Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-27

appropriation IN the State Of Maine
and the fact that an attack has bee,
made, that officials of the State .hay,
been called Offenders" that the svs,
tenn has been called up and attacked
here, has nothing to do with this mat.
ter at all. We have. today, to deal WITH
the simple facts as they are presented
to this House, today. by these reports.
ana as signer of the majority report
of the committee, it may be advisable
for me to state my position, and Incl
dentally the position of the other mem
bers who signed the majority report.
] am, first, last and all the time in
favor of straight salaries, from the
Governor down to the humblest official
in this State have been outspoken
in this, not only here at this session
but for years in the past. 1 have
been outspoken against it because l be-
lieved the system was wrong and that
the people of the State should know
and that lit was their duty to know,
what their officials were receiving. And
that sentiment, that has been growing
in the State of Maine, has crystallized
in this House, and the outgrowth Of it
is commission made up, as I believe
1t will be made up, of~honorable gen
tlemen in the Senate and the House.
whose duty it will be to consider the
fee system and the salaries paid in this
State, and whose duty it will be to re-
port that those fees shall no longer be
paid.
Coming to the question in all can
dor. we were asked to single out at
~ +yx-o n
and place them upon a salaried basis at
this time, in spite of the fact that we
have had 25 years of increasing fee
system-in spite of all the record of the
past we have been asked to make this
tremendous break at this time. Now
what were the facts? The gentleman
from Bath has been asked, and he has
not satisfactorily answered the ques-
ton, why he recommended $4,000 as an
equitable salary for the attorney gen
eral of the State of Maine. He was
asked if he knew what the duties of
the attorney general were. There has
been no satisfactory answer. The only
information that we could get was that
the duties were arduous, that there
were opinions given for which no
charges were made, that he was con-
stantly consulted by those organizing
corporations, that he had much to do
aside from simply approving or dis
proving of a corporation or excusing it
and we believe that with the meager
informa ton that was had it was mani
testify unfair to begin now and cut this
man off from his salary and his fees,
but that it was fair to say to that man,
otcci !,
your case, and every other case in the
State of Maine where fees are received,
will come before it''-and before the
next Legislature convenes those fees
will be dug out, the facts governing
that office will be known, everything
will be made public, and at that time
proper report will be made that you
can act upon intelligently.
Now, as to this item of $4,000. Sup
pose in the near future you add to the
corporation tax 25 per cent. more than
you have it, today, and you will drive
the corporations that are coming here,
to New Jersey, or West Virginia or
some other State, and the result would
be that your attorney general would
not earn $4,000. Why fix it at $4,000?
In all fairness let us put the whole box
md dice together and let US determine
by actual Investigation what these po-
sitions are worth, and then let US fix
the salary and make it commensurate
with the service performed. l am not
afraid of the results. / am opposed to
the fee system. 1t is a relic of barbar-
ism. And one year, and I fancy two,
are none too many to give, this COM
mission time to investigate carefully
these offices and put them ON a basis
where you will know that they are re-
ceiving. Why decapitate this man and
the other man, today. before you know
what you are doing? Do this thing
and then, when the fee system goes,
let it go altogether. (Applause).
Mr. LIBBY of Mechanic Falls: Mr..
Speaker, 1 believe that much of the in
formation which the gentleman from
Bath has given to this House, must be
new to the members. 1t certainly is
revelation to me. If 1 had known that
the attorney generals place in this
State was paying the amount of $4,000
or $4,000, 1 admit 1 would have been
after it years before this daughter).
believe that the people of this State
feel, today, that salary of $4,000 for
this place is adequate. Whether they
do or not, l believe it, personally, and
that a salary of $4,000 Is sufficient to Sc
cure the services of any man who is de-
sirous of occupying this position. And
l want to call attention to one thing
further This position is worth some
thing to any man in the legal profess
sion outside of the money COM
pensation which he receives. When
man engaged in the prac-
tice of law has been complimented
by being permitted to hold this high office,
when the people have said that his abil-
ties are sufficient to occupy this place
which has been occupied by such noble
men in the past, l say it is worth some
thing to him in his professional life be-
sides the mere remuneration of the salary
attached to it. And that is something that
ought not to be lost sight OF in this discus
sion.
The gentleman from Waterville has con-
fesseu that he is an admirer of specious
arguments, and l apprehend that no con-
fession was necessary in the case 1t
might go without saying. The argument
which the gentleman has produced here
on this proposition, it seems to ME. is in
and of itself a confession. | have heard
the gentleman from Waterville time and
time again inveigh against this PROPOSE
ton of fee system in TINS state; and he
practically reterates it here. This thing
is a relic of that which we have been try
ing to 'Obliterate for years. And in stand