Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-01-23

and all throa
committee on rules will be voted down.
The SPEAKER: Is the House
ready for the question? Those in fav-
or of committing this matter to the
committee on rules will say yes; those
opposed will say no.
A viva voce vote being taken, the
motion was lost.
The SPEAKER: The question now
is on the passage of the order offer
, ed by the gentleman from Skowhegan.
Mr.. PLUMMER of Lisbon: Mr..
f, Speaker. have hitherto taken no part
| in the discussion of this question be-
fore the House, and do not now pro-
pose to discuss the question that we
, have settled. except in 50 far as it
may bear upon what we have to say.
For myself, | am free 90 say that up
to the time that I heard the gentle.
man from Berwick fMr Spencer)
read from the Statute, tonight, | had
made up my mind to vote no. | had
made it up for this reason, that from
what evidence I was able to get, I
was not at all satisfied as to the mean.
ing of the term post officer; and
in view of the fact that | was unable
to form an opinion as to what the
trainers of the Constitution meant,
was inclined to adopt the opinion
which | myself held, as to what the
term should mean, and that is that il
should exclude postmasters, all Off
GERS of the post. as they are now Off
~ l4y lot ,fs,.e, T.
ment there is no reason why a post
MASTER or an official of the post.
should have a seat in this House,
which does not apply to the other Of
flcers of the government, custom house
officers, and all others. / think they
should all be shut out, or all be let in
AS for the matter of reference to the
supreme court of this State, with all
due regard to that honorable body, |
must say that l have full as much
confidence in the ability of this
| House to settle that question as I
have in the ability of the supreme
court. AS was stated by the gentle
| man from Augusta, (Mr. Newbert)
whatever the supreme court might de-
/ termine as to the meaning of this
term post officers" it is likely that
/ throughout the State there might be
some who would not agree with that.
/ would suggest that as we have now
interpreted the term to mean post
masters, by the submission of an
amendment to the Constitution to the
people. an amendment hich would re-
move from the Constitution this paren-
thesis post officers excepted, the
n + n
be offered an opportunity to determine
! whether they cared to have postmas-
! tiers here in the Legislature, or wheth-
err they did not I therefore trust
that the motion to submit to the su-
preme court will not prevail: and /
hope later to have an opportunity to
vote for an amendment to be proposed
to the people to abolish this term al
together from the Constitution.
Mr. SANBORN of South Portland:
Mr.. Speaker, my own recollection of
the wording of this order is not clear,
and in order that we may vote in
telligently I will ask if it may be read.
1t occnrs to me that it may be pos
sibly describe a situation which does
not at the present time exist.
/ The SPEAKER In answer to the
request of the gentleman from South
Portland, Mr.. Sanborn, the Chair will
read the order which is as follows:
Ordered, that the Justices of the SUI
preme court are hereby requested to
give to the House of Representatives
their opinion on the following ques-
ton, to wit:
| Whereas, there is pending in this
I body a resolve declaring vacant the
seats of four members elected thereto,
! to wit, William III. Farrar of Ripley,
( Otis Fl. Taylor of Topsfield, Horace
Mitchell of Kittery and James Mathie-
son of Rangeley, on the ground that
( said members are ineligible to hold q
seat in this House under the provisions
/ of Article 4, Section IL, of the Consti-
tuition of Maine. 1t appears and is UNI
questioned that at the time of the
election of said members, and at the
time of their taking their seats they
| held the offices of United States post
masters at West Ripley, Topsfield,
| Kittery Point and Indian Rock respec-
| lively. The alleged grounds of the re-
solve for the unseating of the above
named members is that the words
| ..post -officers excepted" in sair sec
ton of the Constitution, making GER
masters but refers to officers of MILL
tain officers ineligible to have a seat
in this House, does not include post,
tary posts. or that it has some other
meaning.
The House of Representatives be-