Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-13
MAINE LEGISLATURE.
CONTINUED from Page Four.)

hope that the motion of the Senator
from York to lay this amendment on
the table SO that we can consider it.
will prevail
If / can see my way clear 1 am not
opposed to proper appropriation OF
money but l want to know what we
want in the first place. Let us have the
Governor and Council authorized to
find out just what is best to be done,
ard what it is going to cost,
otherwise the s35O,O0O will be
expended and then your State
House will not be fixed to suit YOU Let
us go to work in business
way, and find out what is best to be
done, before we use any money, or APP
propriate any for this purpose. When
we find out, let us generously appro-
pirate enough to make the State House
adequate for the next so years, or for
tie next 100 years.
Mr. WARREN of Cumberland: Mr..
President: In reply to the the senator
from kennebec, l will say that / do
not agree with him in his statement
that the Legislature is incompetent
and that they are not the proper parties
to determine what should be done in
regard to this State building. I be-
lieve that the Legislature is entirely
competent to decide in general way
that which is needed, and how much
money can be afforded for the purpose.
We can determine; and we know best
better than d commisSiOn-what ought
to be done. We cannot go into de-
tails as to the architectural construc-
tomas to just the room that will be
requiredas to the details. Those are
matters that require careful consider
alton. But we can limit and prescribe
the bounds within which they can work
We all of us know that, in our business
we must do the thing that needs to be
Gone today, and provide for some dis
tancc in the future. We do not orGi-
narily take irto account so large a
range as 50 years, or anything like
that. We know what we want now,
and what will meet our needs, and we
do it, looking as far ahead as we can
safely look. Now, in this line, want
to say that I do not believe that the
main body of this building ever should
be touched, l mean within the range
of what we need to take into &C
count.
We could not ask to have better
Senate Chamber than this in which
we row meet. The House of Repre-
sentativcs. l admit. is somewhat in
adequate as far as room goes; but
what is more probable than that with
in q few years there will be change
in the representation of our State.
suppose all of you know that cities like
Portland, Bangor and some others, are
inadequately represented. l do not be-
lievc they will very long consent to
the present representation, and, If the
representation is ever changed, it is
altogether likely that the representa-
lion of the outlying country will be
reduced rather than that the cities will
be increased. 1T will be the more nat
ural way, and l believe for the common
good. Such a representation carried
out would leave a larger representa-
ton for the country than for the city
and would reduce the House of Repre-
scntatives to something like a hundred
or hundred and twenty members, for
which the present hall would be ample,
providing all the side room would be
needed. When that comes about, which
l hope will come about some day, l
shall hope to see annual sessions re-
sumed, and l think that will be for
the common good.
But that matter is not before US
now. I will only say this, that we
should never break into the Hall of
Representatives and we should never
have that in mind in any extension
which we are TO make.
The Governors quarters at the other
end of this building are fine and as
good as we could expect to have, and
l think we should not consider any
enlargement which would leave open
the temptation, as it were. to say that
we ought to increase the Hall OF Repre-
ScntativeS
So far as the question of estimates
Is concerned, we, any of us who nave
lad to do with building. always know
how inadequate estimates prelimillari,y
made are, and there is nothing else
hut preliminary estimates that have
come before this committee and moth
ing else has been suggested here. 1t
is to my own mind. pretty plain that
$35O,OO0 will not be adequate if the
addition is to be made in connection
with this building; that is, / mean to
be built directly on to this buiidlns;
and. We, the members of the Legisia-
ture. may as we'll say so now as TO
say it afterwards.
There is only one other thing I Will
say. that the suggestion l made Will
not preempt the ground at the rear
fer the enlargement of this State
House when the time comes for doing
it. l think very likely it will come
within the next 80 years and that this
House itself should be enlarged. We
do not wart to get in our own way.
We do not want to build something
that we shall wish afterwards had not
been built We want to leave the
ground clear, and the suggestion winch
l made leaves the ground clear. The
senator has said that we do not know
how much money would be needed, anu
that therefore we must put enough
in the box to cover the needs. Now 1t
is very much easier to define the
amount which might be needed. II we
could limit it to an Office building, and
I suggest in my amendment making
ii a library annex 1t is much easier