Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-02-09

| W. Us 'ildt that minority report is FOR
| III" n"St interest of III. state, ! viii
l"ld up both hands in his favor wheth-
or the committee report one wav or the
| other. Whether we think We know what
| lh"y viii or Mil not do has no1hiu.. 10
| Il" with the question here under con
| S"icfatlon. IL is d question OF whether
| we snail ha|" two committees jnvcsti-
eating the sam" thing at the expcnso
CT the state. | do not know what th..
committee think, | haze not attended
'h"ir hearing. ] do not know anything
'hout 1t. have not made up my mind.
"''d 90 not propose to make up my
| ililid hhtli | have all the facts ana
thtn shall do What | think is for tn,
best interest If the State.
| Mr.. SEWALI.' Mr.. Sneaker. T wish
- say that III" matt r. Of going oyar
the ground twice is not rightly put. I'm
my honest judgment tn" committee on
printing cannot go over the ground
| once or haif over tina. ground. Com
| h"Std rs we are Of unpcOfeesional prin-
| "rS' with star witness who is not a
| PROFESSIONAL printer. "" have been nm
| ;ib'c to ask TIE necessary questions to
| Draw out tn" Information; and th..r"
| = II" reason to think that do NOT
| want 70 ask the questions or that tn"
| Stdt'- printer does not want to answer
| '"rln. iilit her" we are both unable 20
| II" What W" want to do. II is now in
| tho niddl" nf the session. II is ap-
Iroaching the crowded rart Of the SEES
SION. and this Joint select committee on
| printing, Investigating perhaps To
| quote til" grntlt man from Portland. thu
| i'"st interesting subject before the p"o-
| III" OF the STATE today has had only
one witness before it. has not got
| through with him, and has actually had
| four hours IF session. Do You mean to
| say. even admitting that the two con-
| lnittecS would 60 over the same ground.
| HAT there is not Sround enough for
| them to travel on at This time? w"
| have just got under the shell, but W.
| discovered AT III" very fir.;t session that
| there Was a ''na.tit lon of affairs exist
| ing in the matter Of the state prirt-
| in%-not reile..iiu:g ON the STATE printer
| alone, or perhaps, not the majO part ny
ar | might even temper the remark
more than that-but thera is a condi-
ton of affairs existing in the matter
Of State rrintn:; which is & severe re
of the State and which the people want
changed ana want rharcc speedily:
ana for my pat. would ike To hav..
| half Il dozen committees - to work on
| hat subject rs soon as possible.
w" are asking YOU nov only to put
one of the legal commit COS at work in
this matter. we al" asking You to DO
| that chiefly because We want it to lie
| left open tn this Legislature at tho
proper time to abolish that whole office
if it should no necessary to do so AMI
because the only safe and sure way to
keep that door open is to Put upon the
committee Of legal affairs exactly what
this bill puts upon it. the consideration
of the question of abolshing the Of
fee. The committee on State printing
will go on the even tenor Of its way II
DO the work which was especially as
sicned to it.
Mr. MERRILL of SkoUhegan. Mr.
Speaker. II certainly * a question. wei
known to TIL members of this House.
and during the past ycac much has
Ieen said. much has been written about
il. that the people o. this State whom
we have the honor to represent, are
greatly interested in the question of
public printing. Whether there is any
re asnn or not. there arc a great many
people in the State of Maine who be-
lirVn honestly that tho office of Stltn
printer has been to Il greater or less
extent a graft. We are here to look af-
ter the interests of org constituents.
We are her" 10 soc right and iustic"
done so far forth as We can, let it fail
wherever it may.
At the meeting Of this body. just be
fore its organization. this question va
brought ur. |; created more or less
feeling: and while I do not desire and
will not reflect upon this special COM
mttee. because believe every gentle
man upon that committee will do what
he thinks to be right yet it is fac:
known by all Of YOU gentlemen. and
it is whispered in the air around
this House, that the report Of
that committee might just as well
be hGOaGht in tomorrow morn
ing as four weeks later. do not
know that there is any ground for that
| do not allega that there is: but do
feel that while there is that feeling
abroad. it is our duty to that commit
tee. to on" constituents and to thu
State printer, that this hill should be
referred to the committee On legal af
fairs. Why? Because if there is any
foundation for the Whiperings. it GER
tainly should. If there is no foundation
for them, then for The committee it
self. for the report going out to our
constituents. it should he referred to 4
committee that is entirely free to pass
NInon the question
Gentlemen. / hope that the motion Of
TIE gentleman from Bath (Mr. SewalD
will prevail.
Mr.. SEWALL: You did not put my
motion, | believe, Mr.. Speaker that the
yeas and nays be taken.
The SPEAKER: The chair has not
had an opportunity to put the main
question yet.
Mr. POOR of Belfast Mr.. Speaker |
from the references made to the special
committee on printing. ana the way the
arguments are tending, and the whisp- |
erings referred to by the gentleman
from Skowhegan. and the lining up
that the gentleman from Bath refers |
70 4,