Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-05

ed by Massachusetts, and at that nv
it was my privilege to be a mn
of that state and for several ..
thereafter to vote with this sys,s,s
ballot: and / wish to say thar &.
given to the citizens of Massach,. nas
a system which IL to them entireIv ~
isfactory. II you should take ham ~.
tomorrow In that state as to wha s.N
or not Shat ballot should be re,.sos'
net one man in 200 would vote r. -"
it repealed or to have any other
tenn substituted for it. II has -.
many things-among others. Il
done away with the corrupt nr...s
of the purchase of votes, for there y
goods cannot. under that system I.
delivered; and there are MANY ~,
reasons for retaining it which ~s
not stop to bother you with. ~.a
say that, If the State Of Maine. hv ~.
Legislature. should now adopt this s.s
tenn and repeal the one we have Il -,
be a long step in the right Direct
in my opinion.
Mr.. WARREN of Cumberland. n.
President: While I think that we mu..
all deprecate too frequent change
cur ballot law, we certainly oueb,
eliminate weaknesses so soon az -.
are developed. lie believe in the me-.
ure now before US because it strors,.
accentuates the principle of voting -
man as distinguished from vo,,..
with a party. Our present method :.
courages thoughtful, considerate dos
mite voting; and ] believe that =.
ought to support the proposed mes,
ure.
Mr.. HAMILTON Of York: Mr.. prs.
ident: / did not expect to saw an,
thing upon this question and am ).
ing to say but a few words. There /,
no member of this Senate that is ma.
conscientious and painstaking than "a,
senator from Cumberland, Mr.. Loonsv
He never is SO apt as he is in his cha,
liable matters where his duties m,
parallel with his sympathies: and !, |
all of his matters in the Senate he !;
always happy when his acts will tend
to promote righteousness.
am not in favor of any restriction,
to the ballot in Maine. | do not h.
lieVe that | need go to Australia anal
adopt the Australian ballot. I do nv
like that kangaroo child. | do not ha,
lieve that we ought to go to Mass.
chusetts and adopt The Massachusst,,
practice; but l believe, and the senate
from Cumberland has demonstrated
you clearly and plainly the facts, and
L think with all his honesty that h.
ShGil11 hi oil T,l ;cl
system of this secret ballot, and b..
IFS go back to our old State of Main.
open. patriotic balloting which we ussa
to Vote with. You know that a balY
comes down as a snowflake upon tts
sun, executing the voters will as lumi
nouSly as the snowflake executes tn.
will of God. Today where the balc
is restricted there is no patriotism. ma
interest In the election. t1ne of The
most learned men we ever had in our
city and who is now dead said thai,
he never had voted-that he did nj.
like to go in like q skunk in a hen
coop and prepare his ballot and that
he wasn't going to-that it was nm.
American; and it is un-American. The
world is only righteous by a small ma.
Jority and voters are only righteous
by small majority. except the Demo-
cratic party. I do not care whether
you have the Massachusetts, system or
the kangaroo system that he says is
the real Kangaroo, but this is sort
of morphidite which we now have,
notice that he advocated 1t years ago
and all that is enacted has come in
under his bills.
; MIR. LOONEY of Cumberland: l beg
the senator's pardon. l never advo-
Gated the present system in Maine. As
stated in my remarks. the ballot
first introduce was the ballot l intro.
duce here. / think I have been con-
sistent from first to last in advocating
the Massachusetts system.
Mr.. HAMILTON: Well, won't you be
now consistent; and put in bill to re-
peal the whole thing? I am glad to
notice that you put in. the same as
do, when l churn-a little sour milk
for starter
Now you (referring to Mr. Looncyl
made "a grand speech. as much so as
any that i ever heard made here in
reference to the iniquity of this bill
and how it DISTINGUISHES the men Of
the State and how it aids corruption
and the purchase of votes That is
true. There is no law that could be
placed upon the statute books that ]
can conceive of where with the ward
heeler--and we have them all over
the State-and where the politicians
l. do not mean statesmen, because there
Is no statesman until a politician dies
ana a statesman is politician dead
so you will understand that when my
TREND, tho senator from Knox county
Is dead, Re will be a great man and his
name will go down to posterty as q
statesman--but you will always have
the ward heelers and you cannot r.
strain them.
Now, as to the Massachusetts, law.
! am informed, and l have taken some
pains and spent two or three hours
with what you would call a politician
III Massachusetts,, and he says it is =
better law to buy voters than this IS
ard that it is easier than it is under
our law; and he goes on to expla1
CONTINUED IN Page Five.)