Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-08-28

Deti Tie next doNefnor or Maine.t In
pursuing the course which he did he
was neither prompted by dishonesty
| or an inability to cope successfully
| with a governmental problem. We do
not believe him to have been dis
| honest. But inefficiency is only less
| fault in public servant than dishonesty
| and to acquit him of dishonesty is to
convict him of inefficiency. This, not
! because he opposed the passage of a
certain law. Men may honestly and
| intellisently differ as TO the merits OF
that law. But because in seeking to
| find a substitute for that law to
| amend 1t. he failed utterly to grasp
| the problem which he was trying to
| solve and was betrayed finally into
| throwing his influence in directions
Which gave the lie to decade of pub
| lie professions Consistency does not
wholly consist of always having voted
| portions of our party ticket. Men may
| change. parties and adhere to the same
political principles, abandoning them
| only when convinced of their falacy
and then promptly and openly admit
| ting the conviction. To pose for years
| as an advocate of certain things, and
then while still protesting to cling to
a belief i'll them, to join in opposing
their being brought about is not "a
| course which may pursue and still re-
| tain public confidence.
Public Utility Bill.
In his first address as Governor of
Maine the present Chief Executive
and titular head of Maine Democracy
said:
NJ.,Y. IF he.
companies desiring to do business and
old companies occupying in whole or
in part the field which attracts the
newcomer might be settled outside of
the Legislature if we had in Maine 4
public utilities commission and sug-
gest that YOU consider the advisability
of establishing one. The present Rail-
read Commission could be abolished
and its powers conferred upon a new
board in addition TO such other pow
ers would be granted it,
on Jan. I. 1911. William r. Pattali-
gall, actual head of the Maine De-
mocracy. introduced to the House of
Representatives the public utility bill.
which was referred to the COMMITTEES
ON legal affairs, of which he was
somewhat active member.
So important was the situation
deemed that sub committee on the
part of the judiciary was designated
to act in conjunction with sub-com-
mittee on the legal affairs.
Did the measure pass? Did De-
mocracy make good? On the oath OF
March, 1911, 10 weeks after it's birth,
the present attorney general of Maine.
in a eeldly cutting speech. alleging
lack of familiarity on the part of the
House with so important measure.
was guilty of infanticide and slaugh-
tered this measure, born 10 weeks be-
fore.
What subtle sarcasm and ironical
ridicule to make of his Democrats
majority in the House that 10 weeks
for consideration was not, enough to
Justify action on this matter.
Take no Republican version is what
Rep Wilson, present chairman
of the Democratic State committee,
March "a. 1911, said:
I'm view of those conditions / sub
nit to you, gentlemen, that this body
ought to vote upon this question,
either vote to adopt or not to adopt
it. Don't crawl out from under The
Democratic party in caucus assembled
early in the session were practically
unanimous in supporting such bill.
I do not want them to feel that have
tried to crawl out from under. / want
TO go on record either for or against
the bill. If the Saviour him.
self were on earth and was to draw
bill of this nature we would need
to look into it,
And that valiant Democrat, editor
of the Rockland Opinion, the Hon.
Oliver Otis, on this same measure
said: In this Legislature every bill
and every measure designed or pur-
porting to be designed for the pur-
pose of developing the resources of
this State, those great resources or
which we are always talking and
which we are developing all over the
State and all over the Union, and
about which we are telling in our
speeches here, about our being the
greatest State in the Union-every
measure designed for the purpose OF
developing those resources has been
turned down. 1t has been either
smothered in the committee or else
killed on the floor Of the House, or
else 1t has committed suicide by the
acts of its friends moving to postpone
to the next legislature
In the Maine Senate, on the 18th
day of March. 1911. Democratic SEN
ator Kellogg of Penobscot. thus voices
his views of his party's attitude on
the public utilities bill:
ut is done by the cold feetedness
of the leader of the House and he
succeeded in carrying this through
the House / say that the Democratic
party and the Democratic members OF
the Senate cannot afford to stand UP
here and vote to agree with the House
in referring this bill to the next Leg
islature. IL they do. when they go back
to the people. with one more bill-as
/ said. yesterday, we have been send
ing bills to the next Legislature, but
40 win MT he here next session to