The Portland daily press., 1893-05-18

Meeting of the Managers OF the Maine
League-Secretary Dement'S Report
The League Will Make an Active Cam
paign
( Alta special meeting of the managers
OF the Maine League for the Protection
of American Institutions the president,
Hon. James P. Baxter, was unavoidably
absent, and the Rev. DR.. Blanchard pre-
sided. The meeting was large and en-
thusiastic, and the situation of the pro-
posed constitutional amendment and the
cause of its defeat were considered, and
a plan for urging the measure in every
part of the State with still greater earn
estness was agreed upon.
The friends of the measure are en-
couraged by all the facts in the case
the fact that it was referred to the next
legislature, which leaves it pending,
favorable report of the judiciary commit
tee, with all the petitions and memorials
on file. the fact that the House of Repre-
sentatives favored it by a vote of 92 and
only IL against it, the fact that it was de-
feated in the Senate, in the manner and
by the influences which unquestionably
did defeat it, disclosing purpose on the
part of certain Senators to prevent the
voters of Maine, by the exercise of arbi-
trary power and in defiance of clearly
expressed public opinion, from protect
ing the pubic treasury against the selfish
and incessant opportunities of denomina-
tional schools and colleges for money.
The fact that these few senators, in
spired by such motives, are alone respon-
sible for the defeat in the Senate is cause
for derision rather than Encouragement.
The following is from the secretarys
report to the managers of the League:
sEcRETARY's REPORT.
''In the House the resolution passed by
the extraordinary vote of 90 to u. After
this decided expression of the will of the
popular branch of the legislature, the de-
feat of the measure in the Senate was
simply tyranny. Eleven senators re-
corded their votes against allowing their
constituents, and the constituency Of the
State, whose public servants they were.
to pass upon the amendment It had for
sometime been evident that an over
whelming majority of the people of the
State We're in favor of the amendment,
and the triumphant vote of the House
made this fact indisputably plain
Under such circumstances the vote of
the Senate ought to have been unani.
nous. For the only question at issue
was one of expediency so far as the SEN
ate was concerned
The people were to consider during the
next two years the principle of the pro-
posed constitutional amendment and act
on their consciences. But certain sena-
tors voted against the resolution. That
they were inspired by their president we
have right to presume, by his boasting
announcement made at the very begin
ming, that he would leave his high seat
and go down upon the floor of the Sen
ate and oppose the resolution not to
amend the constitution, but to allow the
people to amend it if they should see fit
A very audacious and high sounding
threat, more like manifesto of a SUI
preme sovereign than the rational act of
president of our Republican Senate.
At the opportune moment he did de-
scend from his high seat and made re-
marks which have been reported and
read by those interested, and commented
on most unfavorably in fashion l need
not repeat.
Let us hope that the blight Senator
Spofford, who aspires to be the next
President of the Senate did not vote
against the peoples will, as he clearly
did, by reason of said forensic effort of
the Hon. Albert NJ. Spear. Nor do we
believe that the Hon. Jesse M. Libby
voted against the measure on account of
that speech but rather because he is
graduate of Bates college Rev. DR..
Hyde, President of Bowdoin college wrote
letter which was read to the judiciary
committee at the hearing in which letter
he opposed the amendment IN peculiar
fashion. 1t certainly was a great sur
prise to the members of the Maine
League, for he had already deliberately
subscribed to the principles of the
National League. and the proposed
amendment of the National Constitution
from which our amendment was copied
word for word.
1t is fact that Mr.. Spear and Mr.. Cla-
son who worked assiduously in the lobby
OF the Senate against the amendment are
graduates of Bates, Free Baptist col
lege at Lewiston, and that members, or
the friends of that Protestant denomina-
tions are manly responsible for the de-
feat in the Senate of the proposed CON
stitutional amendment. And in addition
to this mischievous imposition upon the
tax payers of Maine, they secured an
abatement of a tax upon property owned
by Bates College amounting to about
$1,000 this very year.
We sincerely congratulate the friends
of the constitutional amendment for the
greater opportunities and longer time,
which the present situation affords, for a
more thorough discussion, and deliber-
ate consideration of the principles in
volved, believing that the measure will
in the end, receive the hearty and patri-
otto approval of our fellow citizens
throughout the state.
The following are the eleven Senators
who denied the people the privilege of
amending the constitution of our state at
the election of 1894 Albert M. Spear of
Gardiner, John F. Hill of Augusta, Omar
Clark of Carratunk, Isaac o. Winslow of
st. Albans, Elmer P. Spofford of Deer
Isle, William r. Allen of Dennysville,
Owen P LYONS of Vinallayen Alonzo