The Portland daily press., 1863-01-22
BY TELEGR APH.
LEGISLATURE OF MAINE.
ESPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE DAILY PRESS. /

|
SENATE.
Wednesday. Prayer by Rev. Mr.. Crane of
Hallowell
Papers from the House were disposed of in
concurrence
communication was received from the Com
missioners appointed by resolve of the last
Legislature, relating to the Penobs(Dt and Pas
samaquoddy Indians, transmitting their report.
Laid on the table and ordered to be printed.
Passed 10 be eugrossed-Resolve providing for
the destruction of State bonds and coupons,
after the same are paid.
Mr. Starr called up the order, tabled by him
recently, authorizing the Committee on State
Prison to visit the institution. He moved its in
definite postponement.
Mr.. Emerson opposed the motion. He thought
it discourteous to the Committee visit to the
institution was almost indispensable to proper
discharge of their duty.
Mr.. Starr dsclamed any intention of casting
reflections upon the Committee. He thought it
an unnecessary expense. If the Committee
could spend full Legislative term there, it
might be well; but the idea of investigating the
affairs of the State prison in or two days was
preposterous. He thought these visits didn't
pay. The reason why the prison don't pay its
expenses is that it needs machinery-that is the
secret If the money paid annually for Legsla-
tive visits and Investigating Commissions was
applied to the purchase of machinery, the grum-
bling would soon cease. He had made some
statistics of the expenses of Investigating Com
mittees, and found they amounted in five years
to over $1,000.
Mr.. Emerson was still opposed to postpone
ment. He thought the only opportunity the
Committee would enjoy, to understand the af-
fairs of the prison would be to visit the institu-
ton. The expense would be small, and good
would be likely to come from such visit He
thought the results would be great compared
with the outlay. Postpone the order, and you
cut off the Committee from nearly all of their
duty.
Mr.. Starr said if any one would tell how any
benefit would come from such visit, he would
withdraw his opposition. The accounts are in
vestigated by the Inspectors and a Committee Oh
the Executive Cou neil; what more can a Com
mittee dor The prison is a sick patient, and you
propose to kill it by multitude of doctors
there is hardly breath of life in it now. Ifthe
Inspectors are incompetent, discharge them
The prison is as well managed now, as it will be
until machinery is furnished.
Mr.. Emerson thought the Legislatures were
the natural guardians of the prison, and asked
if they were to let the patient die because it was
very sick
The motion to postpone was lost. and the order
passed.
On motion of Mr.. Stewart it was ordered that
the Committee on the Judiciary be instructed to
enquire into the expedicncy of striking out the
word written" in Article %, Sec. 4, Chap. /,
Revised Statutes
Adjourned
Prayer by Rev. Mr. Fuller.
Papers from the Senate were disposed of in
concurrence.
Mr.. kingsbury, from the Committee ION Fed
eral relations, reported Resolves on National af-
fairs, which were once read Messrs. Smith of
westbrook and Lyman of Machias offered
amendments. The resolves and amendments
were laid upon the table and ordered to be print
ed. Thursday of next week was assigned for
their second reading
On motion of Mr.. Lyman of Machias, it was
ordered that the Messenger of the House be d.
rected to furnish the Monitor of the LIST Division
with copy of the Revised Statutes.
On motion Of Mr.. Hathaway Of skowhegan,
it was ordered that the use of the hall be grant
ed to Rev. Cyril Pearl on Thursday evening, 22d
inst, and on Tuesday evening, 9th inst.
On motion of Mr. Kingsbury of Portland,
the majority and minority reports of the Com
mittee on retrenchment in the Land Office, were
taken from the table; and on motion of Mr..
Page of Berwick, they were again tabled, and
theusual number of copies ordered to be printed.
Petitions presented and referred OF Thos
Jordan ais. for repeal of the law of 1862, set
ting of certain persons from the town of Hart
ford to the town of Buckfeld-to Committee on
Education. OF Selectmen of Brewer that the
doings Of that town may be legalized-to Com
mittee on Judiciary.