The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1821-02-05

dency 10 bring the ministerial Office into lu
dicrous point Of view, by compelling those
who discharged X, 10 crowd into The cour, ior
hcencesin company with retailers q tsyerncrs,
be hoped il The Oil should be altered lh. now
er OF granting commissions would be given TO
toe Governor and Council and not to The Court
OF Sessions. Mr.. .At5ot thought that the a.
mendnenI gave loo much power 10 The Court
u Sessions, for their record being conclusive
as to the right Of persons TO marry any per
son whether an ordained minister or not.
might by obtaining such license, be authors
&c TO solemnize marriage without control he
considered this as rather broader ground
than the Legislature were ready TO assume
lEmemouial usage, lie said, had connected in
the minds Of the people the solemniza,ion Of
marriage with the ministerial Office, lie thought
II good association, and while he was pre-
pared to extend the privilege TO every de-
nomination OF christians, he wished the cere-
| fnony, 10 retain as much oflits ancient solemn
| y as possible. He thought The statute might
be rendered sufficiently certain in its appIca-
ton, without resorting to commissions or Ii
eeuses. The amendment was supported by
| the mover, on the ground that something was
| necessary to remedy the evils existing under
| The present law, and this he thought could be
done, only by making il certain who we're and
who were not authorised to join persons in
marriage +; the present law lie observed did
deprive some ministers, ordained after the
manner OF their sect, from this privilege, he
wished TO give it to them the bill under con
slderauon purported 10 do it, but be though
there was NOT that degree of precision and
certainty about it, which would remedy en-
trely the evil complained Of bis object in
the amendment was, to make The fact somport
with the theory.
The bill as amended, passed to be engrcss-
ed.
The bill abolishing the court of Common
Pleas was also taken up, according 10 assign
Aent on Thursday; but on motion Of Col.
Curri.r the farther consideration Of jt,was post
poned until Wednesday next, and in the mean
time II was committed 10 committee ofnine :;
for what purpose, we are unable to imagine
We understand Caucus was summoned by
notice posted in the Representative hall on
"Wednesday to take this bill into consideration,
and muster advocates and friends and hands
70 support il. The subject was probably well
maiured in that august body, for it was under
The auspices of an able Jurist, who presided
over its deliberations. The advantages of
Caucus Legislation are invaluable; there are
gained by 4 frmness ofopinion, tenacity IN
waverlng 10 the ingenuity Of argument and
an array organized and disciplined into The a.
doPiIon and maintenance Of dogmas and meas.
ures, which save great delay aud t.ouble in
Committee Of The 1gkOie Legislature.
The editor of the Boston Ceniinel saws,
Z" We fad by the journals of the Legislature
OF Maine, that before bills are passed, they
are referred TO Board Of Jurisprudence 10
report thereon" This is misrepresentation.
The Board Of Jurisprudence is created for an
eatlrely different purpose Its object is tenn
poTaTy, and IN no manner connected with the
legislative department. The Board is COM
mIttee appointed by the Governor and Coun-
Gil, TO revise the statutes which have been
passed 10 Massachusetts since the establish
ment of the government of the Commonwealth,
in order to form digest Of such as were ac-
tually in existence at the time of separation.
The laws which have been enacted at differ
ent periods relating TO the same subject are
formed into one atatute and those statutes
and parts OF statutes which have been repeal
ed are entirely omitted. When this service
is done, the object Of their appointment viii
be completely answered 1t is understood
that th ey nave gone through about a third
part of the labor assigned them, and that the
digest when finished will form about two oc
tavo volumes. The statutes as they are di
gested are reported 70 the Governor and by
him laid before the Legislature. Some pass
with and some without mendments-olhers
are rejected. The Board of jurisprudence