Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-02-17

| labor leader OF IaSsa .hustt its and had
deliver ed an able address upon the sub.
ject at the Statc House the evening be.
fore. He is strong and convincing
| Speaker and made Il splendid impress
SION. Said Mr.. Foster: The principle
of the initiative and referendum is that
IF a cncck upon the legislative body
It would very seldom BE- used. but it,
| existence Touli drive the lobby on .,
| business. There Is 10 valiC argument
against it except the cost. and the ey-
| T''nse of Il special elections occasionally
would not be Very large. The money
| would be We'll spent"
Mayor HichDo.n Of this city was the
next speaker and he said in substance.
am heartily in sympathy with this
resolve Which sinciy- gives the peop:r
"i Maine an opportunity To say wheth-
r me initiative AMI referendum shall
pe put III the state constitution. There
| can D" no valid objection to such Il
| proposition. am not afraid of innoyl-
| '."lis. W" should welrome any innoyca-
| '!oii winch Will right Il wrong. We
s""aic b" ready To take a forward stco
az any time. This is simply a new an
| pitatl'n Of 4 new idea, the town NEE.
ing lh'a Applied 10 State affairs. II
a"ds nc burden 10 the people. II simrI,
gives them the right to pass unou nv,
| laws. surely In" peonic should NOT n.
| icss trusted t.ian 4 lobby they have
| themselves creat"l. Let the neon,n
have the privilege o. saving ubath.r
the constitution shall b, amended in
| TIE manner suggested
| l,pr II l.
spoke IcNt. emphasizing thu active s,,n-
| Fort (which IS 5.>"n The proposition b.
the NJ line Grange With so 600 members
| the Mailie Federation OF Labor wiz,
20.Gc0 members and jh, civic Leaoua
| with thousands OF mcl.ibers. He urred
that the initiative and referendI,r,
would tend to public security and elm
cate the people III self governmer-
Charles l.. Fox Of Portland spoke of the
| conservative rature ut The PROMISED
| BILL. and quoted from writer's as To The
| Working of the idea in Switzerland
mere We're many Trading labor men
present from all parts Of The State bur
50 much time rad already been con
suned nearly two hours, that they did
not insist upon being heard. There Was
nobody to address the committee in
| opposition TO the resolve.
Most of those who filled the hail Of
| the House of Representatives, for III.
| afternoon were drawn by the adver-
used hearings on various matters re-
Saruing Shiloh. There We're several OF
| tHeSe measures, one 4 bill amending
| the manaaughter law, one q petition
| Tor q special legislative committee to
| investigate Shiloh, and one Il petition
| OF AndroSco2ein county women for
laws which will make il impossible for
| Snch conditions to exist us prevail at
| Shllon. The two petitions were side
tracked and for two hours Senator
offers manSlau9hter bill WAS the
| storm center. And as the hearing got
| under way Shiloh was lost in the fog
| and believers in Christian Science who
| felt that the bill would hit them AS
| We'll as Shiloh held the center Of the
stage and made the hearing one Of tie
| the winter.
Senator Potter first explained his
| proposed bill which amends the law
defining manSlaughter. To his bill the
Christian Scientists have suggested al
| amendment. His bill is given below,
XII tiit SuScSttu amendment III DUO
tatiOn marks:
Section ,. Whoever unlawfully kills
Il human being in the heat of passion
on sudden prOvOcation, without eN-
press or implied malice aforetho1ght
or. being the legal duty to care and
provide for any child or other person.
wilfully fails or neglects to provide for
such child or other person necessary
food, clothing, medical treatment "and
other efficient treatment for the sick"
OF other neceSsaries of life, thereby
causing or Fastening the death of su,h.
child or other person. or commits NAH
slaughter rs defined by the common
law. shall be punished by mprison-
ment for not more than 20 years. or by
fine not exceeding $1,000.
The first speaker was Mayor Shelton
of Lewiston. eX-county attorney of
AndroscOggin. who spoke earnestly in
behalf Of the bill. He declared that the
recent events AZ Shiloh and the condi-
tons there make necessary some penal
ty for causing the death Of 4 child by
neglect to prov ide medical treOtment.
He told of his experience as county at
torney when a boy of II years died "f
diphth,-ria at Shiloh for lack Of medical
attendance, and dwell: uron the six
death from smallpox there in 1903 when
there Nos II cases of smallpox in Lew
iston without a death resulting from
the disease. He said IF this proposed
La hits Shiloh. It is the rault of the in
stitution and rot Of the law" FIX Coun-
ty Attorney WhitehOuSe of Portland
followed briefly in ia vor of the bill.
And now the Christian Science ele-
rrent was introduced into the hearing
and The real interest began. Lawyer
Hersey of Portland announced that he
was present in behalf of the 200 Chris
tian Scientists in Maine anG that 30 of
them were in The hail ready to testify
i'm behalf of their faith and to protest
against 4 law which would nterfcr
with their way of treating sickness
without the use Of medic ne. Said Mr..
Jersey: There are z million Christian
Scientists in tbs country having loco
churches. They are intelligent. honest
rraycrful people, who believe that the
rower of Almighty God which cured
the lefcr and raised the Gcad is still a
power today. They do not throw away
their property and gather in colonies