Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-18

am proud of its management. l am
proud of what they are doing for that
unfortunate class. They are entitled
| tc, the encomiums and the gratitude of
all people who love to see that work
go OH. No institution in the State oil
Maine has been cared for better or run
more economically than the School Tor
| the Deaf in the city of Portland. read
| the names of those men whose motives
no one would impugn and no one would
question what they have done or that
| thew have failed in their ardOr to ala
and to help the unfortunate: Edward
| z. Winslow, a leading business man
| of Portland, whom everyone knows;
William H. Brownson, superintendent
of schools of Portland; Henry w. Sar-
| eent-all these men have been DONG
grand and noble work; and you cannot
supplant it. They need no instruction
| from a board of new men that you
could create here.
The trustees of the Maine Insane
| ASYLUM l spoke of-Frederick ROBBIE,
Senator Nickerson, George e. Field,
ex-member of the House; Edward M
Chase and George z. Macomber.
AS far as the financial part of this
4
that we could aid these unfortunates
and enable them to take better care
of them by having board of charities,
1 would regard the financial part CT 1t
as of but little account, but 1t is not
that, my friends. The moment you ap-
point a State Board of Charities, tnen
| you have contention between all OF
these trustees and the board that you
| would create. / have a most profound
| respect for the men on TINS commas
sion to undertake to create TINS BOARD
of charities They have done their
work nobly. They are honest and SIN
cere in signing this report, l have no
doubt But I am opposed to the con-
ditior I believe our institutions would
be injured by creating this board OF
charities Let the good men who have
proved themselves faithful to the
trust continue therein and when one of
! them steps out, the Governor of the
State of Maine will select a good man
| in his place; and our institutions Will
be what they have been in the past,
among the first in this country.
| Mr.. MILLIKEN of Aroostook: MI.
President, / have listened with great in
terest to the list which the senator from
| Knox has read, and if the names that
| he has read were to BE- regarded as the
| names of men whom he has right to
marshal behind him in opposition to this
| bill-if the vote for this bill by any MEM
Der of this Senate were to be regarded
as in any sense a slur or slight upon
those names that the senator from Knox
has read-the reading of that list would
certainly be impressive; but / think that
the reading of this list by the senator,
with the implication that he brings TO US,
is misleading 1 do not understand that
| the men whose names the senator has
read, or any large part of them, are in
fact opposed to this bill. I understand
| land some member of the committee will
correct me if I am wrong) that it ap-
peared before the committee that the
trustees Of these various institutions, as
a rule, are cordially in favor of some
such bill as this--in fact, that they took
a position which appeals to me as a reas-
enable one--that they We're interested, as
every citizen of Maine is interested, in
the best conduct of these various institu-
tons; and that while they are devoting
their time to them and perhaps are using
their best efforts in that direction, they
are not vet advised, but are glad to ac-
| cept such advice as this commission
would give them.
There are just Il few considerations that
present themselves to which l want to
call attention briefly. The first is this,
and it has just been alluded to: There is
| very strong presumptive evidence, gen.
tlemen, in favor of this bill. 1t comes to
you--the most of you-as it comes to me,
as comparatively a new proposition. We
have read about it. some Of us We're in
the session Of the last Legislature which
started the commission to investigate it.
| We have taken what time we could, in
| the intervals of other duties, to look into
| it. but the whole question has been be-
You'd the power of most of us to compre-
bend fully, and there is very strong pre-
| Sumptive evidence that should weigh in
| your minds and mine in favor Of the prop
osition: First, that this commission, APP
pointed by the last Legislature, composed
OF hiSh-minded men, unanimously favored
It. They had opportunities that We have
not to begin with. Second. that the COM
mittee of this Legislature, a committee
of able men. of business men, of lawyers,
of men who are not inclined to let their
sympathies sway their judgment, unani-
| mOusly favored it. The third presumptive
evidence in this case is an experience
which l have had and which 1 have no
doubt many of you have had. 1 have
found that in talking far as L have
been able to, with men who are interested
in charities, in philanthropy. in educa-
ton in this State. and who are absolutely
outside of all political matters, that those
men favored this proposition: and their
opinion is entitled to some weight
In the first place. gentlemen, this IS a
business proposition You and | are here
in this Legislature as the directors of a
corporation. if you please. of which the
stockholders are the citizens and taXpay-
ers of the State of Maine: and it is our
l. duty here, in this matter, as in all mat
tors that may come before us, to know
no friendship--to know no other consid-
GRAFTON in a business proposition except
| the cold, plain questions of what is for
| the financial or business interests of the
| people of the State of Maine. 1 believe
that this measure proposed as it is part
| " for that purpose, is a business propo-