Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-03-09
tutions. arc approved by the ratifying
nf

IN order that this amendment may
DC clearly understood l will read a
part of it. Mr.. Speaker:
Section I. After December thirty
ilrst, nineteen hundred and thirty.
neither the Legislature nor any
ofanch of the State government, nor
any subdivision of the State, poll
ticai or otherwise. shall appropriate
any money. lend credit, or contri-
pute any property or thing of value
TO, any UNCONVENTIONAL sectarian.
parochial, or religious school. insti-
tuition, association, corporation,
cause or purpose"
This amendment is drawn with
some care. based upon the expert
ence OF many states in dealing with
this question. Every word in that
first section has been found. in the
different controversies in the several
states. to be essential. 1t may APP
pear to some members of the House
that there is something of redund-
ancy. something Of surfeit of lam
guaSe. but L assure you that such
is not the case. Neither the Leg
islature nor any branch of the State
government" You may question why
amy branch of the State govern
ment" is put in. well. in our State
we have a very large contingent
fund which is under the control of
the Chief Executive. We might at
some future time--not l think under
the present eXecutive-we might at
some future time. have an executive
who might divert some of the funds
from their proper courses. That is
put in there as a limitation on the
executive. as well as the legislative
branch. Nor any subdivision of the
10 20,
subdivision of the State, POLITICAL"
might be construed. has been con-
strued, by certain superior courts in
the country as simply applying to
counties. towns and cities. There
might be divisions of the State made
with a similarity to forest districts
or water districts or some conceiv-
able district. which might not be
construed as a subdivision. which
might be given power by some future
Legislature to raise money and to
divert to sectarian or parochial pur-
poses. SO it is very carefully stated
political Or otherwise" The series
of words beginning school. insti
tuition, association. corporation, cause
or purpose" have all been found to be
wise in other states.
The second section merely applies
in 1925 and 1926. limiting the APP
preparation to IS per cent Of that
passed for these sort of institutions
by the Legislature of 1921 and the
succeeding paragraphs limit the
Legislatures of 1927, 1928. 1929 and
1880, but at December 31st, 1880. the
act, if approved by this Legislature
and approved by the people. becomes
part of the organic law of our
State.
This amendment. as all of you are
more or less familiar, is redraft
of a resolve which l introduced early
in the Legislature, which prohibited
all appropriations for all private
purposes whatsoever. The judiciary
Committee, in their wisdom, reported
back in a ma jority and minority re-
port. a majority report. signed by
seven, that the bill ought not to pass
in any form, and a minority report.
signed by three. that the bill ought
to pass in this draft. a part or when
T have read to you. This new draft
is based squarely and fairly upon
Fundamental American doctrine. tnat
of the total and complete separation
of Church and State. Those of you
who are familiar with our Colonial
history and with the history Oh
Europe at the time our country was
going through it's formative perlou'
will recall something of the struggle
that was going on in Europe, some
thing of the struggle that was going
on here in America even. all durlhs
the reicns of Charles the Second ana
Jop,es the Second, and even down
into the reigns Of William and Mary
10 a. considerable extent. There was
tho most bitter warfare going on
between those who belonged to the
catholic church and those who pc
lonced to the various Protestant
churches. mostly the Church
Of England at that tiile'
although the Dissenters were pecoHi
ing somewhat strong by 1850. EVels
chin. that came to America during
.hot ,,nriod when our colonies were
nro1uinp up. was laden with refugees
Heeinr from either one side or the
other. -,
Human nature is about the same all
no world over. and it is about the
same in our religious denominations.
,rba OWLS which come from pollticai
tyranny when united with rellslous
tvranuy. are the same all over the
world among all classes or people.
There are no exceptions. Ihose VI
Won who are familiar with eastern
history know that the same Is tluc
among the Mohammedans. Budohists
and Confucionists. Everywhere IN
the world where Church ana state
have been united there have followed
dire results from that. AS say, our
ing our Colonial history, every snip
that came over brought news that
different ones of their cousins or
o,,nts or other relatives had been tor
tured or had been put to death or
had suffered in the Tower OF Lonoon
simply because they happened to pc
, long tn one side or the other. Ihere
was no superiority to one side or the
other: one was equally as bad as the
other.
During the rule of James the Sec
ond when the Catholics were IN CON
troL we had Jeffreys and the Bioooy
Assizes. But just little later when
the Wings came into controi we nau
even worse conditions on the other
side Thousands of Catholics were
murdered in cold blood, JUDICIARY
nnrhaps. or by military oroer or
Otherwise. simply because they were
Catholics, Just as a few years peIore
Thousands of Protestants were muir
dered for the same reason ana TOT no
other reason. Now, this was the con-
dition of the world at the time our
-. +boupht in America was