Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-03-26

by the Legislature to any literary
institution now established, or which
may hereafter be establishe, unless at
the time of making such endowment
the Legislature Of the State Of Maine
shall have the right to grant any
further powers to alter, limit or re-
strain any of the powers vested In
any such literary institution as shall
be judged necessary" There is not
an institution, a private institution,
incorporated under the laws of the
State Of Maine, that comes here, that
takes one penny. that 1t does not
take it under that implied limitation.
And il anybody would want to make
it more emphatic. our last Governor
gave us n precedent, il anybody
thinks there is need of any safe
guarding. that there is any danger OF
abuse, why doesn't he adopt the idea
Of the Baxter amendments with ref
erence to corporations to handle pow
err, and tack on a Barwise amendment
with reference to limiting the inst1tu-
tional powers of the various institu-
lions that are coming here and seek
ind aid? Your constitution gives
you the power.
What is the history Of this thing2
How did it start? 1t Is always well
to get Genesis. In 1923. right out
of a clear sky, certainly to me. and
I claim to be fairly well informed as
the average-risht out of clear sky,
! in the other room, in joint session
we heard pronounced down here for
the first time in public by anybody,
certainly, occupying as authoritative
and important position as CHIEF
Executive. proposition of no public
monies except for purely public pur-
poses, to be expended through aGen-
cies publicly controlled. That was
where this was born. Where do you
suppose the Governor got the idea?
T am not adverting to the present
Executive. Governor Baxter made
that suggestion two years ago and
set the send Legislature with 4 great
task to see if they would measure up
to the responsibility of this sugges-
ton. Now the Governor borrowed
his idea from the Massachusetts con-
got his idea.
There is not an original thing about
any one Of these amendments from
start to finish Talk about Bakers
or Brewster's or Barwise. There is
not an original line III any one of
them. and the only difference between
any Of them is this, that mine Is lit
| eral copy, word for word. without the
| changing of q comma, or the cross
| ing of st." or the dotting of an a.
except the limiting clause at the be-
ginning and the substitution Of the
University Of Maine for the Soldiers
Home. Mine is the absolute Massa-
chusetts amendment, and any men,
/ Der of this body can take the Massa-
chusetts amendment and my amend
ment and compare them. and they are
fac-similes, and then he can take his
| pencil and take the BarWise
amendment, so-called, and he
; can simply draw bracket right
| through and omit five lines there.
/ lines, and he will find that it
| is word for word like the Massachu-
sets amendment emasculated. The
| gentlemen will pardon me for seem
! ing irrevelant, but it suggests-and
you remember that an amendment
should be a change for the, better
it suggests an appropriate anecdote.
A young lad had returned from Sun
day school, and his mother was So
! licitous as to whether or not lie had
actually been there. 1t was in the
! spring time and there was the lure
of the brook, the call of the field and
| tllS Siicei III VI tiiO &iclhSi
| said Johnny, have you been to Sun
day SCHOOL," Yes, mother" Some
! thing made her doubt him. John
ny. have YOU surely been to Sunday
SCHOOL," Yes, mother" Did you
see the Rev. so-and-so?" Yes,
mother" Johnny, what was the
text today?' "Oh, 1 don't remem-
Der what the text was" Johnny.
what was the teXt?" why" he
said. 1T was funny: 1t sounded fun
ny to me; Oh yes he says 1T was
Mother said WHAT" He says
Cheer up, kid; you'll get the quilt"
Now, Johnny, / know you haven't
been to Sunday school," and she i'm
mediately called the pastor on the
phone and said to him WAS Johnny
at Sunday school today?" "Oh. yes
Are You sure?" 'Oh. yes; talked
with him." We'll" she said. II ask
ed him what the text was and he
gave me the funniest answer. and so
l don't thing he was there" The
parson said What did he say the
text was?" and she said it was
Cheer up, kid; you'll get the quilt"
Well" the parson said. "he wasn't
so very far wrong; the text was BE
of good cheer, by son, for soon the
comforter cometh." Applause and
laughter)
Now this IS an amendment only
in name. There is also a third ar
gument. I have already touched up
on the proposition of political eXpe-
diency. l have touched upon the
proposition of precedent, and there
is still a third argument. and that is
the argument of separation of church
and state. | do not intend to weary
YOU upon that point; it has been
comprised and it has been covered
1t occurs to me that they did not
use the words exactly. Are they
talking about separation of church
and state, or the opposition of state
to church? What have they got in
their minds? Is it n genuine sepa =
ration of church and state? Ii YOU
mean separation in the sense that
one shall so along the straight groove
in its endeavor, and the other move
along the line of it's function we
have it; we have it completely. If
You mean opposition of church and
} state. if you mean that the golden
warp of common life shall not have
running through it the wondrous
, thread of religious life, YOU cannot
have it.
The sanction for your being here
IS an oath; the sanction for the Chief
Executive, and the sanction for every
Senator being here is an oath. You
don't need a two-thirds vote for this
matter. | suggest to the Senator
from Penobscot, Senator Barwise. il