Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-03-31

three minutes more. In reply to the
I gentleman from Somerset who has
| last spoken, have simply to remind
you and this gentleman that the stat
ute law and the rulings of the at
torney generals department, and the
common practice in this State for
several years past, have authorized
the payment for poultry destroyed.
So far as he finds fault with the law,
| l will go with him. But when he
says, if he intends to say, that the
State shall now. having paid in the
past these claims, but now having
discovered how obnoxious the law is,
shall now refuse to pay those which
have accumulated, then I part COM
pany with him there. I say the fair
way for the State to, do is to amend
or repeal this law, settle up the
claims accrued as Justice dictates,
see that no man or community is in
jured.
The honorable Senator from Knox
need not be alarmed that I am crit
icising him or finding any fault with
him. He is my friend. And I did not
knowingly say one word about any
wrangling in the committee. and /
would not if ] had known it. Cen
tlemen of the Senate, some claim in
this Legislature has got to be the
largest, and is it any argument or
fair argument to say that that the
largest claim, because it is the largest
should be Disseminated against.
Just one observation more, gentle
men. Are you going to follow the
recommendation of a committee
which says that we believe in a part
of this matter the municipal officers
of the town have acted justly and
legally. and in another part of it that
is occurring day by day along with
the good part of it, as they say-that
they then have two natures natures
and that one day they are righteous
and on the next day they are public
servants not to be trusted. | want to
say that | think that gentleman does
impugn the honorable gentleman who
was a member of the board of select
men, in that way. l have offered his
statement written in his own hand
within a day or two in which he says
the yare honest claims. Gentlemen
of the Senate, can a man be honest on
Tuesday and an incompetent and dis
honest official on Wednesday? 1t is
possible, but is it probable? Are you
going to quarrel with the selectmen
if they-I am going to quarrel with
this committee if they want to rest
this case upon the manner of investi-
cation. They have not detailed for
you nor for me the evidence present
ed. They give us the benefit of their
conclusions. I have laid before you
every scrap of evidence that | have
been able to collect regarding it that
you may draw Your conclusions and
not accept mine.
How ridiculous the proposition is
if we carry it out to it's logical con-
clusion. The widow living on a
back farm, with a little flock of
poultry as her chief means of susten-
ance, loses two hens and she goes
out and she finds the feathers and
she finds some fresh blood and she
believes Mr.. Sly Fox has paid her
poultry yard visit. Now as to the
law she has seven days in which to
make claim. Maybe she can get
| walking and maybe she can't, but
she has got seven days any way in
| which to make this claim. | want
to ask you, gentlemen, if after the
lapse of seven days in this climate
of Maine. with it's winds, it's rains,
its fogs, its SHOWS, if you as q select
man of q town would expect to find
anything to indicate in a poultry
yard that seven days before a hen
had been killed? 1t is ridiculous.
! More than that, if they want to hold
strict, exact duty in a matter of that
kind, it would require the visit of
two of those selectmen to that spot
two hens killed, worth perhaps two
dollars or three dollars, and it means
that two selectmen harness up their
teams and go out for five or six miles
! and investigate-they are going to
use up half a day of the towns
| time for which the town has got to
pay them. Then you have got a cost
to somebody, and it falls upon the
citizens of the town, you have got a
! cost for investigation that exceeds
!
stroyed. Gentlemen, it is a ridicu-
lous proposition. There isn't any
question about it. I want to repeat
again, I think the law is absolutely
worthless. But I want to appeal to
! you as fairminded men and as
agents of the State of Maine that be-
| fore the law is changed you take a
! just and honest attitude toward these
! claims which have been contracted
! under the present law as interpreted
: by tn department and by selectmen
of the State generally.
! Mr.. HARRINGTON of Kennebec:
! Mr.. President, I rise to point of
! inquiry. AS I understand the report
| is for all except the hens killed, and
/ would like to have the information
| if it is possible as to whether or not
! the selcctmen made any particular
investigation on the point of whether
| these hens We're killed or not2
The PRESIDENTS: Can the sena-
tor from Knox. Senator Thompson,
answer the inquiry of the senator
! from Kennebec, Senator Harrington?
! Mr.. THOMPSON: I think Sena-
tor Emery can answer that question
better than I can.
The PRESIDENT: Will the sena-
tor from Washington, Senator En-
cry, please answer the inquiry of the
senator from Kennebec.
N