Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-03-18
Senate Bills on First Reading

Senate 6S: An Act to amend Sec
ton Sc of Chapter 16 OF the Reriseo
Statutes. relating to the attendance
of children at school, Grained py
Mr.. Maher of Augusta pending Sec
ond reading)
Senate 1870: An Act additional TO
Chapter IA of the Revised Statutes.
relating to the observation and care
of persons to the State hospitals
ION motion by Mr.. Barnes of Houlton
tabled pending first readinso
Senate 119: An Act defining pros
titution. lewdness and designation
and providing punishments therefor.
Senate 1879: Resolve in favor OF
the State Tuberculosis Sanatoriums
for maintenance and other purposes
for the years 1919 and 1920.
Communication from The Governor
To the Honorable House of Rep
resentatives:
respectfully return herewith
without my approval House document
No. 500. An Act to amend Section Sc
of the Revised Statutes as enacted in
Chapter 25S of the Public Laws Of
1917. and to provide for the construc
tion of third-class highways.
The title and first line of the bill
are evidently inaccurate and incom-
plete. 1t purports to withdraw from
funds available for State and State
aid road construction under existing
laws an annual amount of little
less than 100000 to be applied III
appropriate resolves passed by the
Legislature. and to limit the resolves
which a Legislature may pass to that
amount each year The latter fea-
ture of the bill would of course be
nugatory as it is not within the pow
err of any Legislature thus to limit
it's own acts or those of any succeed
ing Legislature. 1t remains, there
fore only to consider the proposed
withdrawal of funds already devoted
to specific purposes under our exist
ing highway laws for the purpose Of
satisfying the terms of such special
resolves as the Legislature may pass.
This feature of the bill Identifies t
as the first item of the program Of
the committee on ways and bridges
by which they expect to pass GER
tain selected list of road resolves
over an executive veto.
Aside from it's inaccuracies of Ian
guage the bill is Objectionable On
three grounds:
First. it proposes an unwise meth
cd of distributing funds for ligh-
way work. method inconsistent
with the rest of our highway law.
Second. it would seriously inter-
fere with the cooperative road work
between the State and the Federal
Government in the year 1919.
Third. the ostensible purpose "f
this bill, the appropriation of more
money for country roads can be ac-
complished better by adopting the
principle Of the so-called Granville
bill, and. beginning in 1920 after the
money from bonds shall have become
available. to distribute part of the
mill tax for third class highways on
a basis that is fair to all the towns
Of the state.
In answer to the first objection, it
is said that to continue the present
method of distributing highway
money would be to surrender some of
the prerogatives of the Legislature.
If this is true. it is only one Of many
instances in which the Legislature
has restricted it's own field of action
In making appropriations by author
izing some commission or department
to administer funds within certain
general. limits prescribed by Statute.
AS late as 1911 the argument was
made in the Legislature that if bonds
were to be issued and large sums OF
money expended for the construction
OF State highways the Legislature IL
self should designate where the trunk
lines should go and how much money
should be spent in each locality. The
attempt was even made to mark out
by legislative act the main trunk
lines across the State. The unwisdom