The true northerner., 1899-01-18

anu IL is again the anu turn
2. While the former succeed
having special committee
they had 10 leave the selection
ker Adams. The latter made
chairman of the committee,
named seven other members
to be opposed to the Pingree
lme, and even the Pingreeites
Ind say Cheever drew a gold
The special committee will be
shade more friendly to the bill
- be regular railroad committee.
Tf-u6reach between the two factions is
still further wdened.
The successive body blows which
Gov. Pingree has received since the
legislature convened last week have
had a noticeable effect upon him. The
term 'body blows" is used advisedly,
for even the governors stanchest sup
porters admit that the loss of the house
organization. the denomination of Sen
ator Burrows. the failure TO have the
house name special committee 10
handle the Atkinson bill. and the ac-
tion of the senate in ignoring all prece-
dents and effectively rearranging the
senate committees have been blows
that cannot be ignored. Gov. Pin
gree dehounces the latter action as
revolutionary, but quite in keeping
with the tactics employed by the OPP
position from the start. In his opin
ion. nothing viii be gained by the
ants. il being his judgment that after
the Endorsement given the Atkinson
bill by the state convention, and in
view of the fact that the campaign was
fought out on that issue, the repub-
ican legislature dare not refuse TO pass
~ Nl.
These Tdefeats are said 10 mean the
governor Will in all probability fare
poorly at the, hands of the legislature
The anti-PingNeites insist that the de-
velopment of the last two weeks prove
that he has lost his hold on the party
and that the so-called stalwarts are in
the saddle again.
While it is said the Atkinson bill will
not be passed in its present form if
the anti-administration faction can
prevent it. there is little doubt that
some law will be enacted TO meet the
platform pledge of a law "embodying
the principles Of the Atkinson bill
The opposition deny that this pledge
means that the legislature must pass
any particular bill the administration
may see fit TO introduce. This week
will. il is claimed. determine the exact
position of Gov Pingree in relation to
the legislature. If it is demonstrated
that he will be unable TO pass his re-
form bills i'm the shape i'm which he has
had them prepared his hold on his
party will be noticeably weakened al
though il will not necessarily follow
that the people generally will not stand
by him. The week will be an impor-
tant one. for the Pingree faction is de-
termined 10 even up matters if il can
muster the strength and a raid on the
house committees is contemplated.
The Pingreeites have been making
overtures to the democratic Legislators.
but the latter have thus far shown a
disposition not to permit themselves
to be used as cat's-paws by either of
dhe warning republican factions. They
refrained from voting on the resolu-
tion TO have a special committee TO
handle railroad tax bills and propose
10 maintain this neutral attitude so
long as the fight promises to work in
jury TO the republican party in the state
Gov. Pingree is now threatening to
veto all appropriation bills except
those for the support of the insane and
poor if the Atkinson bill is not passed.
His idea is that the friends of various
state institutions whose appropriations
are withheld will raise such a protest
that a majority Of the legislature will
- forced to vote for the railroad bill.
The governor INDUCED in talk of this
kind during the last session, but il is
recalled that the Atkinson bill was not
passed and no appropriation bills were
vetoed.
The talk of unseating Speaker Adams,
which has been freely INDUCED in by
some of the more radical members of
the administration faction. has been
silenced by the announcement of Rep
resentative John J. Carton, who was
to be elected as Adams successor, that
he will not permit the use of his name
in that connection nor have any part