The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1906-08-30

of the salaries of the Judges of the su-
preme court, stating in the committee
and on the floor of the House that he
was in favor of fair salaries. The CON-
mittee raised the salaries of the county
ATTORNEYS of eight counties. including
the Democratic county of Knox, and
Mr.. Davis own county of Kennebec.
On none of these was there a division
in the committee, nor minority report
to the Legislature.
Once. and only once, was there dl-
vision in the committee, and that was
on the question of the abolition OF the
fees of the only State officials who re-
ceived them, and the only fees that IN
the event of their abolition would go
into the State treasury. Where did Mr..
Davis stand then? After it had been
demonstrated what fees were received
by the attorney general and the Secre-
tary of State, the Republican members
of the committee divided equally be-
tween a proposition to abolish the fees
in question at once, and reference of
the whole subject 20 commission to
report to the next Legislature. Mr..
Davis by his vote had it in his power
to ensure a majority report in favor OF
the immediate abolition of these fees;
instead he converted what might have
been majority report into minority
report, which the good sense Of the
House, | am proud to say, substituted
in it's place. And the only member
who had the audacity to defend this
majority report on the floor of the
House was Mr.. Davis himself!
Now | betray no confidence when L
say that Mr.. Davis had been in possess
sion of all the facts in reference to
these fees, long before the committee,
for l so stated in his presence lii the
committee and on the floor of the
House; and | suggested further in both
places the Interpretation which this
action of his bore, which was that he
did not wish these fees abolished be-
cause he wished to use them for the
very purpose for which he is using
them in this campaign.
quote from the record:
"What are the facts established
there2 The gentleman near me, my
friend from Waterville (Mr. Davis,
had the information long before | did,
owing to his greater astuteness and
alertuesS in those matters. | have them
now, and since he has kept his several
mouths buttoned up in his hat, and has
not used them, | would like to inform
this House what these figures are, and
| hope. Mr.. Speaker, that [ will not, by
so doing, deprive the gentleman of the
Just pleasure he might take two years
from now in using them with greater
effectiveness elsewhere
How has Mr.. Davis fulfilled this pre-
diction?
In his speech at Portland, and as the
piece de resistance of all his speeches,
he recites the moneys that have gone
to members of the State committee.
He had it in his power to have joined
Republican house in reducing these fig
ures by at least $4,000. He did not for
the obvious reason that it would have
reduced by nearly third the effective
ness of his argument.
Evidently, as | intimated at the time,
he did not intend to permit himself to
be deprived of the pleasure he then an
ticipated-no, as events have proved,
not even of the fine moral sense he SO
often invokes and which would have
restrained others of far humber pre-
tensions.
HAROLD NJ. SEwALL.
Bath, Sept. 8.
The Journal adds: AS stated in the
foregoing, Mr.. Davis has never denied
a word Of this letter, though he has
had /, d two years in which to formulate a
reply. This plain, unvarnished state
ment of facts which Mr.. Sewall wrote
two years ago puts different complex
ion upon the attitude of the watch dog
of the peoples money which Mr.. Davis
seeks to assume.
Voters of Maine are thinking men.
They will at once see the lnsincerlty OF
Mr.. Davis attitude.