Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-04
MAINE LEGISLATURE.
Continued from Page Nine)

supreme court of the state OF Main"
on this question. l have nothing more
to say. gentlemen.
MIR. HERSEI: Mr. Speaker: | move
that when the vote is taken it be take n
by the yeas and nays.
The motion was agreed to.
Mr.. PATTANGALL of Watcrvillc:
Mr.. Speaker: II the House VIII par
don me from depressing from tho en-
PERTAINING matters which have bcSn
discussed this morning and referring
for Il few moments to Gle bill which
you are about 10 vote upon, | shall br
obliged. gentlemen. | have read that
bill with some care, and while | dn not
desire to spend any great amount of
time in discussing the polny involved
in it. because | have an idea that the
minds of majority of the House arc
settled on That | do wish before That
is enacted into law that this House
would give some consideration to Ger
tain provisions contained in th" biz
There is nothing in it so lar as | have
been able to ascertain in relation 10
vino is to be the next governor Of
California ar Kentucky or even uf
Maine. No provision in the bill covers
any of those Offices. There is nothing
In the bill so far as | can ascertain
that Will settle the question of whether
the supreme court, the cpunty attor-
ncys. the shcrffS or the general publi'
are responsible for notification. In
fact there isn't anything in he bill A.
L read it that would call for stump
speech on any particular subject. but
there is in the bill some food for
thought, because we are lcSiSlating
hefe as / understand it. l do not sup
rosc We ere making an ei1or, to catci'
votes somewhere and somehow ia sn.33c
way. We are really engaged III the
passing of laws that are going to b.
on the statute books unless the Coy
crnor vetooS them and which will be
used practically by courts in every
day business. Now that being the
case. while | have no idea that any
tEng short Of Il California earth
quake and by the way. that is not il
thc bill. could prevent the ma iority
OF this House from passing anything
that came up and offered some sort
of an escape from the Sturgis Law. !
would ask the majority to wait Just
Il little before they passed this law and
ut least read it and understand it, 1t
has beer said here three or four times
this niorniaS that this law gave your
Governor power to remove Il county
attorney from office. Well. 1t does not.
not until 4 condition precedent has
been compiled with. Your law SAYS
that upon petition by 80 adult citizens
OF county Governor may proceed
after hearing, to remove Il county at
totbey from office. want to ask you
if II is necessary to give the Gov
crnor OF Maine, power to remove county
attorneys from Office. why in the world
don't you give him that power? Why
do you say he must wait until 50 adult
citizens of a county ask him to exercise
it? Hasn't he brains enough to know
when it's necessary for him to exercise i
himself? | think he has. | think more
of your Governor than YOU do. Why
don't you give him the power when
you say you want to give him insteadt
of fixing the things so that some Gov
ernor less brave than he in the future
may sit back and say. well. l have
been waiting for petition from down
in that county and consequently I
could not act" Why don't you give
your Governor the power straight and
say that you will let him remove Il
county attorney if in his Judgment he
is inefficient. That is the power which
Governor Hughes of New. York had
when he went after Asa Bird Gardner.
He didn't have to wait for a petition
from 50 adult citizens of Brooklyn. II