Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-30


The bill then received its third read
ing and was passed to be engrossed.
On motion of Mr.. Davies of Var
mouth majority and minority report
of committee on legal affairs to which
was referred the bill to regulate TIL
employment of the legislative lobb,
counsel and agents, majority reportins
ought not to pass minority report
ing fought to pass" was taken from
the table.
/ Mr. PIKE of PASSPORT: Mr.. Speak.
er; l move the substitution of the
minority for the majority report. I hay
for long time felt the necessity O.
some remedial legislation along the
lines of renovating the lobby. I don't
know that this bill is an idea one but
| believe that it is now time we should
| begin to take up this matter and dis
cuss it. Several Legislatures have
passed such law, and I think if there
is any state in need of such a law il
is Maine.
| MI, DAVIES: Mr.. Speaker: I de-
| sire TO submit to the House lust one
| or two considerations touching the
| matter OF lobbying as a business NV
mind mas not resisted the impression
1or some little time that it is a bust
| ness which this House should recoe-
| ME and take some cognizance of. 1t
| cannot be denied but that the lobby
IS a very important part in our legis-
latlon. 1t attracts to it's forces men
OF good deal of influence, both so
clally and politically: ana I think too
that 1t cannot be denied that it is a
nf
our legislation. AS soon as a measure
ol great importance happens to pass
the Senate and is sent into this House
Tor consideration and we do not con-
cur in the action of the Senate. there
Immediately descends. from all points
Vi the city OF Augusta various gentle
men VINO are employed in the interests
vi the measure. Now I think there
SHOULD be some restriction. l think
that the members of this House are
emitted to know who the gentlemen
are that appear in favor or against
a certain measure pending here for
legislation; therefore it has been pro-
Vlded in this bill that there shall he
kept with the secretary of State two
DOCKS in which there shall be regis
tered, first. the names of the people
VINO appear here before the commit
tees in the interests of various meas
ures, and second, a docket shall be kent
by the secretary of State in which there
sfaH~be registered the names of indi-
Vlouals who appear here to work from
day to day in the lobby. Now there
snail be recorded in those books kent
IN the secretary of States office the
names OF the people who employ them.
-HoW 1t seems to me that that is in
formation which the House is entitled
10 ana to which no reasonable man
could really object. 1t is provided
further that after the services of the
various individuals have ceased, wheth-
ef they appear before committees or
whether they work in the lobby, they
snail record with the secretary of State
statement of their financial expenses.
uo not see as there is anything OBJ
lcctlonab]e about that. We must 70
member that the members of the House
and Senate are obliged to conform
to very strict regulations and very
strict rules. Why not put the third
House under some kind of rule? 1t
Is also true that we are restricted in
certain other things, but there is a GER
the transaction of the business in the
lobby or in the third house, which it
seems to me should have some regu-
iatlon, something should be done which
VIII give us some knowledge as to lust
who happens to be employed on a Ger
tain proposition, and also think we
should know at the end of the session
the amount of money which has been
expended and for what purposes. Those
are the only three points which this
Dill covers, and it is a bill which has
been written into the statutes of most
of the states on the Eastern coast.
Massachusetts has such Il bill; Yer
mont has written into it's statutes at
the last Legislature such bill: New
| Hampshire has such an act which pass
| ed its Senate with only one dissenting
vote; the State of New York has such
bill; the state of New Jersey has
such bill, and by far Il majority of
| the Eastern states. Now our system
| on the floor of the House of Repre-
sentatives is extremely loose. / doubt
| if there is any other state where there.
| is so little in the way of restriction
| on the floor of the House of Repre-
| Sentativcs as in the State of Maine. 1t
| is even true that if q member has to
! leave his seat for the purpose of adj
| dressing the HOCSc-and | have known
| it to he true-bcfore he could get back
| 20 his seat he has found somebody
working in the lobby who is occupying
| his seat and interviewing his seat
! mate.
| Now several of the gentlemen of the
| House have said a good deal in the
| interests of this bill Incidentally. The
| gentleman from Houlton had some
| thing to say about the railroad lobby
The gentleman from Waterviile (Mr
PattangalD had quite little to say
about the wild land lobby Various
| gentlemen in the House have from time
| to time taken occasion to same some
| thing about the lobby, ard it seemed
| to me that the note in the voice which
perhaps might not be perfectly APP
| parent or distinctly expressed was a
| note Of condemnation. / offer to the
| House this bill for the purpose Of reg
| ulating that great work and / sin
| cerely hope that the minority report
| will be substituted for the report of
| the majority and that then the bill
| T Nal ~ /