Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-03-14
The Senate's Vote on Capital Removal

Pubic buildings ana GROUNDS. HiS
is report of the five members Of the
committee favorable to capital removal
and which provides referendum next
June for the voters Of the state on
the question whether Portland's offer
shall be accented and the seat Of state
government changed III consequence
from Augusta to Portland. Iester-
DAVIS action Of the Senate was, rs far
as il went. a victory for Portland and
to this extent is a disappointment I"
those Who have been opposing Port
lands attempt to capture the state
capital and who have been exposing
the means which the Portland boomers
have been employing to bring about
this end.
AS far as il goes, we repeat, the &C
ton Of the Senate is Portland victory
but, happily. it does not go Very far.
Fortunately for the people Of Maine,
the House Of Representatives still
stands between them and this mon
strous extravaganza and folly which
the ambition and greed of Portland
would fOist upon them. The House is
not only a larger body and consequent
ly harder To reach by some Of these
agencies which the Portland contingent
employed to Win support i'll I'll" ! rate,
1 q
body and closer to the III mi 81 elaine.
We are confident that il VAN h' trust
| cd to put an end to this capital relnov-
al NONSENSE instead Of forcing upon the
people Of the State the expense ANA in
| convenience OF a special election Wii.ch
| nobody asks for except the Portland
| contingent.
OF course tie action .: I'll" Ipiat,
| vest, rday does not mean that 4 major
| lily Of that body is in favor Of moving
the state capital from augusta L
| Portland. A number of votes were
undoubtedly won by til ! frr.ndun
| clause t. the bill which could ntvci
| hav- been won for the capital rrmova
project without such 4 CLAUSE attached
| Tie motives Of those Senators VINO dc
not actually favor capital removal anc
tile expenditure If millions for the new
| State House to &dorn Portland, anC
| vet who voted for the bill yesterday
| We Shall refrain from analyZing. Some
| of them, doubtless. did it through a de
| sir, to shirk responsibility and a viii
| mgness to Let the people Do the Worl
| which the people sent them to th'
Legislature to do. Suffice it to say tina
fully onc-half Of the Senators who vot
"a yesterday TO adopt report A OF tn
committee did so absolutely in violence
u the expressed wishes Of their con
stitucmts in this matter.
| suffice It to say also that IN
frit ms Of the removal movement ar
welcome to all the satisfaction the,
can got out Of their narrow majorit.
III the Senate yesterday. If they ar
going to celebrate at all they may vel
do it at this time for they will have n
opportunity later. Not even IN
referendum clause-when the referen
dam is wholly uncalled for and whel
it is expressed in such an unfair am
vicious form as III this instance-Wil
lnislead the majority of the member
Of the House 80 far as 70 make then
forget their responsibility as repre-
scntativns of the people and as lcgisla
tors VII" have in charge the interest
and welfare Of the whole State.
The action Of the Senate yesterday
10 Ne regretted. 1t would have bee
better in every way had the matte
been killed at the start, but since tn
biz has passed the Senate, howeve
small the majority in its favor IN
task of the House is now plain and
il not to bc doubted what the resul
will be.
The Journal wishes 20 extend heart
congratulations to Senator H"seit"n Q
this county for his mastery argumcn
Yesterday morning in opposition t
capital removal. His speech was til
feature Of the session and the argu
ments he made were convincing an
unanswcrabln. but those in favor o
the movement were not i'll the MOOD I
he convinced and they wisely refraine
from attempting to answer his argu
mvntS As contrasted with his spcec
in opposition to the bill, the spe2che
or those who favored it We're pitiiull
weak. though no weaker than the c;tus
for which they spoke when allowed t
stand on its own merits.
Fast day is now a past day in Maine
Tho npSt holiday will be Patriots day