Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-03-08
In the House


est and so was in session from 10
o'clock until nearly l o'clock IN the
afternoon. During that time the Lew
iston Police Commission bill was
passed by a roll call vote of Ill to 20.
the Gillin horseshoeing bill was dis
posed of by the withdrawal of the IN
sistance that the House reconsider the
vote of concurrence with the Senate
! in adopting the adverse report and the
newly elected Republican floor leader,
Rep. Harrington Of Augusta scored his
| first victory, when he secured the
adoption of the minority report,
Ought to pass" on the resolve re-im-
! bursting County Commissioner Nor
rison Libby of Oakland for expense
! incurred in the contest made over his
election.
The House had many visitors, in
Guiding a large delegation from Var
mouth, who were at the Capitol on
! business before the Public Utilities
Commission. Many Grange petitions
in favor of the Washburn bill for the
division of the school funds accord
| ing to aggregate attendance were re-
ceived. Roll calls were frequent and
! the proceedings were full of interest
even for the seasoned attendant
/ The statement by Rep. Barnes of
! Houlton that he had supposed last
night that the Senate wished the Gill
! lin horseshoe bill back in their hands
! but that this morning he had not found
out differently and did not care to insist
upon reconsideration of the vote
whereby the house voted to accept
the report in concurrence with the
Senate, brought forth a vigorous at
tack upon Mr.. Barnes by Rep. Dutton
| of Bingham. He said that the mem
bers of the House were being treated
like a horse that was driven by
child being asked first to get up
and then to whoa" He moved the
previous question which had been
stopped at yesterdays twilight ses-
sion by adjournment and asked that
when the vote be taken it be taken
by yeas and nays, his motion was sec
! onded by Rep. Bussabarger of Lubec.
A sufficient number not having arisen
for consideration of the previous ques-
ton the matter dropped there.
Then came the struggle for which
! all had been waiting. Rep Earring
ton took the bill from the table and
Rep. Emerson of Lewiston spoke Wig
! orously against the putting of the
emergency clause upon the bill He
declared that it was unconstitutional
as the emergency provision provided
that such a clause should not be at
tached in violation of home rule for
municipalities.
"The original bill carried a referen
dunn to the people," said Mr. Emer-
son with considerable emotion" and
it came back from the committee with
an emergency clause and with pro-
vision that the city marshal should
be elected by the people. instead of
the commission"
He urged the members Of the House
to be fair and to apply the Golden
Rule as we'll as the principal of home
rule. He cited the many remon
stranccs against the passage of the
measure unless a referendum provis
sion was embodied. In closing he
enlogized the city Of Lewiston with its
great manufacturing interests and it's
low valuation and tax rate and said
there was no reason for putting an
emergency clause effecting such a city.
"The very thing which gave rise to
tIllS bIii 10 lioI q duSoSioii " iioiiiS
rule but a question Of misrule," de-
clared Rep. harrington of Augusta.
There are conditions IN Lewiston
which justifles the Legislature in pass
ing this bill but l will not go into
them now" He declared that the Leg
islature was the sole judge of the
emergency of a measure and that the
decision Of the legislature was not
subject to review by the courts.
Rep. Murray of Bangor asked every
lawyer present in the hall Of the
House to read the constitution before
he voted.
Rep. Goldthwait of Biddeford spoke
strongly against the bill and against
a police commission whether carrying
an emergency clause or not and told
of the experiences with the Biddeford
commission which had been foisted
upon the people Of that city by the
LEGISLATURE of 1898. He said that con-
ditions were so bad and such power
full machine built up that policemen
would intimidate men and require
them to attend a political meeting by
n1acing cabalistic signs upon the side
walks in front Of their place Of busl-
ness. The principal is wrong. against
the American spirit and takes away
from the people Of cities the right TO
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