Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-03-01

,, Su Is not expended during that
year II Is available for the succeedino
Tnra % Sea anoa 80 II Is available until
June oo. 1873. Now. We have in n,,r
~ 30 III, q provision whereby no
$780, " ,.E LEGISLATURE shall go into
;n,rr un." pihety days after adj
benefits of that $4,000 The Ier, ~ lie
ture must adjourn ninety doS. -
previous June 80, 1923, and Tia 1T.
tory OF past Legislatures womb shn,,,
that you cannot come within ,ho
provisions of this law ,,nlos. ~
emergency clause is attached a,,,
stating this in spite of the fact +t,at
l understand there Is some avrn.
ment whereby this $4,000 NAV 10
received. but legally the state "s
Maine Is not entitled to it. II can.
not come under the provisions ~
tms act IN such a way as leon,lv
10 accept IT. Now. with that $l0. 900
out OF the way what Is the next nro.
vision! Ihat we should receive If
we accept the act. $4,000 provided
we raise $4,000 and the balance of
the 100000 to be divided accorJin or
to the population of. the differnnf
States. That would mean TO Tho
state OF Maine approximately A. 7oo
so That the proposition is. shall we
accept from the United States Gov
ernment $500 provided we raise
1t ourselves. That is, for noriod
of five years. oN
section three provides Board of
Maternity-where? In Washinrton
1t provides that the Chief of the
Children's Bureau shall be one of
that Board-and where? In Wash
lngton. 1t provides that the Sur.
geon General of the United States
Public Health Service shall be a
member of that Board-and where ,
In Washington. 1t provides that the
Cnited states Commissioner of Edu-
cation shall he member of that
Board-and whereo In Washinyton
1t provides further. that the Child
ren's Bureau of thei Department Of
Labor shall be charged with the adj
mlnlstration of this Act-and where
is 1t to be carried out? In Wash
ington.
Section four of the Act provides
for Its acceptance, and that I want
to go into little bit later.
Section five provides for EXPENSE
1t provides that five per cent of ali
the money raised under this Act can
be used for administration purposes.
You say that is not very much. but
on a million dollar appropriation,
fifty thousand dollars IS used in
Washington when it could be avail
able in the State of Maine if we did
not adhere to the principle that we
must pay our taxes in Washington.
they must be manipulated there and
then returned to the State. That is
the principle which you have before
you. Now, what is this money to be
expended for? 1t is to be expended
for assistants, clerks and other per-
sons in the District of Columbia, in
Washington and elsewhere, to be
taken from the eligible lists of tho
Civil Service Commission, and to
purchase supplies and material,
equipment, Office fixtures, etc, and
to incur such additional and other
expense as may be deemed ncces-
sary for carrying out the provisions
of this Act-and where? In Wash
ington.
Section seven provides that the
Secretary of Treasurer shall certify
the different amounts which shall be
apportioned among the States.
Section eight shows what the
plans are. And I want to read that
in full because that is very material.
ANY State desiring to receive the
benefits of this Act shall. by it's
agency described in section four,
submit to the Children's Bureau de-
tailed plans for carrying out the
provisions of this Act within such
State. which plans shall be subject
to the approval of the board lin
Washington Provided. that the
plans of the States under this Act
shall provide that no official. or
agent, or representative in carrying
out the provisions of this Act shall
enter any home Or take of any child
over the objection of the parent, or
either of them. or the person stand
ing in loco PARENTS or having Gus
tody Of such child. If these plans
shall be in conformity with the pro-
visions Of this Act and reasonable
appropriate and adequate to carry
out it's purposes they shall be APP
proved by the board and due notice
of such approval shall be sent to the
State agency by the chief Of the
Children's Bureau" Everything must
be submitted to Washington. Every
thing must be approved by Washing
ton. How this money must be spent
must be approved by Washington.
Section 3 reads, mo official, agent,
or representative of the Childrens
Bureau shall by virtue of this Act
have any right to enter any home
over the objection of the owner
thereof. or to take charge of any
child over the objection of the par
ents, or either of them, or of the
person standing in loco PARENTS or
having custody of such child. Moth
ing in this Act shall be construed
as limiting the power of parent or
guardian or person standing in loco
PARENTS to determine what treat
ment or correction shall be provided
for q child or the agency or agencies
to be employed for such purpose"
They were afraid, when they enact
ed this bill that the argument would
be that the Federal Government is
entering and trying to control our
homes, and this provision is, in my
mind. put in for the mere purpose of
securing the passage of the bill, al
though, as no penalty whatever is
provided for. there is nothing in that
section which would prevent any
Federal agent coming into our
homes and doing anything he want
ed to-. He could do that because
there is no penalty attached what
soever.
Section 10 is pure form matter and
provides how the Act shall be car
ried out.
Section IL provides that the United
States Government can withhold
any money if the State itself does
not carry out the plans which are
formulated. really, in Washington.
They may not be actually formulat-
ed in Washington but they are sub
mitted by our State Board. approved
in Washington. and unless proper
plans are submitted then we arc in
q position where we have got to
either refuse the money or accept
their plans.
Section u provides that mo por-