Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-02-23
MAINE LEGISLATURE.
CONTINUED from Page Fiye.)

We do not believe but what the attor-
ney general of the State, with the as
sistance of the county attorneys of the
State, can do all the work necessary TO
be done. / believe with the Democratic
party that the attorney general today
is capable of doing the work and is
willing to do it. He gets four thousand
dollars per year. Should he not do
some work? Four thousand dollars a
year is q good salary. There are
good many hungry Democratic lawyers
in the state of Maine today who would
be glad to take the Office for that sum.
There is no question about that. and
have no doubt there are q good many
Isepdblicans-they are not so hungry
as the Democrats-that would be Slad
TO take it.
am speaking for the Democratic
party now; II is not choice with US
that we cut down salaries. but 1t is
a necessity. and you know 1t as Well
as know it, and we must do 1t. we
do il for no political effect. but because
the people demand that We keep some
where inside of the revenue OF the
State. have no fear about any poiit-
ical aspect of 1t. or any occasion Tor
encouragement. or for defeat. 1t does
not matter; 1t should not be question
OF politics in this matter today, fell
low senator's.
As said a moment ago. il is mat
ter of necessity, and wherever We can
lop off on this hand, the Democratic
party is willing to do it. The attorney
general to be is willing to work and Will
do the work just as we'll as Philbrook or
any other man in the State of Maine,
and he will do 1t we'll and for four
thousand dollars year. why, IN
Heavens name. do you want TO give
him any more? Let us be just before
we are generous. That is the right
spirit.
Now, Mr.. President. those are my
views upon this matter and I think /
echo the views of seventy-three thou
sand voters OF the State of Maine upon
that same proposition.
hope that the motion OF the scna-
tor from oxford will not prevail. You
have not heard the last, my friends.
OF cutting down salaries Oh. no. We
have Just commenced. 1t has got to
come somewhere on account of the ex-
trayagarce of your administration for
the last few years. 1t has to be made
up by cutting down salaries, because
you have taken all the money there is
and left us bankrupt.
Mr.. MILLIKEN Of Aroostook: Mr..
President, I had not intended to enter
this discussion, but the senator from
Knox's reference to our old friends,
the seventy three thousand voters,
and his designation of one more rea-
son they had for voting as they did,
and also his reference to the financial
condition of the state. makes II neces-
sary for me to make one or two sug-
gestions.
II this is designed as a measure OF
economy and is made necessary by the
stringent conditions which confront the
ma jority party. l want to say in the first
place that the prospective attorney gen.
eral. as l understand it, has already de-
clined to permit the order creating an in
vestigating committee to state definitely
that the counsel of that committee shall
be the attorney general. and on the
grounds that the attorney general is de-
priyed Of his assistant. and it has been
suggested that he will have too much
to do.
employs counsel at all the bills for coun-
sci fees will be more than the salary of
the assistant attorney general for the
next two years. In the next place, IL the
senator from Knox is anxious about some
source from which the salary of the at
torney general can be obtained, ] will
undertake to show him resolves on their
way through the Legislature for matters
in themselves unobjectionable but not at
all necessary for the welfare of the State.
Matters like the introduction of the Hun
garian partridge in the State. that will
amount to great deal more than the sal
ary Of the attorney general for the next
two years.
Mr.. GOWELL of York: Mr.. President.
the senator from Knox referred to the
extravaganza of the last Legislature. !
would call his attention to the fact that
the Democrats were very much in evil
dence at the last session of the Legisa-
ture, and we would have been unable TO
have appropriated SO much money as We
did II IL we're not for the valuable SER
vices of the senator from Knox and other
members of that session. OF course, it is
very good argument for them to come
here at this time and charge the Republi-
can party with extravaganza, but we did
not hear very much about it at the last
session.
! will say briefly that the bill to abol-
ish the Office of the assistant attorney
general was presented TO the committee
on legal affairs at the last session and
after considerable discussion of the whole
matter the majority of the committee
deemed 1t advisable to retain that Office.
mir. President. | move that when the
vote is taken it be taken by the yeas
and nays, and ! hope the motion OF the
senator from oxford will prevail
The question being on the adoption oi
tie report Of the committee on legal af
fairs, ON An Act to abolish the office o
assistant attorney general, the report be
ing that the same fought to pass th'
senator from Oxford having moved tina
the Senate non-concur with the action o
the House in accepting the report of tn
committee.
The yeas and nays were ordered ant
those voting yea were: Messrs. Blanch
ard. Gowcll Miliken, Smith, Stearns
TherIauit-6. Those voting nay were
Messrs Allan. Boynton. Dodge. Donigan
E1wa I'd Earfipytnn EoSc nf An6rOscoR