Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-02-11

SoVVV year. anu tDey HNeu well. Iney
We're economical men. The judges of
the Supreme Court of the State today
should be economical men. They
should set an example to the rising
generation, that economy is virtue
and should be practiced everywhere,
whether the man be a judge or a me-
chanc. / know the Republican party
of Maine in their last State convention
promised economy in the public expen-
diture of the peoples money. Do you
tell me that if you had said in your
platform that you were in favor of
raising the salary of almost evry officer
in the State of Maine, that you would
be in your seats today? / doubt
whether you would, Gentlemen. The
majority party are always promising a
great deal in their platform. 1t re-
minds me of the young man given to
exaggeration, so. much so that his
friend told him he ought not to do it.
and said to him. when you get upon
one of your high keys, | am going to
blow a whistle, and when | do that.
you come down from your high perch.
One day they were together, and the
young man got very much elated in
his mind, in telling of his fathers
farm. Why" he says My father W
in the country has got a farm of a
thousand acres, and he has a barn
eight hundred feet high" His friend
blew the whistle-"and a foot and a
half wide" So it is a great deal with
the majority party in this Senate
When they are in convention they have
a barn that is a thousand feet high
but when they get to practicing what
they preach the barn is no more than
"A foot and a half wide. Now | believe
in practicing what you preach. | re-
collect, two years ago, in this body, the
proposition came in here to raise the
salary from $500 to $4,000. / believe
| was the only member that opposed it
at that time. l supposed that would be
the last of it, when it was carried
through this body. but now they come
here today, and ask for another thou
sand dollars.
Who asked for this raise of salary
| Of the judges of the supreme court. A
lawyer did not introduce the bill. My
friend down to Calais who is not a
lawyer, introduced the bill. 1t seems
queer that if the salaries of the
judges should be increased that some
are living in day of great extrava-
gance. One brother told me today
| that the judges could not live upon a
salary of less than $4,000, d year. Now,
| | apprehend if man in the good old
State of Maine is not economical
enough to live upon $4,000, year, there
is something wrong somewhere. What
are we coming to, if we raise the sal
aries all through the State. | saw the
other day,--it as amatter that concerns
the Hancock county delegation,-that
| they proposed to raise the salary of the
Judge of Probate of Hancock county to
| $1,000, a year. The judge of probate
holds twelve sessions a year-$112 a
day for every day that he labors in
| Hancock county. In my county where
apprehend the volume of business lis
as great as it is in Hancock, we find as
good men as they have in Hancock or
any other county, willing to take the
place of $500 year. l find that al
most every county attorney in the
State is asking that his salary be
raised. 1t was only few years ago
that my friend Heath was county at
ltorney for Konnebec county upon a
salary Of only $500 a year, and ! COM
prehend that the volume of business
was as great as 1t is today, and still
ennebec county asks the State TO pay
/ the county attorney of kennebec
county $1200--and so it is In other
counties of the State. We, had little
| money in the treasury at the beginning
of this session, and everybody seems to
want to get some of this money We
have appropriated besides the general
appropriation bills about 100000. We
are 100000, beyond our constitutional
limit, because the constitution provides
THAT we shall not create any debt, eth
err siugly or in the aggregate beyond
$500, 900, at any one session. We have