The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1821-03-19

The Legislature finished nearly all the bu
siness they had assigned themselves on Satur
day, and wall probably close their long aud
arduous session This day. On Friday The ball
making provision for Tie support and employ
meIIt-and regulating the settlement oi pau.
pers, passed the House 10 he engrUssed. This
UiI varies The existing law in some essential
pertlculh=: ~ the first place II ihrows from
The State Treasury The burden OF relieving
| poor fore lgners, who have TO settlement in any
Town OF lie State, upon The town in which
they may be found condition 10 require
Support. Bul 10 W, to Compensate tue
towns, IL degree iot this addilioDsl expeDce
IL provides that he money ubianed from Lii
Censes, SHAH Ue pard INTO ihe I <a.ury OF the
several ionus. We dislike The ,fslem in the
( whole, bBl we confess there Is something like
| Ieiribui,e justice ~ the foregoing PROVISION.
| Sui lie fund thus raised caB uniy partial
| ~ relieve tie towns iron Tie sdJuiunal bur
JeH imposed upon ihem ae speak particu
\ arly u lie SEA board towns, winch are more
| exposed 10 that description " poor than those
/ "A lhe interior. Ia ihis aleias u the pes
cnt y stem, we see one good effect only and
( At is thai Il may check ne Cau-es Of pauper
Ism, by stimulating tiinse interested, 10 watch
'glianIIy great source Of II, which certainly
j. The present facility, aud certainty Of OBJ
tanning support
! We nave not been able to make such COM
parison between the proposed system aud The
present, as 10 point out the minute variations /;
! but We shall DO u Oh some other occasion. -
I We can only regret that the Legislature should
/ have been 50 precipiae, III measure ot such
vast Importance bad a Committee been ap-
pointed on The subject to have SIT 10 The re-
cess, and reported 10 The next Legislature, we
think many interesting facts might have been
developed, anC course recommended, winch
would not oniy have saved large sums vi mon
ey 10 the people, bot have checked an evil
truly sIarnng.
I The Fee btU also, passed on Friday, 10 be
ENCLOSED, some important alterations have
been made IN Ihe present law on the subject,
which reduces the peIqui,ites Of certain off
GERS
On Friday afternoon, the Poor Debtors bill
was sent down from The Senate with amend
ments, which were committed to a select com.
mttee Of the House. The prominent i.atuTe
OF the amendment is 10 allow the Judgment
Debtor when taken on execution, TO 90 before
two Justices Of the Quornm, ~ tue county in
which he lives, and make disclosure on oath
of all bis properly, real and personal, or on
oath declare that be has none ; 10 which case,
the body Of The debtor shall be discharged,
and the officer may levy upon the property
which IS so exhibited TO him. The original
bill provides that the limits of the county,
shall be the limits of the jail yard this feature
remains unchanged by be amendments.
The committee on Saturday reported ref
erence Of this subject 10 the next Legsla-
ture, which report was rejected : the question
then returned on adopting The amendments Of
the Senate. when The House refused 10 concur
IN them, but decided to adhere 10 their bill az
sent up. The advocates for re ference went
solely Oh the ground, lhat there was not time
al the present Session, TO devise plan to rem
edy the great evils which existed under he
present system; that TO examine the many
and complex laws, which had been passed on
the subject and 20 frame a system which would
be beneficial to debtor and creditor and to the
public generally, required more time for de-
liberation than could nov well he gwen IT,
But the majority were anxious to press on an
immediate decision.
The bill annuing the charter Of the Gas.
tine Bank passed on Saturday TO he engross-
ed. The institution is allowed, by tins bill,
time to adjust and settle their debts and close
their concerns but are entirely precluded
from exercising the privileges Of Banking
corporation.
TIE tar act, providing for the assessment Of
$4,000 upon the polls and property of the
state, has also passed. BY this act, ministers
OF The gospel are not exempted from taxation.
Il he tax upon this town is more than double
the amount ever paid before the separation:
that upon other towns is also much increased.
lhe expense Of organizing new government,
viii account for part Of this increase, but not
The Whole Tor experience does and wall dem
| onstrate, that the expense OF Two governments
founded on the same principles viii be greater
than one-as i must inevitably cost more
| money 10 keep two machines OF similar con
| struction ia motion than one but still it the
people are better governed, if they enjoy
more civil OF political liberty, or if they are
more happy in their pubic or domestic rela-
iions,-or indeed ii their land yields more
produce or that produce finds better market,
then surely they will not complain If the addi-
tiona expense. uor will the sounds OF Inurnur-
ing break upon their lips.
MILITARY ELECTION.