Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-03-27

| of certain regiments and not 10 pfosMo
for the histories of Others. The commit
tee, however, were anxious that soine-
thing should be done in regard to MS
1 tory of the Maine troops in the war Oh Tue
Rebellion, and that that something shouiu
| be under the broad seal of the state u
Maine; and they thought that when SUI.
history was written it should be VIII
ten by an unbiased person, and not w
| peregrinating chaplain or some plaseu
! colonel Of regiment; SO that the heroes
Of the musket and the bayonet and theif
records should be placed in the archives
! of the State. So that it seemed to us Lhlt
the best thing that we could recommends
was he gathering Of the necessary data
4 far such !. history AS the years go by 1t
| becomes more and more difficult to get
this data. aud personally | had wished
very much that this resolve might secure
n passage. But the House has decided
| otherwise. and it seems to be too late now
u devise any other plan, and l therefore
move that the Senate recede and concur
with the House.
Dir. Seiders OF Cumberland: (AIr.
Engel Of penobscot being in the chair.
did not expect, when this matter came
UP, to raise MY voice here upon it, but
wish to say that the presentation of the
II after which the senator from Washing
ton has made is absolutely true in all re-
spects. aud the resolve has my most
ca rdial support. l appeared before the
committee in favor of the resolve. l do
not. even at this late hour of the session,
quite agree with the senator from Wash
iDgton that we should recede and concur
with the House, and for this reason: Two
wears with the old soldiers OF the State IS
u long time, and that period would sweep
away large number of them from our
midst. and with the death of each old
soldier part OF the history of our troops
! in the war is lost 1t seems to me that
if this matter were properly presented to
the House they would recede and concur
with the Senate in this resolve, and /
would therefore ask the senator from
Washington to withdraw his motion, and
will move that the Senate insist and ash
for "a committee Of conference.
We hardly realize the value that a his
tory of these Maine troops will be to this
State and the country in the years to
come. What would We not give for a
history of the patriots Of the war of the
| Revolution; or for II history of the
soldiers of the Mexican war? We have
neither; and if nothing is done the his
tory Of the soldiers of the war of the Re
bellion is likely to be lost beyond re
covery, as the others have been.
The opposition to this resolve comes
solely from this source, that certain
parties desired to get an appropriation
for their own special history. l do net
question their motives, but it is abso-
Iutely impossible to do this thing in that
way because eventually there would be a
cost to The State of from $40 600 to $780,.
600, and even then we should get but
partial history Tho most feasible way
that this thing can be done is by the re-
solve presented by the senator from Wash
inoton and reported by the committee of
which he is a member, and that is by pro-
viding for the collection of data for n
general history, and when it is collected
to provide for the appointment of State
historian, who should be man of ability
and of integrity, who will not only work
for the pay which he may receive, but for
the love he bears to his work; and when
he has finished his work We shall have
history Of the various departments and
regiments of our State which will be Of
value in the ages to come.
If the senator from Washington will
Withdraw his motion. l will move that
the Senate insist, and ask for q commit
tee OF conference.
Mr. Hume of Washington said that he
would gladly withdraw his motion, and
that he only made it because he thought
the case hopeless at this late day Of the
session. He said that this was the one
matter which he had deeply at heart and
in which he was interested before he came
to this session of the Legislature. he
stated that for years past be hal been in
timately connected with the Grand Army
throughout the New England states, and
tht he always felt pride in unfolding
the fame of the soldiers Of the State of
Maine. He pointed out the honorable re.
cord OF the Maine troops, stating that
every flag which had been taken into the
war by the Maine regiments had been
brought back and was now deposited
in the State House, q record which was
equalcd by no other State He pointed
with pride to the fact that it was Maine
regiment that had fought the most battles
of any one regiment in the war; and also
that it was Maine regiment which had
had tho heaviest loss in killed and
wounded in any one battle. He said that
the State owed it to herself to preserve
the records of these troops, and that he
DCuFll'y anu Willingly NiIAibttO" LIS AiAo
ton
Mr Prescott of York stated that this
resolve had the hearty and unanimous
approval of the committee on military
affairs.
Mr.. Savage of Androscoggin said that
while he agreed heartily that in regard to
the worth of the services of the old soldiers
no words could flatter, still he was not in
favor of this resolve, for the reason that
the Grand Army themselves seemed to be
divided upon it, and that by n resolution
passed by the department the Grand Army
were in favor of q resolve which provided
for the purchase Of regimcntal histories
and were not in favor of this resolve
He stated that most of the Grand Army
men of the State were opposed to the re-
solve in this form, and that in view of
this want of tnanimity on this matter he
thought it would be better not to pass
this resolve.
Mr. Soldiers: The old soldiers have
been divided for years, and they will be
divided until the death of the last enc
and this comes from the very fact that
there are certain parties who desire TO
prepare regimcntal histories of their own
regiments.
Nv Soldiers said that all preyiOus efforts