Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-02-25
The Governors First Veto.

these two resolves Should rail to be-
come law because Of his veto.He has
made his position plain, and l know
1t is his wish now that this Senate
pass, by a unanimous vote If may be,
these resolves. notwithstanding his
veto
With these words Senator Boynton
wrote the last paragraph OF a very
extraordinary chapter in the Legisla-
tive annals Of Maine. Il is believed 20
be the first time on record that a Gov
ernor of this State has vetoed meas
ure and. within "a hours thereafter.
has requested the legislature to pass
it unanimously over his veto.
Senator Boynton says that Governor
Curtis has made his position plain"
Those who read his veto message in
Tuesdays papers will be disposed, we
think. to challenge this statement.
His veto message Of Tuesday, read in
the light Of his request on Wednesday
that it be unanimously voted down.
makes his position anything but
plain" The two are hard to recon-
cile.
The veto message itself was far
from being clear. but so far as the
purpose Of Governor Curtis could be
gathered from it, his idea seemed TO
be that all individual resolves calling
for appropriations for ways and
bridges should be held up by some I'M
disclosed method until some unnamed
period.
The principal objection to such a
legislative feld-day. even if it were
attended by no parliamentary embar-
rassments. would be the danger that,
unless human nature has radically
changed in the year 1915, it might de-
generate into a mere log -rolling con-
test
The mere fact that the Governor
seeks TO overturn the established
legislative practice Of Maine since we
became d state in 1920, is not of Itself
a subject of criticism. BUT it IS usual
~ safe 10 assume. as evidently Cover
nor Curtis did not, in this instance.
that such long established usage and
custom has some substantial founda-
ton in reason and justice. before
lightly and inadvisedly seeking to
brush it aside.
The particular resolves which Gov
ernor Curtis vetoed called for the ex-
penditure of $500 and $1,000 for bridges
liz the towns Of Dresden and White
field respectively.
In the course Of the Governors veto
message, he said:
To explain q little further regarding
the proposition of Ways and
Bridges" it is proper TO say, that l
Committee. at his request. and being
informed by him, since that time, that
the Committee will recommend
larger amount than, hundred and
twenty-five thousand dollars. there
appears TO be no alternative than to
return these Resolves until such time
as an exhibit can he made whereby
the most urgent of them can be en-
bodied within the said limit"
Notwithstanding the fact that the
Governor has made his position
plain" it may not be altogether
clear to the general reader as to just
what occurred overnight to bring
about such an exhibit
These two resolves headed the list,
and according to the Governors own
reasoning, the exhibit" will not be
complete or even in workable condi
ton, until all resolves calling for
similar appropriations shall be as
sembled and the most urgent of
them embodied" within the Cover
nor's self-imposed $4,000 limit.
Governor Curtis further said in his
veto message:
IF this cannot be accomplished then
surely some curtailment must be in
sisted upon elsewhere. or otherwise
direct taxation on the people will he
Compulsory. T you wish to support
in place of the Charitable and Bene-
VIOLENT" and not exceed the estimate
for BOTH. 1t will meet no opposition
from me-"
In other words, if the legislature
wishes to expend more than s125,O00
on ways and bridges, the suggestion
is that they may take it out Of our
State charities.
The fact that there was a Demo-
cratic caucus on Tuesday evening
and that a prominent Democrat in
both the Senate and the House on
Wednesday morning spoke as the
mouthpiece Of Governor Curtis, will
be accepted by many as an indication
of the conversion Of Governor Curtis
rather than Of the legislature. Or, to
put it in another way, that it is the
legislative, and not the executive
position, which has been made
plain"
Governor Curtis will have a further
opportunity to make his position
plain" inasmuch as there have
been passed. and are awaiting his
signature. eight resolves similar to
the two which were vetoed.