Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-01-16

Volve n single vote today but is sim
ply part Of the tactics of these gem
tlemen TO delay the consideration of
that report so that by some chance
they may still by the exclusion of
members from the floor of this House
affect the vote for United States
Senator in the Congress of the United
States. That is all there is to it,
gentlemen; and / believe there are
honest men enough here on the floor
af this House who have heard the
facts in relation to This matter ut the
time that we We're prevented from
introducing Them on the floor of this
House by dilatory tactics, because we
We're charged with using dila tory pro-
eeedings; but they put up the gag
rule Immediately and insisted upon it
and demanded the previous question.
shutting off debate. and ] do not blame
them; they ought to be ashamed to
have this thing debated: and when,
for the first time, a a quarter OF
twelve o'clock yesterday we succeeded
in getting this floor TO discuss this
question upon its merits, | was inter-
rupted twice by the suggestions of
these gentlemen who have been shut
ting off debate here, with the sugges-
ton that my tactics were dilatory, and
when ] was asking for the privilege
of having fifteen minutes in which to
address the members of this Honse on
this grave and serious question. invol-
wing a member of this House who rep
| resents a large constituency.
Gentlemen. what does this question
involve if YOU unseat these members
| Let me show you. | will take the
case of Mr.. Farrar, and he represents
the towns of Ifartland, St. Adams,
Ripley, Cambridge, Harmony, Canaan
and Cornville, a population of 4ol5. a
voting poll of 1871. They ask you on
this construction of my friend. the eX-
parson, to eXpel this man from the
House. expel him from his seat here
and leave these 4519 people of the
state of Maine unrepresented upon this
floor. They ask you in the case OF
Mr. Mitchell of Kittery to leave 5063
people without representation upon the
! floor of this House. representing Vot-
| ing population of 1906. ] will say that
| in the case of the gentleman from
! Topsfield they ask YOU TO leave UNI
represented by the expulsion of Mr..
-
voting population of 1457. IN the case
of Mr. Mathieson, they didn't ask any
! thing about Mr. Mathieson. Didn't
| they know that Mr.. Mathieson was,
| as he stated on the floor of this
House. yesterday. postmaster; tha'
| on the floor of this House he voted to
unseat his colleagues and at the some
| time holding n commission as post
| master from the United States Gov
| eminent exercising the right TO vote
for United States Senator. They
! hadn't found him: they had been hunt
, ing for Dostmaste Republican post
masters. as a dog hunts for feas.
| Uaughter) Do you think they made
| any mistake about who was sitting on
this floor as postmaster? Not mucH.
Mr.. Mathieson was not going 10 vote
for the candidate. the choice OF the
people for United States Senator, and
therefore Mr.. Mathieson may retain
mis- seat: he is an honest gentleman
I we do not want him omitted. We do
not think that is fair; we do not care
whether he votes for Edwin c. Bur
leigh or for T.. NJ. Thompson or Oba-
diah Gardner: we want his to retain
his seat upon the door of this House
because it honestly belongs To him, and
because he represents a citizenship OF
1895 people and voting population of
1861 people.
Now, | have stated in that brlei
way what some of the results m
VOWED are. There are more vital re-
suits perhaps involved than to leave
these people unrepresented. They are
entitled to representation in this House.
j There are great measures here invol-
we'd. and it is only fair that we should
have the advice and the corporation
of these men whose constituents have
sent them here for that purpose.
Another thing is important, when
you come to vote upon this question.
1t is important as to whether any
gentleman upon the floor of this
House wants To go nome and eXplain
to his people why he was a party to
this steal. That is important in the
interest of good citizenship.
What | have said to you, gentlemen,
is preliminary. What is this consti
tutional provision which they invoke ?
! will read it to you again:
mo member of Congress, nor person
\