Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-02-15

would, and to have any person who
comes here to make charges against
any official make those charges in
some written form; and if an investi-
CATION is held and any person any
where knows anything that ought to
be looked into in his Judgment, it is
his opportunity to come and say 50 to
the committee or else forever after to
hold his peace.
| Mr.. NEWBERT of Augusta: Mr..
Speaker, 1 rise to support the motion of
the gentleman from Waterville that this
House non-concur with the Senate in
Its amendment. / haven't very much
interest in this order. 1 think the House
voted unanimously to pass the Milli-
ken order and it seems 20 me to be an
entirely proper order. 1 believe in its
scope 1t has come back to us from the
Upper Branch amended by striking out
everything in the original order but
the date. We have different PROPOSE
ton before Us. I an member OF the
committee on salaries and fees. We
worked late last night. 1 do rot be-
Ueve il is possible for this committee
or salaries and fees TO sit as perna-
nent tribunal of this Legislature and
| near all llidl might pc DiouSI-I ~
the way of investigation.
There is something in this amend
men. which I do not care to speak
about at length. ] think that certain
eminent gentlemen in the State are in
terested in protecting somebody and Ill
covering I'D something. l have an in
| terest in the order which was MIRO
duced ir this House on the 23d OF Jan
uary It passed this House without a
| dissenting vote. Today it IS moulding
| in the graveyard of many ambitious
hopes. Someone is waiting Tor thlS
| amendment u pass and then VIII i""i
| Justified in moving the indefinite / ISL
| yontment of the order PASSED by tili9
House unanimously to look into the
| transaction and methods OF the sre2t
| Maine rum shop.
| | sincerely hope that this House WIZ
| not concur in the adoption of this
| Senate amendment.
| Mr.. MCKINNEY Of Bridgtnn: MT
| Speaker, I would like to read snort
passage from the Governors message
On this question which applies TO this
| matter. In his recommendation that q
| State auditor should be appointed ne
| speaks Of the uncertainty OF having the
| Governor and Council audit the ac-
counts of the various departments ana
tie expenditures of the state and says
cit seems to have beer permitted for
two reasons: 1t is known to have been
| the custom nearly one hundred years
ago and since that time no authority
has been granted to change 1t. 1t mas
long since outlived any usefulness II
NAV have possessed, and eacn year It's
ridiculous features are more pro-
bounced. The methods of bookkeeping,
too, employed by some of the depart
ments are extremely loose. and this
| whole subject should be investigated
and the defects rencdied."
If this amendment is passed it Will
be impossible to investigate without
charges, while if the order as orlglnal-
Nv presented becomes a law then we
can carry out the Recommendations OIL
Governor Cobb with regard to the m
vestigation Of these accounts.
| Mr.. HILL Of Machias: Mr.. Speaker, it
seems 10 me TO be extremely foolish to
trv to audit the accounts of the differ
ent departments through any such
method as this. The gentlemen VINO
have SPOKEN in opposition to the senate
amendment take the ground that this
investigation is simply an auditing OF
the accounts. looking over the BOOKS o.
the different departments Now, II that
| Is all Land il we are in need OF state
| auditor. let us go at it in the proper
methods and create a State auditor,
have an auditor, an expert. VINO VIII
DO this work and audit the accounts in
the different departments and not at
tempt to appoint seven members on the
part of the House and three on the part
| of the Senate, some of whom may be
only old farmers. to try to stralghten
cut the accounts and methods of book
keeping in the different departments.
As matter of fact, I can see in this
Investigation nothing but search for
| something wrong in the different de-
partments; and from what little l have
been about the court rooms during term
time my feelings are such that II
were the head of the department |
/, should strongly object to being placed
in the position OF q man who is brought
, up on trial without an indictment. Now
Senate amendment A. simply gives
It proper legal protection to the honor.
the good name and the reputation of
the heads Of our departments. If any
man knows or believes that he knows
of anything wrong in a department he
has a chance to have that investigated
and its officials put on trial; and that
is the only way that | can look at this
!, question of investigation. l shall lose
no opportunity to vote TO support Sen =
ate Amendment A" and hope it will
supcrcede the original order.
Mr.. MILLlKEN: Mr.. Speaker. just
a word further. The order was intro
duced for the purpose which | tried TO
make clear. The question Of the
method by which that purpose can best
, be reached am content to leave to the
Judgment OF the members of the LeSis-
lature AS / said. my own Judgment
is that under the circumstances Ne
shall best reach the result by adopt
, ing Senate Amendment "A.
| There are two or three things sug-
gested by what has been said TO which
| wish to refer. One is the suggestion
that any body is trying to cover up
something. Now, l fail to see how
anything is to be covered up by this
amendment. | fail to see any injustice
in asking any person who appearS with