Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-03-25

Chicago; of San Francisco and other
great cities and centers OF popula.
ton?
I'm st. Louis the school board Is In
the hands of Roman Catholics, and
they are starving the public schools,
filing them with Roman Catholic
teachers, refusing or neglecting TO
provide public school buildings. while
the money raised for that purpose by
direct taxation Is diverted to the
pockets Of favored contractors.
Now, Mr.. Speaker, it is little while
since I have studied geography, and
the gentleman will correct me If I am
in error, but my impression is that
st. Louis is in the state of Missouri.
and what Is the law of the state OF
Missouri? Its constitution reads:
Neither the General Assembly nor
any county, city, town, township
school district or other municipal cor
poration, shall ever make an appro-
priat.on or pay from any public fund
whatever, anything in aid of any re-
ligious creed, church or sectarian pur-
pose, or to help to support or sustain
any private or public school, academy
seminary. college. university or other
institution Of learning controlled by
any religious creed, church or secta-
rian denomination whatever" My au-
thority for this statement is speech
! made by Honorable Mark A. Barwise,
now a senator from Penobscot, IN this
House on March 8, 1923. and reported
in the Legislative Record at Page 374'
and here Is the book (referrlng to
Legislative Tecord).
I continue from the speech Of the
gentleman from Portland (Mr. Cum
mings): "Similar conditions prevail
| in Chicago" Chicago, if I am not IN
error, is in the state Of Illinois. What
is the law of Illinois? The constltu-
ton of Illinois says: Neither the
General Assembly nor any county,
city, town, township. school district
or other public corporation, sAall ever
make any appropriation or ray from
any public fund whatever, anything IN
aid of any church or sectarian purpose
| to help support or sustain any school,
academy, seminary. college, UNIVERSE
| ty or other literary or scientific instl-
tuition controlled by any church or
sectarian denomination whatever
| This is practically the same amend
ment that you are voting on here.
! That Is the law of Illinois. II we are
| to believe the data compiled by
the present senator from Penobscot
in the speech to which have referred
and reported at Page 375 of the Leg
isIatiye Record. Here Is the book.
(Referring to Legislative Record).
The gentleman from Portland con-
tinued: Let us briefly consider San
Francisco. Just look at her! Just
look at her School Board! Look at
her schools. With Alfred Romeo
, vieri for superintendent, the censor
ing of school books was turned over
to the Roman Church, and books on
| history, economics, biology and
science were submitted to Priest
Wood Of ST. Ignatius college for his
approval.
"Under her Roman Catholic re-
sine the whole school system of that
city has become corrupt. almost be-
yound belief. Graft and favoritism
are rampant: thousands of textbooks
bought in defiance of State provisions
and at prices higher than. were per-
, Missile Investigation showed 11,151
books which could not be used at all.
Miss Alice Rose Powers. a member
Of the school board, admitted that
she formerly owned five thousand
shares in a text book company, and
had assigned one half of it to the
head Of the company and the other
| half to her nephew.
These things, my fellow citizens.
are matters brought out by a grand
jury investigation and are matters OF
public record"
What Is the law of California,
which is where, If am not mistaken.
San Francisco is located? The con-
stitution of California says: mo
public money shall ever be appropri-
ated for the support OF any sectarian
, or denominational school, or any
! school not under the exclusive con-
troll of the officers of the public
schools" 1 read from the Legisla-
tive Record of 1928. Page 374, the
speech of the Honorable Mark A. Bar
wise. That book is here
All those three amendments in the
States where the gentleman from
Portland (Mr. Cummings says the
conditions are so revolving differ in
no particular essential from the
amendment which we are consider
ing today. In other words, you are
asked to debate in Maine on 4 rem
edy for an evil which does not exist,
q remedy which in States where it
does exist has proved futile and I'M
awaiting. / think, Mr.. Speaker, that
disposes of the constitutional nee
essity for this question. The remedy
for those conditions in Illinois, Mis-
souri,, and California appears to lie,
as the speech of the geptleman from
Portland indicated, with the petit
jurors and the grand jurors of those
states. If similar conditions arise
in Maine, 1 believe that our people,
our honest government and able gov
eminent, can cope with those con-
ditions. But, as / understand it,
there is another argument made in
behalf of this amendment. 1t is said
that, although there is no absolute
legal or constitutional necessity for
this measure, there is a political
necessity, a sort of emotional neces-
sity. l hear people say that this
this issue has been raised and that
it must be settled. ] here them say
there is q popular demand for this
amendment. and. unless you satisfy,
this issue will arise to plague you
and will disturb the peace of your
community until it is settled by some
constitutional enactment. This argu-
ment is very widely made. It receives
in many quarters a respect to which
l think it is wholly unentitled.
Let us fer moment analyze
what ] might call the emotional his
tory Of the United States in the last
eight years. During the years of
1917 to 1919, the United States of
America was engaged in war with
the Central Powers of Europe. That
was absorbed not only our physical
and material energies. but absorbed
rs we'll our emotional fervours and
ardors.
We formed unconsciously the hab-
it of hatred, hatred which for the
moment largely against the people
of Gnl,Ina A,,ct TIL