Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-01-17

/ Iefmlne TINS question let US determine
1t in such manner that the people
of the State of Maine will say that we
are acting in accordance with the Con-
! stitution and the laws of the State of
/ Maine, dealing out adequate justice to
every man under the American doc
| trine that ought TO be inbred in every
American citizen, of fair play Gap
| plause.)
| Mr. NEWBERT of Augusta: Mr..
| Speaker and gentlemen, a commercial
| traveller one day went into an old
I church in a country town where an
old-tine parson preached and he whis-
pered to the janitor at the door How
| long has the old man been preaching?'
| The janitor was a little deaf and he
| said "Forty-three years. Thereupon
| the commercial traveller said, Then
/ think / will sit down, for the old
cuss ought to be about done" naugh-
ter and applause)
The gentleman from Patten, (Mr.
SMITH mas a record in this House
second to none for he has spoken three
days now upon the same subject. I
had not thought, gentlemen, to speak
again upon this question / seem to
have been made an issue here, al
| though % or 50 members who voted on
roli-call with me, and L am only one:
nor do l deem that there is anything
IN me or in my feeble words that
would carry rs or 80 thinking men on
this floor to follow my motion unless
| they intended that Justice and right
| should go with it.
me other day, on Tuesday I think it
was, and / think the House will hear
me out in this, l put in this order and
explained it ON the floor of this House
without appealing to party prejudice.
without personality, without villifica-
ton, without abuse without intent tn
fidicuie any member sitting here.
believe, gentlemen, that the proponents
of this order have put in their case
with dignity and with soberness and if
the discussion upon this question has
descended to lower levels, IL is nor
OF our doing; if the discussion llnon
inns constitutional question has invol-
wed personalities, involved villifieation
involved abuse of members involved
wicked ridicule of members sitting
here, 1T is not the fault of the propo-
nents of this order. 1t probably is a
pity, so far as my family are con-
eerned. that under the wise providence
OF God | was not made a lawyer like
my able friend from Patten (Nr
SMITH. | believe it has been said
sometime and somewhere that while
fool may be a minister. yet there
is no reason why a minister should be
a damn fool. daughter
| think in Justice to the party with
which 1 am affiliated here, and in JUS
tice to myself, and in justice to my
constituents in this city, that you
should bear with me if I seem to take
wide latitude in the few remarks that
| wish to make. A good deal has been
said here in regard to railroading this
wicked measure through this House.
and my good friend from Presque Isle,
Judge Smith, for whom I have great
regard, wondered, why it was that no.
body before should have seen this light
from Heaven. Now, gentlemen, light
from Heaven may once in while even
flood the mind of Democrat He Won
dered why it was that We, knowing of
this case, waited until Tuesday, the
14th of January. ! say to you, gentle
men, and 1 want you to take my word
when I say it, that I had no personal
knowledge of this matter until half
past six O'Clock last Saturday night;
and l was at that time told that two
postmasters sat here, and for the first
time it was called to my attention that
postmasters could not sit here; and I'M
til II o'clock. Saturday night, with as
sistants, we searched the records such
as we had and we found that three il
not four postmasters were sitting here
| will take all the responsibility, if you
please, for this matter, because I wrote
that order and not a letter was changed
in IL, and without the possibility or the
chance of consulting many of my party
associates; and without ever going to
our Progressive friends, who sit here,
1t was decided to enter this order. 1t
was put in. on Monday last, and came
here, on Monday, at 4 o'clock in the
afternoon, with my case prepared as
we'll as / could prepare it; and when we
looked the House over we were pretty
sure we had our men here; and we con-
ferred and agreed that it might appear
unfair should the measure pass, on
Monday afternoon, with many absent
ees, and because of that, gentlemen, the
order went over until Tuesday, unfor
tunately, when there was not time for
discussion, and we were obliged to re-
sort to certain tacticable methods which
We're entirely justified by the rules of
this House and by the well-known laws
of parliamentary procedure. Did we ex-
pect, gentlemen, and do you who sit
here expect for moment that we
thought we would carry this order
through this body? Our aim was sim
ply to make a protest here, believing
We We're right, and believing that fed
erai office holders could not legally sit
here not only to vote for Senator but
to participate at all in the deliberations
OF this House. We were in the minor
lty party in this branch
Now, it is well known that the Re-
publican members had the control of
this House, even down to the last as
sistant folder and door-keeper. 1t was
great assumption on our part, il you
mink that we thought We could rail-
road an order through your House, on
tuesday, with every man in his seat.
Gentlemen, never expected to live
TO see that Tuesday in a Maine House
or Representatives when the majority
party in md VII