Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-01-08

Where the offender has money and
can pay the fine, the county benefits
thereby and no injustice is done, but
too often the poor man who has
neither money nor friends Is forced
to serve a double term while his
wife and children suffer. An Of
fender with means thus is given an
unfair advantage. Inc hardshlps
and inequalities of this law have
been torcibly brought to my atten-
ton in a large number Of cases
where Executive clemency has been
asked | would make the well-to-
do offender pay literally both In
money and time, but l would not i'm
pose upon the poor man what, on &C
count Of his poverty, amounts to a
State Contingent Fund
Almost everybody in Maine has
heard of the state Contingent
Fund" Some Of the letters that l
receive about it are amusing. Ger
tain people seem to think that the
contingent fund falls like mamma
from Heaven, and that the Governor
and Council rake it in each morn
ing. AS a matter of fact, the con-
won savings of our citizens paid TO
the State in the form of taxes.
Every dollar of it has been earned
by somebody.
In former messages have eX-
planned that this fund chiefly is
made up of uneXpended balances Of
appropriations and OF incomes re-
ceIteu in excess OF estimates. In
substance, the law authorizes the
expenditure Of this money by the
Governor and Council to meet over
drafts of State institutions and de-
partmentS, to pay Tor p4UJe.,5 lur
which no appropriations We're made
by the LEGISLATURE or where ap-
Iropriations We're insufficient, and to
meet "emerSencies,' the latter being
entirely villain Executive discretion.
During the past four years the
Councillors anu myself have handled
this fund strictly in accordance with
law. Every payment from it has
been closely scrutinized. We have
rclrained from stretching beyond
reason our emergency" powers, and
have provided only Tor things that
we belleve necessary.
The Smith Money
Ever since l became Governor !
have SAVED every uonur pOSS4u4e anu
have 1elt obliged to withhold from
departments and institutions &C, II
things that l wanted them to have.
when i'll s5ept,DA4~. "a 60, 81. Tic
State received the sum of $4,000 as
inheritance taxes from the Smith
estate of Rockland, the Councillors
and my sell carefully surveyed the
several institutions and departments
with "a view of finding out what
equipment and improvements they
needed and which to that time we
fn1f t,fa Ill
Some o: the principal matters at
tended to are us follows:
y storehouSe in which is to be
placed all the inhammable material
now scattered throughout the State
House is being constructed at cost
of $43.S00. The danger of fire is
imminent and l am of the opinion
that sooner or later our State
Capitol would havo been destroyed
by fire If We had left matters as they
were. y wing to cost s45,300 is be-
| ing added to this new building t.
accommodate the State Highway
and State Health Departments. Thi.
structure will provide for all the
needs of the State for twenty-fiv
years to come and takes the plac,
of a new wing to the Capitol tina,
might have cost a million dollars
At the Women's Reformatory a
Skowhegan we authorized the repair
OF the barn, the laying out of The
grounds, the repair OF the farm
| sheds, the construction of n SUI
porch for babies at the maternity
building, and vegetable under.
ground cellar in which to store tn,
seasons crop raised by the girls
These items totalled S4250. At til,
Hebron Sanatorium q school for tn,
tubercular children was sorely need
ed and $500 was set aside for it
The old school was a finder box un,
fit for human beings to live ant
work in. Two radio sets. one fol
the Hebron and one for the presqu,
Isle Sanatorium. have been pur.
chased. one already had been in
stalled at Fairfield and is accom-
plishing wonders for the patients
At the Mems Reforma tory at Soutl
Windham, we authorized the install.
lation of a brick yard to cost $4,000
| for the Trustees assured us that tn,
/ prisoners would make their owl
! bricks for the new buildings. w,
also purchased certain property TO
$500 that was entirely surrounded
by the Reformatory and was likely
| to fall into undesirable hands
! About $1,000 will be spent in tn,
construction of a Memorial to tn,
! World Flyers at Mere Point. Bruins
( wick; $1,000 for a fireproof vault il
| the State House in which to plac,
! the priceless records and manu-
scripts Of the State Library, ant
/ S2,074.So for a barn at the Hebron
! Sanatorium, which was built by TIL,
! Trustees without authority from tn,
| Governor and Council. We have al
| lowed about $4,000 for completing tn,
| State Park in front of the Stat,
, Capitol, the appropriation by tn,
legislature having been insufficient
and approximately $1,000 for re
Pairing the old forts recently pur
chased from the Federal Government
and publishing book of the.
| history. Our two Insane Hospital.
| and Feeble Minded School were il
need of certain electrical appliance!
and other equipment. and abou
! 100000 was allowed them to NEE
| the emergency. Had some of thes,
| projects waited upon Legislativ,
| action, certain Of the States ward.
/ and dependents would have suffered
| for funds would not have beer
available before July, 1925. Be
| tween one quarter and one third o
| the Smith money has been used anC
| these items give an idea as to som,
| of the uses to which it was applied
An Unwise Law
I have been asked to give my
views upon the Contingent Fund
During my administration, due t
| the State Prison fire, I have found i
! convenient to have this fund bu
think its dangers overshadow it.
| merits. In my opinion it would b,
well either to limit the fund t.
100000 or 100000, or what is bet.
ter, to repeal the law altogether ant
thus do away with what is a con
slant source of annoyance ant
temptation. The borrowing power o.
the Governor and Council very