Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-04-06

$1,000, where this man is receiving
| $1,000. They were before us to nave
| that salary increased, and we reported
ourht not to pass in Androscoggin
county. and how could we consistent
", after turning down Androscogsin
| for $1,000 a county of about the same
size, give this man an increase VINO
was receiving $500. The Dill caieu
originally for $4,000.
hope the senators will stand by the
understanding We had at the meetllS
last week. that they would stand by
the majority reports of this commit
! tee. l. hope the Senate will vote 10
sustain the majority report.
Mr.. WOOD of Hancock. Mr.. Presi-
! dent and fellow senators. l do not be-
! lieve that any committee report ought
! to be so sacred that it cannot be over
turned, provided it is wrong. II TINS
committee should not be sustained
by the majority, and the minority re-
port accepted it will not be the first
time in this legislature that commit
! tee reports have been overturned. l
believe committee reports should nave
| due respect. l speak from this point
| of view Ordinarily we speak from
| those things that we know most about
and come the nearest to us, but here
/ is a case we ought to let alone be-
cause we do not know anything about
| it,
| As look before me see men from
| Kennebec who stand for this increase,
men who arc mayors of cities. man
ayers OF large business corporations
and men in the several branches of
! this legislature who are men of large
! affairs, and they are unanimous IN
| their opinion that they want to keep
/ this present man in office. even II they
have to pay him $500 year more.
1t seems to me. that while we have
the interest of the whole State at
large, and we are to conserve the IN
terests of the whole State, at the same
time we should only take matters out
OF the local counties hands where we
have to do something to save the
, counties from themselves
do not believe this case is so dis
astrous as that, when the distinguished
Senators from Kennebec are unanimous
in favor of making this increase. DO
not believe we have come to the point
where we must save imperial kennebec
from itself And | believe we should
give consideration to what they think
about this matter.
| know that this case comes very
near home to me, to Hancock County.
We had there at one time very eff
cient register of deeds, and I say to
you. Mr.. President, as a lawyer, and
especially to the lawyers in this au-
gust body, that there is no officer in
: bn |,at CHI 10 anninna6 for
the position and qualified to a greater
extent than the register of deeds And
as he goes on to acquire knowledge of
every piece of land in the county. he
has q mass of knowledge at his hands
which he places at the disposal of ev-
cry attorney and every man who asks
him for it. And it is of the greatest
importance that you keep the skilled
man who knows your titles throughout
the county He can look up the work
for any person in the county for one
quarter of what any attorney could do
the same work for. And you know the
attorneys are accused of trying to get
big fees. and getting all they can. But
it IS not true, and when an attorney
knows there is a competent register of
deeds he will send his clients to them
and tell them they can get their work
done by the register much cheaper than
he can do it,
1t is very seldom, unless 1t is mat
ter of a great deal Of importance, that
I go to Ellsworth, 90 or % miles away
and charge my clients for day and
travel to look up a small title. I tele-
phone to the efficient register of deeds
there. and I feel almost sure when he
has looked up that title that | can de-
pend upon it, and that my client can
depend upon it. And l know my dis
tinguished friend. former Sena tor
Deazy, does the same thing in all of
his smaller matters, he sends to the
register and relies upon his skill and
ability to look up the title. / dare say
that a great many attorneys do the
same thing.
The one reason why l hope to get
through Saturday night is that ! have
to go home to Hancock County and next
week defend q case where an incom-
petent register of deeds made an error
and did not find two deeds on the rec
ord. That means four or five hundred
dollars to my client because he went
onto this mans land and trespassed and
he has been sued for it, and will have
to pay something. We have to 60 to
an expense for we can't settle it at n
reasonable rate, and it results that we
have to defend that suit which was
brought about by an incompetent man
making a mistake
You don't want it. and l can see how
kennebec County is well willing to nav
this efficient man $500 more if they can
keep him, and understand all the law
yers are unanimous and all the peonle
Of kennebec County want him. ana
know that he is very efficient regis
ter of deeds
l think this is a case where we car,
well let the county of Kennebec keen
thelr register of deeds and paw him
such a price as it thinks he ought to
nave. do not know anything about tbe
Facts but 1 have no doubt the Senator
from kennebec, Senator Chick has
given them correctly. He saws this
salary was established % Years ago ,,d
mat the work in the office has almost
doubled in that time.
IL seems to me reasonable, and if the
gentlemen from Kennebec think tboy
want 10 give their efficient register of
oeeds little more pay they shouId bo,.o
the right to do it. We are not co,,,i,n
mere 10 say that we have got to nrotoct