Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-07-24
As to "Puncturinq."


the square deal" and the undefiled
purpose of the hyphenator, this seems
to be the GROWING effort to sustain the
spark of life in a dying cause:
THE contention of Governor Haines
that it was his duty to veto the 500-mile-
Haines Public Utility Court made up
of Public Utility lawyers) is being proper
ly punetured these days by those who
discuss it either In public or in private.
1.-The governor seems to have taken
it for granted that Public Utility Court
In prospectu. upset the sovereign rights
of the people to make laws on public
utilities through the legislature. If this
were so the legislature were a, poor
thing indeed. We might, under a more
wide application of this idea reach a
point where the legislature would have
the power to make no laws; we might
have a commission on temperance-no
laws on temperance by the Legislature: a
commission on taxes-no more tax-laws
by the legislature. commission on fish
and game-no more legislative enactment
on that subject. So 1t might go on
through all branches of statutory enact
ment The proposition is absurd, If the
people of Maine desired to enact law
which made 1t Imperative for the rail-
roads to issue mileage books for 5o0-miles
at the same price per mile as for 1000
mile books fprice not fixed), they had a
right to do It, The governor had right
to veto 1t. But he has no right to try to
evade responsibility for his act or shun
the complaints as to his animus In so do
ing by saying that a tentative. vaporous
and unorganized public utility commits
sion yet unborn and unnamed should
have charge of such matters in the day
yet to come when 1t might become a
law.-Lewiston Journal
Out Of the above cobwebs of
sophistry one is expected to gather
that the people have no right to dele
gate a specific duty to definite and
responsible body; that they had not
sent their representatives to Augusta
for the purpose; that they did not de-
sire expert investigation and recon-
mendation upon such things as could
not be dealt with by the masses; that
Governor Haines' purpose was not
what was apparent to him and to
every honest observer. but what the
Lewiston Journal editor dishonesty
said II was.
The Lewiston Journal editor Is not
so ignorant as he pretends for politi-
cal purposes. Even HE knows that
Governor Haines vetoed the Legisla-
tive measure because 1t in no wise met
the public demand. For the public did
not care 20 have the railroads obliged
to Ak 500-mile and 1o0o-mile rates the
same. and then have them (the rail-
roads) raise the 100O-m mile books to the
prevailing 500-mile rates to meet the
difficulty. 1t was rates and not books
in which the travelling public was in
terested.
Because the Legislature had not pro-
vided what the public demanded, Gov
ernor Haines preferred that it be
placed in the hands of skilled investi-
gators, responsible to the public, and
provided by the Legislature for that
purpose at public request.
Then, at once, began the campaign
of Misrepresentation and blackguard
ism, in attempt to convince the public
that it had been betrayed by the Gov
ernor Constantly, through all these
months, has this INSCRIPTIONS method
been maintained, regardless of truth OF
facts All these months the honor
able gentleman named to act as the
peoples representatives in dealing
with such cases as mileage rates, gas
water and light charges, ETC., have
been assailed by billingsgate, cheap in
| situations, cowardly innuendo. BELT
ting sneers and lew-minded abuse
Always just within sneaking away dis
lance of libel, the compilers of false
hood have maintained the pretense OF
Misunderstanding the Governors pur-
pose and o. distrusting the integrity
of the gentlemen named as the public
utilities board.
Nothing lis being properly pune
tured these days" but the pretenses OF
the above quoted and like sources
The Public Utility Court was never
| intended to upset the sovereign rights
of the people to make laws on public
utilities thru the legislature" but
to carry out the peoples demand fol
Legislative provision for a commission
OF experts to handle the peoples cases
The important conclusions of tht
above quoted writer that because he
in conjunction with other misleading
Democratic political agents, wished te
discredit the work of both the Cover.
nor and the Legislature. the latter hat
been robbed of its prerogatives by the
former, 10 characteristic. The people
had asked the Legislature to delegats
a portion OF its labors to a commission
and to create and empower such Z
commission. 1t had done so. 1t hat
the same province in relation to tbs
other hypothetical cases mentioned
To bubble for political trickery tina
the people had been robbed OF theil
desires is the reverse of truth. onl,