Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-09-04

IA great fight was at once on anc
day and night it was debated whether
it should be referred to the judiciary
| ommittee or TO the committee on legal
affairs or to the speaker and special
| committee such as the one for good
roads and school funds.
| What kind of chance would that
bill have had there? 1t wouldn't have
had as much chance as a paper cat
runuing after an asbestos rabbit in
that world beyond. (Lauehter).
| awe defeated 'enn and it was refer
red to the committee on legal affairs
special committee
| Absurd Charge
"Mr. Wheeler says that he and every
| Republican of Progressive tendencies
were steam-rolled by the machine and
| our inference from this would be that
| 1t was this steam rolling process
which caused the revolt led by Mr..
| Wheeler and the formation of So
called Progressive party of seven men,
bers. in the house under his leadership.
| know of no chance that anyone had
to use the steam roller on Mr.. Wheeler
| before the formation Of his third party
except in the appointment of commit
tees. Mr.. Wheeler was given the
craftsmanship Of the committee on rules
Ing Fhe House. carrying with it the
title. OF floor leader of the Republican
party, although there were several
members of recognized ability, whose
longer legislative experience would
have entitled them TO preference over
him. In his endeavor to show Mr.
Wheeler every courtesy Mr.. Peters even
gave him the seat which he, himself
drew when the seats were chosen at
the opening of the session. AS a mat
ter of fact Mr.. Wheeler received every
thing he asked for and the suggestion
that anybody had any intention of US
ing steam roller upon him or any
other Progressive Republican is utter
ly absurd n he face of it to those who
are familiar with the work of the last
session Of the legislature.
WheeIer's Ambition
What was the motive then for the
formation of the Progressive party I'M
der Mr.. Wheeler's leadership. Appar-
emily this third party had it's origin in
an attempt led by Mr.. Wheeler to block
the election of United States Senator
Burleigh by diverting to the third can
didate a sufficient number of republi-
cans in the last legislature to obey the
| verdict of the senatorial primaries. Per-
| sonally l felt that I had made a pledge
| to my constituents which l was in
honor bound to keep but have always
been willing to respect the homes judg-
ment OF any Progressive who arrived
| at different conclusion as to his duty
| toward his constituents. The impor-
tant question now. however is not Mr..
| Wheeler's fitness for public Office but
| the question of his motive in the mat
ter. 1t Is not generally known to the
public but was well understood about
the State House that Mr. Wheeler
! though not an avowed candidate, was in
fact the actual Progressive candidate
for the United States Senate and it was
| reported that his argument. when at
| tempting to persuade his friends in the
Legislature to DESERT Mr.. Burleigh and
vote for the third party candidate was
| not question of Progressive party
members but personal appeal, stated
somewhat in this fashion: you are my
personal friend and you alone are
standing between me and the United
| States Senaees, for someone had made
take enough votes from Mr.. Burleigh
to prevent his election on the first bal
lot the democrats would come in a
body to him on the second ballot and
| make his election possible. In view of
this fact that was his motive? Was
it merely the desire to advance pro-
gressive principles or was he betrayed
into repudiating his pledge to support
the primaries by this appeal to personal
ambition, this Judas kiss of the DEM
-ocracy upon his cheek? Upon the an
swer of this question depends Mr..
Wheeler's fitness for public Office.
Let me call your attention to the
fact that in this connection that Mr.
Wheeler IN he first vote in the House
for United States Senator gave his
vote for Mr. Burleigh after it was ap-
parent that by the time his letter in the
alphabet had been reached in the roll
call that a sufficient number of his
followers had voted for Mr. Thompson
to make the election of Mr. Burleigh
impossible This can only be interp-
reted as an attempt to obey his pri-
mary pledge technically while he in
tended to violate the spirit of it.
wore tFtckery
"As bearing upon Mr.. Wheeler's
fitness to command the respect and
confidence of Progressives in this cam
paign / want to call your attention
also to the attempt which he made in
collision with the Democrats to re-
move three members of the House on
a frivolous charge on the very morn
Ing of the day on which the vote for
United States senator was to be taken
Someone discovered that three men,
bers of the House who were pledged o
vote for Burleigh were postmasters
and an order was introduced for their
removal on the ground that they held
office under the federal government
and were therefore disqualified, al
though the, Constitution Of Maine ex-
cepts from this provision, post officers,
and every available authority and the
practice of so years have held this
exception to include postmasters. They
did succeed in getting one member re-
moved and would have removed the
others If they had had time enough
on the following day before the SEN
In, ha tn<