Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-02-07

| loss to the shippers OF Aroostook,
' Which. unless something is done imme-
diatelv to settle the strike, will mean
| disaster to this section
| Now. there is the condition, Upon one
| side is a labor monopoly or n labor
trust and on the other side IS capt.
ta1istic trust, and between the two the
| great business of the people or Aroos-
| took county and Piscataquls county
| has got to suffer. This order provides
| that the labor agitators ana the cor
| norations have one week in which To
| do something If at the end of the
| week they have not done anything then
| This LEGISLATURE is to investigate the
conditions as they exist there, and
summons those people to appear before
il here AT Augusta. What this Legis-
lature needs is the facts; that is what
! we want, and then we can act 1t must
! he remembered that the Legislature of
! Maine is still in existence, and is still
| the ,lthority in the state OF Name.
! Mr. IRVING of Caribou: Mr.. Speak
, or. it is not my purpose at this time
| TO speak either in favor or IN OPPOSE
| ton to the oroer which has been pre-
scented. hut ! wish to call the atten
ton of the House to the bin which has
heen referred to, House Document No.
40 which | do not consider should be
a subject of discussion at this time.
This bill is now before the Judiciary
committee, a committee which l re-
gard as amply able to correct any ef-
rors that may appear in the bill. MY
purpose is to call the attention of the
Honse to the fact that there exists
committee on arbitration and concili-
alton. To which was referred the
phrasing of the bill. The proponents
of the bill do not regard it as perfect;
and in fact while some attorneys have
asserted that the clause referring TO
misdemeanor may not be consutu-
tional. vet other eminent attorneys
have expressed the opinion that ii may
he so amended as TO conform with the
Constitution.
Mr.. AUSTIN of Phillips: Mr.. Speak
er, several members of the House We're
absent when the gentleman from
Westbrook (AIr. ScateS) presented the
order. and would it take too much of
the time of the House to have the or
der read again?
tine SpedhtT 1teu tie otdcl.t
Mr. O'Connell of Milford Mr.. Speak
or, l do not know whether the order
is constitutional or whether the bill
referred to is constitutional, but | do
know that this Legislature has the
right and ought to listen to the APP
peals from the people of these coun-
ties. In the Bangor Daily Commercial
of yesterday, / read the following item:
&c. A. Powers is hauling by teams
40. 600 barrels of seed potatoes from
Limestone, Easton, Fairmount, Maple
Grove and other stations along the b.
&. A. to the Canadian Pacific Railway
station. this village. The expense IS
large but the loss would be great II
he should not be able to meet his con
tract"
want To say that we have n menl-
Der in this Legislature, who has To-
600 barrels of potatoes. and he has
boxed in q box cars. at a cost OF s5u
car. and he is hauling his potatoes
a distance of three miles further than
he has before.
l have letter from Van Buren,,
stating that the st. John Lumber
Company cannot start UP because they
cannot get cars, notwithstanding the
papers tell us that the strike is all
settled and that freight is moving and
potatoes are moving in Aroostook.
| have here letter from Ofd Town.
and | will read just one section of it.
The b. & A. train had to stop in front
and unload their passengers. The ".
~ T, n ~,
to run down to the station, not because
he was a strike breaker but because
he did not know enough to stop at 4
red signal. You know the electric
crossing on Main street that Fred
Lovejoy tends. That was against him
and clear for an electric car, and he
went by as unconcerned as could be.
Would have been nice if an electric
had been going over them
In this letter | also find the follow
ing: You don't see anything of that
nature in the papers but you do see
that Mr., Virgin says The engineers
are all competent and have passed Il
rigid examination Guess all the ex-
animation was, was this:
q. What is that?
a. That is an engine.
@. You are right, and have passed
satisfactory examination"
/ want TO say gentlemen. that the
people of Aroostook county should be
listened to by this Legislature. If this
strike continues until this Legisla
ture adjourns they have no other court
to which to appeal. We are sent here
for this purpose, and if this order or
this bill is not constitutional, we are
not to blame. They are suffering up
there, and they are sending tele-
grams and letters, and let us pass one
of these measures. If we do that we
will have the satisfaction of knowing
that the people of Maine whom we
represent will know that we have done
our duty
Mr.. DURGIN of Milo: Mr.. Speaker
Just word So far in the controvefsy
between the strikers and the Bangor 4
Aroostook Railroad Company we have
heard but very little about any section
that has suffered or is suffering, except
ing the county of Aroostook; but want
to say that the county of Piscataquis is
suffering as much through this strike as
nf