Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-03-25

ing to take his word for it that Au-
gusta needs reform. l have no doubt it
is true and it is true of every other city
on this mundane sphere.
Would it be admissible to compare
present conditions with Democratic
Governor sitting in the chair, with for
mer conditions when a Republican Gov
ernor sat there? If that is right l have
some very interesting matter. Some say
it is fiction. 1t is real facts. / do not
want to get personal so l will leave the
names out. About 1894 there was an hon
orable gentleman mayor of the city Of
Augusta. A good mayor no doubt. 1t
was 1894 or 1885 ] am told by citizen
whose name would be taken anywhere,
that the city here was run wide open.
with niger squat on her safety valve
and her boiler crammed rosin and pine.
In 1901 Republican Governor sat in the
State House in your city, and the prin-
cipal hotels in this city were owned by
Republican Governors. II. ] am wrong
tell me about il as go on. A man right
here in the city told me this. He Is
gentleman who holds an honorable posi-
ton as an official of the State, and he
tells me that on that year with a Repub-
Iican Governor sitting here and the no.
tells owned by Il Republican Governor,
that down at The augusta House, where
l can't find drop of anything to take
for my soul, that gentleman offered
them twenty-five hundred dollars for the
privilege of running a bar through the
legislative session, and they asked him
five thousand because they said it was
worth it, That must have been a water
G agn -
ernor in Augusta 5000 profits from the
bar at the Augusta House, and | VIII
gamble q reasonable amount tnat you
can't get five thousand cents out of the
pockets down there through this session
or the last one. Augusta may need re-
forming, but it has reformed in some
spots. L give you that for what it is
worth. Just a little comparison. A DEM
ocratic Governor, no rum at the Augusta
Housed a Republican Governor, the bar
worth 5000 1t don't make much differ
ence what party a man belongs to, he
gets impregnated with the hypocrisy of
different things. The senator asked
what is a good sheriff. A good sheriff
is the sheriff who attends TO his duty
performing the duties of his office ac-
cording to his oath to the best of his
ability That is not the sheriff who stops
everybody from drinking rum. He would
not be good very long. If he did, ne
would be pnt where he would stay good
There is one thing / don't just like,
and that Is the assailing of the Gov
ernor, our Chief Executive I Governor
Plaisted was elected to Office by a large
majority of the people of Maine. be-
lieve they will re-elect by larger ma
jority. do not think anybody questions
Governor Plaisted's honesty or integrity.
He was mayor of this city and proved
to be good one, He was sheriff of this
county and undoubtedly fulfilled the du-
ties of his Office as we'll as any of his
predecessors.
AS Governor he has done great many
things that most of us approve. That
he has done some things we do not ap-
prove is what we would expect from any
man. When we find a citizen that can
step into that office and sit down in his
chair and never make a mistake, 1 arr
going TO tell you that you have got %
take great care and put him into a box
that can't be broken into or you will
have a third translation.
The record of Governor Plaisted stands
before the public where all can read. He
is aided by an able council. l can name
some of whom there are no ADLER in the
State of Maine. l believe that our Chief
Executive and his councillors are work.
ing to the best of their knowledge and
understanding for the benefit of the oid
State of Maine.
This special session has got to be de-
nominated farce. Are ALI of the men,
bers of this honorable body, are we all
here and acting a farce? That is strong
Characterization of a deliberative body
of representative citizens coming to-
gether here. 1t strikes me that We are
here to do business and we are trying %
do it in a right way, and instead of
smothering discussion we go into a COM
mttee of the whole where a man can
talk until he drops in his tracks if ne
wants to.
So far as the citizens of this State caa
be heard, j do not think it is necessary
here They will tell you what they think
of it at the ballot box. So far as the
idol illustration of the senator from
Aroostook county is concerned. l took
great interest i'll that. He told us the
story of the idol being borne by the ass
and how at last the ass thought he was
the object of the peoples alteration. They
began to thump him to get him along.
could not help thinking how that APP
piled to our modern conditions. Here is
prohibition, absolutely useless. fol
might pray to it forever and you never
would get anything. The ass that is car
rying it is the Republican party, and tho
people are humping it and l guess it Is
going to get move on. (Applause)
Now as a matter of fact the senator
from oxford discusses this question very
fairly and ably, and / am glad to know
that in this discussion it is not the multi
plicity of words that win. He undoubt-
eddy represented his side of the propo-
sition very fairly. The great trouble lies
right here. Though we are all citizens
of Maine, unfortunately some are mark
ed with - and some are marked with
an r, and we come up here and go to
contending on things because we want
success for our parties, and we sacrifice
the interests of the State rather than
jeopariiZe the interest of our party. That
is where all the swine is in us which
has come down to us just as all the
Of hoc