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

COM eHleHce, ana the OfnCerS deSlSnat-
ed are not such as would, in all prob
abilities. ever have any reason or ten
dency to interfere with the attainment
of the desired end"
These officers, these federal officers.
We're not numerous, and yet they must
! have been of a fair number. and in so
| far as they had residence in this
| State they might be elected and sit
in the State Legislature. In the same
section a little later. in referring to
! State officials and in making eXcep-
! ton of justices OF the peace, coronors,
! etc, the makers OF the Constitution
also referred again to the military
| arm and excepted the officers of the
| state militia.
| Now ! have gone through this mat
! ter with considerable care and from
/ the beginning | thought | might run
| something down, and / think with So
| years experience you will allow me
to say that | know how to refer to
| books: and in tracing uoWn the postal
service. down to this day in this coun-
try. you find no other phraseology ever
used than the words postal service
or the word postmaster" or assist
ant postmaster or postmaster gen
eral' or assistant postmaster general.
You don't find in all the phraseology or
the postal service in the English
speaking world from the 18th century
any reference to post officers, and
there has been no change even until
now from 1920 The makers of this
Constitution knew postmasters. II
they wanted postmaSters to come here,
why did they not except postmasters,
and why did they call them post-offi-
GERS
What about this post matter? I go to
Tosus. During the years of my eX-
IRENE wickedness | was chaplain there
Il go there now 1t is not live camp;
II is a. camp of invalids; the old brass
cannon simply reflects a fading glory,
and the cannon balls piled there sim
ply all back the memories of the old
men to the days when they We're
young and full of life and patriotism;
it is a reflected glory out there; 1t is
not a live camp: it Is dead camp;
and yet inside are eohoS that mean
much to me. l called up a high Off
cia Of the Home. this morning. and
talked with him. Out there they have
a post fund. They used to have q
post canteen before you Republicans
took it away from them. They have n
hotel and a store and the revenues
obtained there contribute to swell the
post fund: they have superintendent
of the post fund, and we fellows in
the chapel used to be paid, and the
singers used to be paid out of the post
money which came from the post can
teen.
Of Y.
no longer called forts, as 1 understand
from good authority; they are all call
ed army posts, and the head of tho
army post is the post commander;
they have. today, their post commissa-
ries. post quartermasters and other
post officials. Collectively these would
be post officers. / simply leave these
things for the gentlemen of the House
10 consider but | claim there Is an
argument here on the side of the pro-
ponents OF this measure. And when
the"makers of the Constitution got to-
gether. if they wanted people to SIT
here they would say in plain words
member of the postal service, or they
might have used the term post office
they used the word post -otficers.
Now, gentlemen, l am done, and you
are glad that / am done, with this sim
pie further statement: Here is a motion
to reconsider l want to assure TINS
House that no man sits here among the
proponents of this order who would do
any individual member of this House an
injustice a great deal has been said here
about members who have resigned, and
good lawyers have told me within "A
hours that the resignation of these gem
tlemen was equivalent to plea of guilty
in court If they have a right to SIT
here, why do they hasten TO send tele-
grams of resignation to Washington?
(Applause) And if they have resigned,
and if their designations have been prop
erly and duly accepted, and if they are
out of the service, and if the thing is
not all faxed, then the issue fails as far
as these men are concerned If they can
satisfy this HOUSE, which is the only
tribunal to try this case, that they are
done and out Then the order TO refer
the whole thing to the supreme court
would simply be referring a moot ques-
ton to the court, and the court would
take no notice of it because if there are
no postmasters here why put it up to the
supreme court? s
whole here, or in any other easy and
informal method, that these gentlemen
have resigned, and that they are no
| longer officers under the United States,
then, for one, / would not for mo-
ment persist in keeping this gentleman,
Mr. Farrar from Ripley, out OF his seat.
| Nobody wants to do it. L don't know Mi.
Farrar even by sight; there is no pas
sion, no hatred, no wicked vindictive-
ness here, and l should be in favor of the
motion TO reconsider if it can be shown
| to US that these designations were bona
| fide designations and have been really
and in fact accepted beyond the perad-
venture of doubt.
! | know one thing, that no postmaster
in Maine can at noon send telegram
to the great postal department and
start up those great wheels so that before
5 o'clock at night of the same day he
can get a reply by telegram accepting
his resignation. / ask these gentlemen
where they hung their keys. who reads
the postal cards, who runs the office, and
who is responsible under their bonds to
the government?