Daily Kennebec journal., 1925-03-27

portation Of the board to the place
where the person who desires to regis
ter is. 1t is to give an opportunity
for the class of persons named to take
part in civic affairs and be enabled to
prepare to cast their ballot.
l think that every possible precau-
ton is thrown around this provision
| And certainly If We cannot trust our
doctors who have received certificate
from the board of registration, and
also our justices of the peace who
have been nominated by the governor
after careful investigation as to their
qualifications, I fear that we are 60
ing to be in a rather precarious con-
| dition.
believe, as I statet: concerning the
absentee ballot proposal this morning
that this is n good law and that 1t
ought to go through. And / further
will state that this matter was DIS
cussed quite thoroughly with the
board of registration of the city or
Portland and they said that they
could handle the matter without difrl-
cultv so far as their particular board
was concerned. The chairman appear
ed at the hearing and so expressed
| himself.
Mr.. President, 7 leave the matter IN
the hands Of the Senate.
Mr.. POWERS or Aroostook: MT
President, the calendar says that TINS
| was tabled by Senator Cram on MdIch
"a. On March - the report or the
committee on legal affairs, the unahl-
nous report Ought not to pass was
on this table. On March 20th, winch
the Senate will recall was the DAY on
| which the Legislature was lnVlteo ~
Bath in order to view the site OF the
|
senator from Cumberland must not
have noticed my absence, because at
the very end of proceedings under
Orders of the Day, this one act was
taken up, the bill was substituted for
the report and an amendment offered
but there is no other action concern
ing the bill that day. Furthermore.
this bill was omitted from the calen-
dar on March Goth, 50 that the time
for reconsideration of any action had
passed before this appeared on
the calendar. l did make some
inquiries about where it was
but was just told that it was omit
ted from the calendar, and l knew
nothing about this action until
eventually the Record was printed
and came to us.
SO the committee on legal affairs
sition from what is expected. In
stead of supporting it's report. it is
now obliged to oppose the motion OF
the Senator from Cumberland.
We gave this very careful cnsid-
GRAFTON, and it is a very similar bill
as the Senator from Cumberland
says, TO the absentee voting law
which we postponed this morning
Furthermore. this morning we have
4 II .,1~ <-
to increase the safeguards of regis
tration, and this act 1oosens them UP
again. 1t seems to be an act that
! would be a convenience to a few III
people, or people in i'll health in some
communities, but it is a general act
under which the boards of registra :
ton would be obliged to trave
around during three days and be here
and there and everywhere, or their
deputies. and it seems to me it
would be a bill absolutely parable
with the absentee voting act. and
think that ii should be considered as
a part of the same.
l therefore hope that the motion
Of the Senator from Cumberland will
not prevail.
Mr.. CRAM: I would like to In
quire through the Chair. if the bill
just enacted. to which Senator Pow
ers refers, is 296. relating to primary
electors?
Mr.. POWERS: Through the Chair
l would say YES, ] refer to that bill
Mr.. CRAM: Replying brief.
through the Chair, to the Senator
from Aroostook, ! would state that
the bill. 20 which he refers, 296, has
to do with elections, and the one
which we are discussing relates tc
the matter of registrations, and
think they are entirely different mat
ters. And | will say further, that
my recollection of the occurrences
concerning this matter are the same
as Senator Powers that this matter
was acted upon on March 20 and ia
bied,-at which time an amendment
was offered and then the matter was
tabled. l did not at that time notice
the absence of the Senator from
Aroostook. | assumed that he was
present. The purpose at that time
was to offer the amendment and have
it printed over the week end so that
1T could come up for consideration
at later period.
Mr.. POWERS: Mr.. President, ]
know of course that the Senate is
perfectly familiar with all bills be-
fore it. From my reading of II. d
296, 1t seems to me to deal very
largely with registration for primar,
elections, and in fact that is what
the bill is, an act relating to the
! registration of primary elections.
Mr.. CLARKE of Hancock: Mr.
president, When the subject matter
Of the absentee voting was before
the Senate, | got the idea from some
source that there was an amend
ment. Is there an amendment to the
, bill now under discussion?
The DRE'SIDENT- rTbara ;e on1
that is where it went, it was being
printed.
Mr.. CLARKE: The parliamentar,
situation is that the amendment has
been offered and the bill substituted
for the report?
! The presidents: The parliamen-
tary situation is on the reading OF
TINS present form as amended.
Mr.. MORRISON of Franklin, Mr.
frsldeht, 1t seems to me that this i.
u matter that goes hand in han6
with S SO. that the Senate has iust
passed upon, and I will state thai
both of these matters were giver
very careful consid Grafton by the
committee on legal affairs.
; lhls bill we are considering now
Is III regard to the registration OF
voters, and the bill provides for a
BOARD Oh registration on wheels go.
ing around to every one who NAV
pe sick or disabled, or who perhaps
II the law was abused might take
advantage of it, and there would be
more injustice done in my mind "a
nave such Il law passed than to have
The law remain rs it is now. And
1t Is the mind of the committee or
legal affairs, who unanimously re-
ported out both of these matters
ought not 20 pass that if this
change was made it would be a very