Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-12

of State, State treasurer and attorney
general by the qualified electors OF the
State.
Mr.. DAVIES of Yarmouth: Mr..
Speaker, 1 feel that the men VINO are
elected to the offices OF secretary of
State, State treasurer ana attorney
general should be responsible to no
che but the people themselves; there
fore I move that the minority report
be substituted for that of the majority.
Mr.. HERSEY of Houlton; Mr.. Speak
er, This is very important meausre
Resolve to change the organic law
Of the State, TO amend the Constitu-
ton under which we have lived and
prospcred for eighty years. This mat
ter does not come here in the usual
way that proposed constitutional
amendment should come. through some
party platform, through some effort
of the people themselves to amend the
Constitution, it does not come here by
the people making a demand for it by
some political party placing it in their
platform and making it an issue in the
campaign. by electins to this Lesis-
latule representatives in favor of that
constitutional amendment 1t comes
here in the form of a resolve from the
last Legislature which resolve was re-
ferred to this Legislature. 1t comes
at this Legislature before the judi
clary committee, a public hearing was
advertised and place was appointed for
a hearing before the committee at
which time and place not q petition
was presented in favor of it, not a
single letter, not single person in all
this state appeared in behalf of that
resolve before the committee; and the
gentleman himself from Yarmouth, who
is a member of that committee, did
not give to the committee any of the
wisdom he may possess why this re-
solve should have a passage. on the
contrary every Republican upon that
committee with the exception of the
gentleman from Yarmouth was oppos-
ed to that resolve for the reason that
that resolve is not a Republican meas
ure. For eighty years we have elect
ed our officers in this way, the Repub-
lican party has stood for that method
and the people of Maine have stood for
it. At times it has been Democratic
issue in this State. At times the DEM
ocratiC party have placed in their
platform this issue. Not exactly this
issue, for they had placed alongside
of the election of secretary of state,
treasurer of State and attorney gen
eral the election of United States Sen
ators by a vote of the people. But this
resolve Only calls for these three Off
GERS, and it says. if it means any
thing, that this Legislature has sutf-
Gent ability and common sense that
it can be trusted to elect United States
Senators but it cannot be trusted to
elect a secretary of State, a treasurer
aud an attorney general; and when
the gentleman from Yarmouth prOpoS-
ed to the committee that he file min
GRITTY report | did not at that time look
| uuOn it as very serious matter, think
ing that he would not do it alone and
adopt thereby an old dead Democratic
issue and try to make a live issue of
it IN this Legislature. But the gentle
man from Camden, who would not
stand alone | do not believe in this
matter, signed a minority report with
| him and comes in here with Repubi
| can help. so to speak. and says that
| this resolve should go through this
| Legislature.
Well, gentlemen, l think if the peo
pie themselves wanted this, they would
| have had something to say about it,
there would have been some petitions
| in here and the secret would not have
| been entrusted to the gentleman from
| Yarmouth. | do not blame at all the
gentleman from Camden 1t would
have been more in proper grace per-
haps mad the gentleman from Camden
presented this matter; but he can sit
back all right and enjoy it and have
the gentleman from Yarmouth present
a Democratic measure here in this
House. The gentleman from Var
mouth somehow cannot trust the
| Legislature with the matter even if
| the people do trust them. He present
ed here a few mornings ago an anti
| LOBBY bill. Of course it cannot become
a law that will affect this Legisla-
| ture. Somehow we have got to get
| along without any protection during
| this Legislature. 1t will only affect
| some future Legislature if it should
| become a law. But of course the gem
| tleman from Yarmouth feels all right.
He is protected, He is at the present
| time under the tathcrly kind prOtec-
ing care of the gentleman from Cam
den and the angelic guidance of the
gentleman from Watervile; but the
rest of us must get along the best
| way we can. Laughter).
| Now | say when a measure like this
comes up in the Legislature, a meas
ure advocated by a Republican and a
Democrat, a measure that as Demo-
cratic, that has always been Demo-
| cratic and / believe always will be
| Democratic, / do not believe thay any
Republican iii this Legislature, out
| side of the gentleman from Yarmouth,
| has any question about his duty in
| the matter, and that is to stand by the
| Republican policies and the Republic
| can measures that have made the