his cleo
ZION vas secured either by bribery or intin.
.
Not for me, rot for you; but altogether
Tor the .so,her fellow" And who is the
.so.heY felfow?- Who IL il that 10 elected
by bribery and intimidation? When You
get right dowE to the substance OF tie an
sxer j. amounts to about this. Ii IL sysry-
body in general ara nobody in particular ;
xhich, to my mind, is vsry conclusive evil
dencs tia. there il good desl more smoke
than fire, more scandal than guilt in this
case. do not claim that our system OF
voting IL perfect; bat what 10 there in this
vcrid that is perfect? Our schools and
teachers. churches and ministers, courts
and juries. none Of them are absolutely
perfect; and yer they are all doing
4 very coed work; and csndidly be-
ieve today that cur system OF
Yssing il doing the work for which il was
designed quite a. well Is any OF them. I
do not question the motives OF the men
who advocate this measure. Il is no. .
question Of motives 90 much as it is . ques-
ton Of judgment. and 1 do believe they
err in judgment, first in believing there is
any real necessity for this MEASURE; and l
believe they also err in judgment in
believing this measure would be remedy
for the evil, if it were rs extensive as they
believe il is. II is very easy thing to see
how men may fall into this error; for we
know that men are very spt to judge whole
systems By that part Of system which
comes urder their observation. We all
Judge of elections in general BY that par
ricalar election which we attend; ard 90
we can easily see how men living in the city
snd Witnessing q certain amount Of coYrup-
ton should jump 1T the conclusion that THE
evil is general, widespread, its results
disastrous and hence the necessity for q
remedy imperative. A little reflection ought
to convince that same man that be has taken
a local aud perhsps marrow view OF the
subject; for he mus: know that, even right
in the city where be has witnessed these
things, the number of the votes that are
Influenced BY any improper measures as
compared with the whole number Of votes
of that city must be very small fraction.
But, as the rural districts are almost
entirely free from it. the vote go Influenced
az compared with the whole vote OF the
State would be bu. an infnitesimsl fraction,
and, as there is just about 50 much of this
evil on one side as the other, it hss
no practical results whatever in
electing or defeating either candidate.
Hence the extent Of the evil and the neces-
sity for q remedy exists largely in the
imsginatio wholly. But, it will be urged,
if there is no real necessity for this measure
how does there happen to be such large
popular demand for it. That is one Of the
most aggravsting features connected with
the matter, that we should be compelled
to enact legislation when there is no actual
necessity for il. 1t 10 very easy to explain
how this large popular demand happens
The men who advocate this measure in the
frst place are invariably men who live in
the city and having once imbibed the error
that there IL necessity for this measure,
they become centres of error just as per-
son infected with disease becomes q centre
Of contagion.
They write FOR the press and their COM
municstions are read by thousands. The
evil exists. No man denies that, it IL the
extent Of it which We deny. The proposed
remedy has all the sitractiyeness of being
something new, and the public IS always
hungry for something new, and to say there
are thousands Who advocate this measure
and who have become convinced that there
is necessity for it, not from anything that
they themselves have ever observed but
body else's convictions, and that somebody
else's convictions in turn grounded
upon An error. Then there are many
who advocate this measure simply in
accordance nth the common practice of
drifting with the current. They say this is
3 reform, it is coming, other states have
it, and let us have 1t too. In other words,
LET US have this thing because it is fashion
able to DO go. Now, whatever may be
said, eihsr for or sgainst the power OF
fashion IS applied to dress or household
appliances, It is very certain there is no
department Of life in which the power Of
fashion can be more niischievous than in
the departments of legislation; for tashio-
IS based upon 10 principle of reason nor Of
sound philosophy. /. is arbitrary a. the
DEGREES Of desp3t. II is tickle as the
Wind, but the welfare Of the State demands
that there should ba degree of perman-
ency about legislation such IS there never
can be II laws are to be en-
acted AMI repealed at the mers
behest of power so tickle as
that Of fashion. think that there are
many who have become convinced that
tnsre is a necessity for this measure who
made the very common mistake of entirely
overlooking the condition Of things in the
country towns Last August the Cen
Jury contained an article from Presi-
dent Elliot of Harvard University en-
titled, The Forgotten Millions" l do
rot refer to that article 10 criticise it in
any way but simply to say tina. its title
forgotten millions" clearly indicates that
the professor had observed what many
others have observed, namely, that there
are many city people who in studying
these socisl and political problems
become 40 much engrosssd in taking the
measure of their own importance
that they entirely forget the millions who
dwell outside the cities, ard, az a good
example Of that, we have the impairment
comments Of certain New York and PhllA-
delI hia papers in relation to the action of
this Legislature upon this very question.
Now | can only say about this that il these
centres Of conceit in the superabundancs
of their wisdom would go right to work at
home and give 10 their own cities as pure,
good, respectable government a. the people
of the State Of Maine enjoy, then their
g-stuitous advice would be offered with
much better grace and good deal more
force than at the presen. time and under
the present circumstances; and
.