Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-01-15
aker of the Lochinvar is his grand
MAINE LEGISLATURE.
Continued from Page Five.)

Mr.. Newbert moved that the order
| receive passage.
Mr.. NEWBERT: Mr.. Speaker and
gentlemen of the House, l think you
will agree with me that the order just
introduced is perhaps sufficiently clear
and definite and brief so that in and
of itself it make a clear expression Of
the intent of its friends. The question
| it raises is a question of the eligibility
Of certain highly honorable gentlemen
TO membership in this House. This or
der was not framed, gentlemen, in any
spirit of party passion, nor is it in
troduced, this morning, because of any
political expediency. We take our
stand upon the Constitution of this
sta te. and in order that l may refresh
the memories of the gentlemen of the
House, | will read the section upon
which this ORDER is grounded. l will
read Section II of Article of the Con-
stitution of Maine:
"No member of Congress, nor person
holding any office under the United
States (post officers excepted), nor Of
flee OF profit under this State, Justices
of the peace. notaries public, coroners
and officers of the militia excepted,
shall have seat in either House dur
ing his being such member Of Con-
gress, or his continuing in such office"
Now, Gentlemen, l am perhaps the
plainest layman of YOU all | do not
stand here this morning pretending 10
be lawyer / would not for a moment
pretend to be able to interpret the
Constitution OF our State, nor do I be-
lieve it is the prerogative of this
House today to interpret the eonstitu-
ton. / will read again the plain Eng
lish language that grammar school
boy ought to be taught to read and
know, and l will read the portion of
it again only which relates to the
question which is now before this
House:
mo member of Congress, no person
holding any office under the United
States Pest-offieers eXcepted9 shall
have a seat in either House during his
being such member of Congress. or his
continuing in such office .E
l would have no member of this
House confused by this term post
officer" 1t may be misleading-h is
one of the terms that occasionally we
run up against in our reading, and re-
lates to- the officers of military posts,
whom our fathers, the makers of this
constitution, were willing and glad to
|-have in their councils. They were
strong mer, and they were not numer-
Gus because they were. limited to the
few military posts within our borders.
But our fathers builaed wisely when
they, did leave out. from the councils
of state the great horde of federal
officers, such as are postmasters.
These post-officers who are allowed to
sit, / say. were few in number and
the numbers diminished rather than
increased until they are gone, and the
posts they occupied are gohe; but the
postmasters in Maine have multiplied
since 1920 until today they can make
up two or three Legislatures such as
today sits under the. dome Of this
Capitol. | say, our fathers beiilded
wisely when they thus wrote into the
Constitution of this State. this limita-
ton as to representation in the Legis-
latpre.
Now, the question: resolves itself,
Gentlemen to, my mind into a prae-
teal and simple question, one which
| is easy for us here to discuss andsset-
tle.t l do not raise the question Of the
disqualification of members on this
floor. This House cannot today dis
qualify these gentlemen named in the
| order; but I do submit that the Con-
fstituton of this state by express
terms disqualifies any man who today
sits here by virtue of the certified roll
of. the Secretary of State, if he holds
any Office under the United States. Ii
| is matter of evidence. | hold in my
| hand a pretty reliable old book &c
which the most Of .us go many times
| during the year, the old Maine Regis
ter for the years 1912 and 1913. turn
$50 appears this entry under the head
lof Ripley" 'Postmasters: l.. r.
RamsdeIl; West. w. II. Farrar."
| Now, Mr.. Speaker, may be or may
not be within my rights; I think. how
| ever, that am when l say it may be
| the simplest way and the wisest way
| to discover as to whether men sitting
| here are postmasters today, TO ask
them through the Chair In open House
take 1t that these honorable gentle
men, il they are postmasters. will say
so; and if they are not postmasters
| they will say so; and their word here
will not be questioned,
Mr.. AUSTIN of Phillips: Mr.
Speaker. l would ask if the gentle
men will permit a question to be
asked.
The SPEAKER: Will the gentlemen
| from Augusta permit the gentleman
from Phillips to ask a question?
| Mr.. NEWBERT: Mr.. Speaker,
certainly will permit the question.
Mr.. AUSTIN; The question is
whether the gentleman from Augusta
intends to include in this resolution all
postmasters today sitting in this
| House?
| Mr.. NEWBERT: / will say to the
gentleman that / do, as far as
| know.
Mr.. AUSTIN: Then | would say,
| Mr.. Speaker, ii might be well to turn
| to page 4S1 of this grand and great
old book to which the gentleman has
referred.
Mr.. NEWBERT: l will say to the
gentleman through the Chair that
amendments later will be in order, and
l think then If there are other post
l ma cfarS their pap1pS NAV he aptera0