Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-06-12
Judge r. w. Ball
Governors Word to Press

Governors WORD to Hress
The Governor condemned the DEM
ocratic press in it's attitude toward
law enforcement. He incidentally men
toned the best endorsement that l
have is in the editorials of the Water
vile Sentinel. Evry sentence that they
utter is in favor of violation Of law. =
The Governor said that his chief rea-
son for wanting to be reelected is to
see civil government upheld.
The Governor touched upon the
highway question. He said that this
was one of the most vital questions of
today. He made it plain that the tax
of automobile owners was to build the
State highway and not the regular tax
payers. He condemned the road ma
chine method of making roads and the
placing of sods in the middle of the
highway.
The matter of railroad fares and
rates with reference to the two-cent
mileage was the chief topic of his
speech and he affordd the people of
this section a chance to see the
question III it's right light He said in
part
THE railroads of the State have
seen fit to increase the price of mile
age books from two cents a mile to
two and one-quarter cents a mile, and
to issue only 500-mile mileage book,
which has been sold heretofore for
two cents per mile. The Democratic
press of this State is trying to make
the people think that 1 am response
BILE for this, and there are certain
xybn
ing about the State telling the people
that l am the man who is responsible
for this change. OF course this is be-
ing done for political purposes. 1t Is
untrue. I have been lied about in ey-
cry campaign l have ever been in, but
l have felt that political lies in the
long run did me no harm. Before the
campaign is through, the intelligent
voters always find out the truth, and
the ignorant voters are generally in
fiuenced by the intelligent voters, and
both as a rule are honest and when
they know the truth about the mat
ter, or about a man, they are always
inclined to give full credit for it.
Now, the truth about the matter is
simply this: The Legislature passed
an act which is commonly known as
the Public Utilities Bill. This bill pro-
vides for the regulation of not only
the rates and fares of railroads, but
the regulation and the price of all
other public service commodities, such
as water, gas and electricity. 1t Gre
ated a court by this act into which
the humblest citizen could come and
find out whether he was paying too
much or not for ali or any of these
things.
For more than 80 years we have
been trying to get such q law and
the last Legislature passed it. 1t was
a great economic measure and a great
advantage to our State. The Repub-
lican party being in power, and l as
Governor having advocated such a
measure for many years in the past,
our Democratic friends thought it
would be popular, and they were
afraid of it's effect in the coming cam
paign. That is, they were afraid the
Republicans would claim credit for
that measure, and so they availed
themselves of the Constitutional pro-
vision which provides for it's refer
ence to the voters in the coming
September election on the petition of
10000 voters. The Democratic lead
ers of the State took the matter in
charge. They advertised in their pa
pers that it was a bill in the interest
of monopoly, whereas. in fact. as any
one who can read, and will read it
will see that it is against monopoly in
every section. A few public men con-
nected with public service companies,
who object to the average citizen hav-
ing anything to say about the price
he has to pay for electric lighting or
other public services, Joined with these
Democratic leaders in the reference
of this bill, and they are supported by
their newspapers simply in the in
terest Of their own selfishness.
Now, after this bill had passed the