Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-01-08

not prepare bill to accomplish that
result. The chairman has taken oc
cas.on to assault the State of Maine in
connection with this proposition His
suggestion is that the State Of Maine
mas not Increased in her population;
that she is unprOgressive and behind
the procession.
! submit that the facts do not war
rant the assertion Of the gentleman
from Illinois. The State Of Maine has
not decreased in her population. She
has not confined her population within
the geographical limits Of the State of
Maine; but the State Of Maine during
the last few decades has been growing
up throughout all the states of the I'm
ion. Wherever there has been occasion
for development and progress. there
Maine has been. Wherever there has
been occasion fer the manifestation of
Drawn and brain. there Maine has
been.
In the thirties. q son of Maine by the
name Of Lovejoy went to Illinois and
there he received outrage and murder
and his blood watered the soil Of n
linois.
The State Of Maine does not regret
the sacrifice thus made. Inasmuch as
the blood OF the martyrs is the seed
Of the church, we trust that what has
been our loss is her gain Aye, the
State Of Maine has sent represent
atives elsewhere. Later it sent into the
state Of Illinois and the city of Chicago
a distinguished citizen of the republic
who from the home of his adoption
went to the mead OF the highest tribu-
nal in the United States, where he now
presides with great grace, dignity and
ability-Mr. Chief Justice Fuller of the
supreme court of the United States.
native Of the State Of Maine. I think
the gentleman from Illinois will reoog-
nize the fact that Maine is not behind,
but leads the procession, even in Illi-
nois
SO much for the present suggestions.
Mr.. Speaker, in connection with the
opening of this debate. The gentleman
cannot stand here and deliver himself
of his censorious criticism character
lied by venom and spleen during a
speech on an hour and a half and then
rise on the floor and say that what he
SdiAl " DIS 'oifiBlIfllriIliliS anu
ing the State of Maine. He can not
stand here and analyze his bill on the
basis that he used classic and parlia-
mentary language charging that the
State Of Maine is robbing somebody of
a representative without answer. /
have not read the Record through to
see whether he edited that out of his
remarks. but IL was used in his speech.
He cannot stand here and use that ar
gument and make that appeal without
expecting some reply from a parlia-
mentary standpoint.
SO much in relation to these prelim-
mary suggestions. What are the two
bills here before us? What is the conf
bill? We submit that the bill
of the committee is not in accordance
with any of the presidents since 1850
There never has been a reappol-
tionment made since 1850 that did not
give to every majority fraction a rep
in the House-in two in
stances arbitrarily. in one instance
to two minority frac-
tions-in order to equalize the repre-
making it more just
throughout the country.
Let me give a few explanations
Of the basis upon which the bill is
and the basis also upon
which the minority bill is founded.
Take the majority bill Of 357. They
divide the total population by 357 for
their result of EOS sos They take that
ratio Of POS SGS and divide the popula-
ton in each state and get the whole
numbers. and they then give an addi-
tional preventative to each ma joritE
fraction in the order of its size. on
that basis this bill fails TO give three
states a representative for the major
ity fraction. The minority bill is built
precisely on the same basis.
now call the attention of the House
to the report which. l submit the
chairman Of this committee has not in
all probability read. Explaining the
basis of the representation adopted by
the minority. the report reads;
We take the computation based up
on 3S+ representatives, upon a ratio of
one representative for every 1874. Isl of
AS shown in Table of the
letter OF the director of the census
above referred to. Nebraska, with u
ma ioiity fraction of 81 .629. and Virginia
with a ma jority fraction of 106546.
each lose a representative and get no
for the ma jority fraction!
in either case.
| submit TO the members of this
House that that is a plain, straight
forward. simple. clear statement of the
bass on which the bill of the minori
ty was constructed. | submit that it is
SO plain and so simple that the way
faring man. though Il fool. need not
err therein.
Now. in order to illustrate the in
gcniouS and fair manner in which the
distinguished chairman of this commit
tee has attended to his duties. ! want
to read from the Record his assertion
as to the basis of the minority report.
quote from the Record. Here is what
he says:
II do not know what figures he had"
This is his first statement.
read from page $50:
And they have simply adopted some
method of figuring. | do not know by
what process"
Here is the chairman of this COM
mittee lin the face of this declaration
in this report. stating clearly, plainly,
the basis of the minority bilD. stating
that he does not know what that basis
is: that the minority have adopted
scme method Of figuring but he does not