The Portland daily press., 1897-03-30
Unconstitutional Legislation in Maine.
To the Editor of the Press:

Unconstitutional Liquidation in Maine.
To the Editor of the Press:
/, think any one who has carefully in.
yestigated the question, will come to the
conclusion expressed in the PRESS, that
legislation which undertakes to control
the appropriation bills of future legis
lature is clearly unconstitutional and
void. IL undertakes to dictate to body
which has ne legal existence and assumes
the prerogative of legislature hereafter
to be elected by the people. The assump
tions involved in this kind of Legislation
are not only monstrous but danger GUS in
the extreme.
To illustrate, take as an example the
act of the present legislature in voting
that the State shall pay $40, 600 per year,
for the next ten years, to the Agrioul
tural College at Orono. II it has a Legal
right to do this by the same rule 1t can
vote that the State pay the same to said
college thirty, forty or fifty years: or il
this right exists, the amount can be made
forty, fifty or one hundred thousand dol
lars annually Instead of $40, 600. 1t may
be said in answer that no legislature
would vote away such large amounts
But am not speaking Of what legis
lature might or might not do but of the
powers and prerogatives assumed by this
kind of legislation.
IT one legislature has constitutional
right to direct the succeeding legislatures
for the next ten year to pay one of its
literary institutions from the treasury Of
the stats twenty, fifty or one hundred
thousand dollars it has the same right tC
direct and order the same amount to be
paid to each and every other literary in.
stitution in the state. The logical out.
come of this species of legislation would
permits single legislature to bankrupt
the Stata treasury existing und er y
su bseo uent legislature. IL is an assump D.
tion Which has no constitutional limit in
the appropriation of the public money
of the State upon its face almost too
absurd for argument. Again this kind
of legislation is not only unconstitutional
but legal fraud upon the people of the
State. Twenty thousand dollars
(S20 000j upon the face of it, may not
look very large. but when you multiply
il by ten. swelling it up to almost a
quarter of million, it then discloses q
covert attempt by legislative methods to
practice deception upon the people.
The doctrine of legislative right, as ex-
eroised in passing the Agricultural Col
lege Resolve IL based on the assumption
that we, (the legislature)s" are the people
and that when we die all wisdom will dis
with us''-that the Maine Legislature for
the next ten years will either be incapa-
bic of understan ding the wants of the
PEOPLE orktoo corrupt to be entrusted
with legislative prerogatiyes. 1t is pro-
nounced distrust of their own interests
in the future; and an attempt to tie up
the hands of future Legislatures and
compel them to appropriate money, not
according to their wisdom or Judgment
but according to the superior wisdom
and judgment.of the legislature of 1897.
Gov. Powers, when he had this resolve
presented to.him for his approval had
the great opportunity of his life before
hi III. An executive veto of the ten years
provision in the resolve would have met
the hearty and enthusiastic approval of
the people of the state, and been a whole