Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-13

to the people who sent them here.
a great deal of important ieeisla-
ten, the most of the important legis-
I lation of this session is waiting for
passage There ought not TO be ut
this time any conflict between the two
| Houses of this Legislature There
ought not 10 be amy i'll feeling be-
+ tween the members of the two
/ Houses, whereby certain members
| denounce the other and hold it up 70
| ridieelc.
| wish Ia call the attention of the
/ Senate, This morning. To certain
! things that we as senators may un-
! dcrstand whether at the present time
We are engaged in our duties under
/ the snlemnity Of our oaths, under the
/ Constitution of the State. or whether
J we are here posing as mummies in
j ancient Egypt
| This Senate and the House across
| the corridor on the first day of Janu-
/ airy before the Governor and Council
took an oath. and want to read that
! oath, his morning, as preliminary to.
! what | wish To SAY. Each one of us.
! the Speaker of the House and the
/ President of the Senate did not do il
for as; no man was delegated to do
| ii for US We each stood in our
] places and took this oath: Il do
swear that ! will support the Consti-
! tuition of the United States and OF
| this State so long as | continue
| citizen thereof. so help me God. We
subscribed to that oath and it is now
! in the archives of this State with
| our signatures. After taking that
/ oath TO support the Constitution Of
| the United States and of this State, l
want to call the attention of the Sem
ate. this morning, To a part of that
| Constitution.
| Amendment 10 to the State Consti-
! tuition; "Fhe Legislative power shall
| be vested in two distinct branches. a
! House OF Representatives and a SEN
ate. each t. have negative ON the
othr, and both To be styled the Leg
! islature If Maine. but the people re-
serve To themselves power to propose
! laws and to enact or reject the same
at the polls independent Of the Lesis-
! laure, and also reserve power at
their own option to approve or re-
iect az the polls any act, bill. resolve
or resolution passed by the joint ac-
ton of both branches of the Eegisla
| ture"
And in Section 16: mo act or joint
resolution of the Legislature. except
such orders or resolutions as pertain
solely To facilitating the performance
of the business of the Legislature, OF
| either branch, or of any committee or
! officer thereof, or appropriate money
| therefor or for the payment Of sal
aries fixed by law, shall take effect
4 ~ ri
! the Legislature passing it, unless in
case of emergency, (which with the
| facts constituting the emergency shall
! be expressed in the preamble of the
acD, the Legislature shall by vote
of two thirds OF all the members
elected 10 each House. otherwise di-
rect An emergency bill shall include
/ only such measures rs are immediate
| ~ necessary for the preservation of
| the public peace. health on safety and
shaf not include (O5 an infringement
of the right Of home rule for munich
| palities."
Before The ink upon the oath to
! which we subscribed in both branches
had dried, from the House there came
into the Senate bill. under suspen=
sion of the rules. an emergency clause
attached, 10 change the name of
bank in my county, presented by my
| old friend who represents the town
| of Carbon an honest straight going
Republican banker He wanted the
name of his bank changed. and he
honestly thought | have no doubt
that under the emergency clause.
which he misunderstood at the time
ne could have that name changed. He
gave for The reason under the Consti-
tuition of Maine. that the bank had
printed in anticipation if the change
Of name a lot of stationary that would
be wasted and could not be used IL
they waited ninety days. And, Sena-
tors. il was a serious thing, when that
matter went through the House of
Representatives when the rules were
suspended and that emergency was
read and then came to the Senate. /
deemed il my duty as one of the SEN
atorS of this State To stand in my
place in spite of my friendship for
the man who represented Caribou, my
personal friend, to object to il on
the ground that it was not an emer-
gency and defeat it. My friend, Try
ing, came TO my seat and said 10 me.
why did you do that" offended
with me for doing it, | called his at
tention to his oath, and called his
attention to the Constitution, and he
said You are right. | will not in
sist upon it. 1t was done under the
idea that / could get it. and | had in
my mind my bank, and the loss to my
bank
1t was his private interest in this
matter which influenced him to for
get for q moment that he was repre-
senting his bank and not the people,
1t seemed TO me at the time that that
was n sufficient lesson for all time to
come, but it did not seem to be so
On March 9Th, in the House of Rep
resentatives, something occurred 1t +,
seems that one of the Representatives !
of the city of Augusta, a candidate for |
mayor of the city, deemng that his
private interest was greater than the
interest of the people of the State of