Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-03-25

Tor ala pQffooe1 f1f our Prosperity eou o0t
stability up TO within period Of fev
years. There 10 one question that has NOT
been diseussed,,here and thst is about the
universally Of the bill sp,lyiDg q Is does
| 10 the little towns and plantations There
are 81 voting places in the State OF MaiSe
where there are lees than so voters To
| these little places il applied this cumbes-
some, complicated snd expensive nschia-
cry, and tell me you uho I've in those
tcwns and know shsir character and coz
difion how this system 10 to be sdsptsd to
the wants Of the people and ssecsssfuiiy
| used2 You cannot shos me- l sish to
cali your attention, - did once before, 20
the larger towns where there are hundreds
Of men who can nsifhef resd nor write
vish to cali your attention TO the smaller
towns shsre the proportion Of those who
can neither read nor write il Crater
SILL. and than SIX the members of the
House TO hssiate and consiier long before
| they, By .teir votes. say that these people
shall be placed 81 the absolute mercy OF the
heslsrs and the sc0uadfels Who would de
prive them of their suffrage By causing
| them 70 vote in manner that th=y would
not vote. Il is said 10 be absolutely neees
ssry for the House to pass this. because IL
10 ia the Ieud OF pnolic opinion. Gentle
men Ct the House. we are placed here to
stand IS buisark against public opinion,
il in our Judgment puolic opinion Is wrong
We are here TO give expression 10 our
honest convictions and consciencss. We
should say ,has il sball or shall not pass -
our own ssnss Of party loyalty aod pnty
feslty may dictate and nor for any other
reason under Heaven.
Mr.. Harrington Of Norridgewock-S1anc-
ing here IS are DO, ~ the representatives of
the people OF this State, sent here to enact
such legislation IS in our Judgment will be
besr for the whole people Of the State, we
should feel that gteA. responsibility rests
upon u. Therefore believe it is my duty
@ plain 20 you the position which take
| tocay. SEX you coming from tie didef-
eut toms AMI cities Of This State, before
you vote upon this question, each and all
OF you, turn your Eyes backward TO the
sentiment Of the people in your own dis
trict sni Ask yourselves IL there - s.rong.
reasonable demand for this measure. In
she last fall election were men eie cted TO
pass this MEASURE? The total population Of
,his State is over 600, 900. l will venture
to cay that the whole number Of petitioners
asking for this bill is less Than 8 per cent
| Of he total vote Of the State. How many
| Of the people outside Of ihe cities where
| this has been sgitaled have asked for this
measure? How many Of US fully under-
| stand the PROVISIONS Of this bill! How
naoy of US have recs ived any argument
| that tends to show tina. this bill will give us
| q better system thaa We now have! These
are the questions which should press ths III
,elves upon rs before We v,le upon it, and
| it seems to me that il we vote free from
fear or favsr we must vote as we did the
| last time upon this question. Representing
~ do rural community in q county that
has 10 or IL plantations, many Of v hich have
less than ten voters in each, am not pre-
| pared TO vote for this Wholesale measure
and do not believe that the people of my
district, if they understood this meas
ure snd the possible cost and uncertainties
| attending it aud the little good tina: 1t might
do, won favor it. III in two years the
sober good sense and Judgement of II peo-
pie after they have examined and dis
cussed this bill, shall desire to enact such =
Law upon our statutes, il will then be time
enough to do it. and therefore. notwith-
standing the comment Of various people
and various papers. shall take the llbeesy
to vote toisy as did the las: time when
thi. question was up.
Mr. Cote Of Riddeford-The gentleman
from Car b III has left the Democratic party
today and has come down upon the Gov
ernor and the press. doubt very much il
the gentleman has ever been in Canada /
spent l6 years Of my life iherp, and they
have the best sy stem for voting day thxt
there is in the world, ard you could no
more get these people 10 60 back 10 their
old system Of voting than you could get
them to cut their right hands off. Wnen
zee the gentleman get up and tell ab)us the
ignorance Of the Canadian people, at the
came time they have sent him here year
after year, ard that's the thanks they get
TO, it. Laughter. thin9 he has sd-
mi,ted in private that ii this Aus.
italian ballot bill became a law that
he could not cUme here again. And he
stands up here snd Whites those people.
have lit,le French blood II ny osn veins
and shall take issue in regard TO this i3no-
racs. You g, to Canada ard you will find
hat those people know how to wore es W. II
az they DO on this elie, and don'i you forget
il. Ii the friends If ihis bill have go. &,
prove to you that there viii be no fraud or
hnoery under this y st.U then let US close
up our State Prison. You will never make
a law that it will not be violated ia some
degree l hope ina. in voting on this mat.
ter we may consult our own c1uscencss
regardless Of what a or B may say.
Mr.. Porter of Bsngor--Ws have had
several ballot bills scd he House rather
unceremopiousiv Kicked then, out ard sent
ih. m up to the Senate. Then ali at once
the t,umpets we're blown aud the drums
b, az, ana xe were told that we were going
to have a perfect BILL the Australian bill,
pure snd simple. Now what have We? 1t
is not the Australian ballet This morning,
thinking it was the original Australian bal
LOT bill. began to read it. snd in the frst
section l read something that l do not
understand and would like to have ex
planned. Does it apply to ali the towns
ard cities ia The Stale, or doesn't il apply :?
want to say a word for the Fourth Con-
gr. ssional District. 1t stands here with The
unanimous repress NATION OF the Republi
cars of the district against this bill
have no doubt there are some Rspubi-
cans who favor il. bu. doh't know any
Rel ublicsns in Penob.cot county who
favor this bill that is before US. Those
who DO favor it tell me that they favor
bill pure and simple. This matter of in
~ 0Aosh otpusus Nhht VI
read from the Portland Press. There's q
/ tile article in it. The Qas stion is not
party nor partisan ore AID should be k. pit
ont Of PARTISAN politics, but the next time
POrilAr d elects represe atives care must
te taken that TIE mel that are elected are
in accord with the people on this subjs ct y
Wbas does that mean2 Does it mean that
they are TO keep one Republican
{ II IA h
he came here and used his own hone st
Judgment? This 10 the general court Of
the State OIL Maine This Australian ba Hot
bill has been on trial. Ii was brought
before the committee of this House in this
ha!i and the case as l understsnd it was
his; It appeared 20 be proven in some
Fort Of way tbs. York county was
thoroughly purcbasAble and 60 per cent. of
The votes could be bought. Therefore York
county needed it. Sixty or seventy Of ,hs
votes OF Augusta were turchaseabie and
the refore Augusta ought to have it. 1t has
teen proved since that Portland was very
rotten, something Tremendous goirg on
there, therefore Portland ought to have
IL; ard think we shall al, admi, on
both sides that Lewiston rather needs
it. Something hiss been said about the
planta'i ions Of this State. I tell you,
Gentlemen, that there are plantations in
this State that can't vote under this bill.
There is q town which my friend by my
side represents that has but ten voters,
Wnas can they dS about this bill, should
like to know? The unanimous vote of the
county OF Hancock by every representative
who stands here is that they do not want
this bill. The eastern part of the State is
practically pnsnimous against il, aud l
hope Mr. Sneaker thar fhe hill will rot