Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-04-12

largely through his counsel by series
tof squestiuns and later in argument of
| the chief counsel that his duties were
| so great and SO onerous and so time
taking that it was impossible for him
to give any time or attention to the
performance of this particular duty
Now, ] do not need to go over that
but ! ask you to seriously assume that
| in the performance of these other du-
! ties he did not have all the time that
| there was. Let us be over fair with
him and confine him to the month of
March only, at which time the Febru-
airy term of court was all over, at
which time the investigation of these
several murders, one of which turned
out to be, o. suicide, were over; when
1.-The arson case had become a thing
of the past;4when all that the sheriff
had to do otitsidecof. this Bangor strike
Bugabo and he had 10. men TO at
tend to that for him; when all that he
had to dc was. to at least set down
and wonder whether he had per-
formed the duties of his office with
reference to this particular feature of
the statute. And while you are think
ing this matter over just consider and
conclude what he did during the
month Of March and what he knew
during the month of March, and how
much time he had during the month
of > March, and then ask yourselves
whether he was diligent or not; and if
he failed to be diligent was the re-
suit wilfuness.
Now, gentlemen, | have talked longer
than | expected to. l have not covered
of course any considerable number of the
many features which have Deen brought
into the case and brought out In testi-
mony. / have only just word, and i'll
that word a bit of personal experience
which | ask you to apply to your duties
here. Do not misunderstood me as re-
lnnding you OF your duties do not mis-
understand me as attempting in any
way 10 define the scope or limit of your
duties. You know better than l do; but
inasmueh as my Brother Stearns has
alluded to the matter, the matter of
your conscience stalking beside you in
the night as a shadow. and as an image
in the day time, let me remind you of
just one thing Fifteen years ago the
people of my locality Were 50 unfertu-
nate as to have me appointed Judge
of the municipal court in the city of
Biddeford. was Is years younger and
Is years less experienced than | have
since become. l was fattered and proud
because / mad received that appointment,
and | wanted to do what | then con-
eeived to be the best that | could. and
| read the newspapers carefully to see
how the members of the press. who ordi-
narily reflect public opinion, recorded my
purposes. | listened carefully whenever
| was in the company of people who
might be discussing anything that oe-
CURED in the municipal court to deter
mine how they felt with reference to
what | had done. And those six months
We're sad. evil months for me, because
the newspapers did not always agree
with what l had done; even my friends
oftentimes criticised me; and l found
that this idea of keeping your ear to the
ground is all we'll enough when you are
playing the game of politics. butswhen
you have taken an oath of office to per-
form a certain duty you had better keep
your ears up in the air and let the
ground take care of itself. At the end
Of six months | came to Il conclusion,
and that was that If each day in The
performance of my duties | could 20
home at night and look into the face
of Mrs. Cleaves and feel that l had done
tie best | knew how. did not care
what the newspapers thought about it;
did not care what my neighbors
thought about it, nor what my enemies
thought about it; and applying that right
to what my Brother Stearns has said
it resolves itself finally into a question
~. -. ;,,1,y
nent and sense of decency of each one
OF US as individuals. When you have
done that. YOU need not be afraid of the
spectre or the shadow that will be by
your sue day and night; You can go
to your homes, and although it may be
that it will be with some degree of sor-
rev that You will remember the per-
Torrance of duty. you will remember
that you have performed that duty and
that it was not of your seeking, and that
you were not the one to blame. but that
YOU have simply spread upon the rec
ords of this State your sworn opinion OF
the conduct of public official Cap
plauscl
THE PRESIDENT: Members of the
convention all well understand, but for
the benefit of others who are present The
Chair will state that when the conven-
ton is dissolved persons in the rear of
the room will remain seated until the
Senate has passed out; the Senate will
retire to its own room, the Senate md
House sitting separately while the pro-
eeed TO consider the adoption of the adj
dress named in this resolve. The pur-
pose for which this convention was
formed having been ACCOMPLISHED the
convention is dissolved.
The Senate thereupon retired to the
Senate Chamber.
IN THE HOUSE.