Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-19

reported and printed and presented to
You Senators, after these 40 amend .
ments have been presented here in this
Senate and after this subcommittee
had gone through thoroughly those 40
amendments, there were only two that
Wc could cunscientiously say should
be allowed one Of those is to change
TO word or t. an and dropped out
in the stribine of the bill: the 9TH
or is To put in where II SAYS Section g.
| think. and then skipped To 60 in the
nun1bcrfnc Of the bill. Now with those
two things. the committees bill should
go through this Legislature. But your
committee have not stopped there.
There are a fcw amendments, ] UNI
dcrstand if, here that don't affect the
life of the bill. that don't affect the
working of the LII, some of the mem
bcrs here have offered in good faith
to the hill. that should be allowed in
the interests of harmony and peace
here in the LegisIature-they dent af-
feet the bin in the least. and we are
willing fli.t those amendments should
so in and he allowed But there are
amendments here that Senators have
offered-thc same amendments we had
offered to us in the Subcommittee, the
Same amendmnts that have been slip
ped into our hands in the lobby,
amendments offered to this bill that so
To its very life couldn't be allowed.
And we ask you III the discussion OF
these amendments Mr.. Chairman, that
when this committee that considered
these faithfully say to you that they
ought not to be allowed. that you will
consider that that opinion should have
some weight in this Legislature III
considering this bill. | know there are
men in this Legislature who looking
at this lill will say perhaps Il will
be affected by it," or "somc friend OF
mine will he affected by it, and
ii ought not to be So, 1t ought
to be changed to this Why do You
Knowles, you do-that the railroads
want an amendment here that VIII
help them and they are wiling that
the telephone and telegraph com
panies and every other public utility
shall be regulated; and the telegraph
and telephone companies come in
here and say, why, we want our
amendment, look after us, but we don't
care how much YOU regulate The other
want an amendment that will apply
to the little fellow The little fell
low saws Look after the big fellow
and / will take care of myself. And
then there are great many things
in the bill. perhaps looking upon 1t
you will say. We'll, don't know about
that, whether they ought to do that
or not. Here is a public utility. they
say, we are running all right. we
arc not doing anything wrong, nor IT
won't do anything wrong. il ought
not to be regulated, not touched upon
Perhaps it never will be regulated by
this commission. a great many pub
lie utilities in this State for wears will
not be touched by the commission in
any way, it won't be necessary TO do
it. But we believe the commission
should have authority. if necessary, to
do it. Why you have been out in the
woods without a gun. There were
plenty of bears and wild animals
around and you felt kind of seary,
didn't you? You We're not likely to
meet any wild, thing. The chances
were against that, that YOU wouldn't
meet any But when you want gun
YOU want II dAIdiIs Ddu - may Hot
be necessary in the case of many cor
porations, to do much with them in
this state. They are doing good
business, honest and square. But you
want power. You want authority.
When you want a gun. YOU want it.
And we have given to the commits
sion certain wholesome powers over the
public utilities in this State, the pow
or of control and regulation of the
public utilities for the benefit of the
public We have said by this bill
that the three commissioners to be
appointed by the Governor and Coun-
Gil are to be on the same footing with
the judges of the Supreme Court, by
their standing and by their salaries,
experts to do the business in digni-
fled way, and we wish to put into their
hands and keeping the public utilities
of the State for the benefit of the peo-
pie, and we believe they should have
power, power enough to regulate util-
tiles and conduct them for the bene-
fit of the whole people of the State.
Now Senators, | have explained to
you our position. Look at this from
the standpoint we looked at it, for
the benefit of the people of the State
of Maine, for good utilities bill let
Democrats and Republicans lay aside
their party feeling in the matter and
don't ask who is going TO get any
praise for it in this legislature, but
ask yourselves the question, "As
Senator, as legislator, what ought |
to do to get a good bill?" and if you
are satisfied that the committee have
acted eonscientiously and fairly and
squarely in the matter between the
public and the utilities, then endorse /
the matter by endorsing this bill.
The CHAIR: The Chair now lays be-
fore the committee Amendment e to
Section l.. and it is Senate Document
No. 469.
Mi. MOREY of AndroscoSgin: sir.
Chairman, gentlemen of the commit
tee: The amendment reads as follows:
Amend Section | in the second line
thereof by inserting after the word
commissioners the following words
one of whom shall be a Republican,
another Il Democrat and the third a
In the opening remarks of the SEN
ator from A roostook he truthful1v said