Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-04-01

mere Subterfuge. / am willing the
commissioner should have salary OF
| five thousand dollars, but If we are
going to pass it, let us pass 1t ana
leave it to the Governor and Council,
and not pretend we are going to limit
it to three years of service.
| The motion was agreed to, and the
bill was tabled pending the adoption
of House Amendment 3D."
| The SPEAKER: The Chair presents
for consideration, House Doc. No. 352,
! Bill, An Act relating to order or
names on ballots. The pending ques-
| ton is the third reading of the bill.
| Mr.. Bragdon of Perham moved that
the bill be Indefinitely postponed.
| Mr.. VILES of Augusta: Mr.. Speak
er. I do not think this would be the
proper way to dispose of this mea-
sure. 1 have previously understood
! from the gentleman from Perham. Mr..
Bragdon, that if he had any opposi-
ton to this bill he would communi-
cate with me before bringing the
matter up in the House. This bill
has the unanimous support of the
committee on legal affairs, to which
committee it was referred. 1t is a
fair and a just bill, and it has the en-
dorsement of the Secretary of State
and carries no expense to the State.
1t is in line with a similar measure in
troduced in the last Legislature and
passed by this House, bill intro
duced by the gentleman from North
Arson, Mr.. Holley. and it occurs to
me that it can have no reasonable
opposition; and I hope the motion to
indefinitely postpone will not prevail.
| Mr.. BARWISE of Bangor: Mr.
Speaker, this bill is so eminently fair
that it ought not to require any ar
gument. OF course, with the Brew
sters, B3rwises and Bragdons and
those who are fortunate enough to be
born with a name which begins with
a letter at the top of tn alphabet, we
have an actual advantage over other
candidates who are running, but it
would be decidedly unfair for us to
insist upon the perfectly accidental
advantage as against the clear equi-
ties of the case.
Mr.. McILHERON of Lewiston: Mr..
Speaker, l am against this bill be-
cause it is a gamble.
Mr. BRAGDON: Mr.. Speaker, l do
not intend to take up the time of this
House for but a moment or two in a
discussion of this matter. I cannot
agree with the gentleman from Ban
gor, Mr.. Barwise, that the people who
stand first in order on the ticket have
any special advantage. If the gentle
men of this House will recall, a few
years ago we had a big senatorial
contest in the State of Maine, and
the man whose name stood down at
the bottom of the list won the prize.
Yesterday a member of this House
who comes from one of the cities of
our State, a city which sends several
representatives here, told me that out
out of quite long list of candida ties
he stood at the bottom of the list,
and that he got the biggest vote of
any of them.
You will recall that at our last pri-
maries we had three candidates for
Governor on the Republican ticket,
and the man who stood at the bottom
of the list won the election. Up in
our own county two years ago we
had eight or ten candidates for sena-
tor, and the man whose name began
with "P," and whose name stood
down at the bottom of the list got she
biggest vote of any of them. At our
last primaries up there, in addition
to the contest for the first place on
the ticket, we had two holly contest
ed fights, one was for sheriff and the
other was for county commissioner
Out of, I think. eight names on the
list for sheriff, the man who stood in
the middle of the list won; and for
county commissioner the man whose
name stood at the bottom of the list,
and whose name began with the letter
"U'' carried off the prize.
So it occurs to me that if my friend,
the gentleman from Augusta (Mr.
Viles), feels disposed to become a
candidate for any high office in this
State, that he will not need to feel
that his chances are impaired because
of the fact that his name begins with
the letter ''V." / can appreciate the
position taken by the gentleman from
Lewiston (Mr. McIlheron) in regard
to gambling. / strongly object to
gambling for a place on the ticket. If
the first place on the ticket means
anything to anyone, I do not think
we should draw lots for it; / do not
think we should blindfold the secreta-
ry of State and have him do the
gambling If we are going to gamble
over matter like this, let us do it
by shooting craps or by the old Amer
lean game of poker, where skill and
watchfulness will count for some
thing, and you all know that skill and
watchfulness are valuable attributes
in any public official.
Another reason for opposing this
is, that 1 object to unnecessary
changes in our primary and election
laws. You will notice that two years
ago we passed bill in this Legisla-
ture requiring cities to give IA days
notice of their annual meetings in
stead of seven and you know what
the result was. Half of the city of
ficials of the State did not know that
and we have been asked here during
this session to legalize their pro-
ceedings. We have been tinkering
with these primary laws until the
voters do not know when to go to
the primaries, and do not know when
the polls will close, and l think we
had better leave them as they are
until the people get used to them.
And l submit to you, gentlemen, that