The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-02-28
Glimpses Of the Capitol.

urdav and the LEGISLATURE of 1885 was
f,.;no of the past Its good and bad acts ana
resolves were sealed up, beyond revocation oy
that body, and sent forth to the people OF the
{ ate for their approval or condemnation.
It's labors, when summed up IN lev words,
we're, the passage of one hundred and seven
ty-fiye acts, and sixty-seYen resolves; great
work, if carefully considered and matured, to
be condensed into forty-six working days.
The Legislative experience Of forty-hge years,
ia this State, has rarely shown work like this,
II my memory is correct, there has been but
one working session OF SO brief duration as
; this. An illustration has been given, and
most worthy example set, which l trust will
not be lost upon our future Legislators. 1t
has been proved that, by faithlulness and as
siduity, the duties OF this annual service may
be put into seven weeks time, and be as use
fully performed as in three months. All the
favor that belongs to those who composed
this body, or which they have right to ask,
is well expressed In the language OF Othello:
"Speak Of me as am,
Nothing extenuate,-nor set down aught in malice
was a 10Y lOA AoSAhE, oA0 oOuAO
fine specimens were exhibited. The first race
was in the forenoon, in the effort of most of
the Western members to complete their bust
ness so as to make their exodus in the half
past ten train. This they did, or thought so,
and the two bodies were thinned out very ma
terially. In the Senate, at eleven o'clock, it
was evident there was no quorum. The Ser
geant alarms was directed to hunt up the
stockholders. The venerable Judge Tenney
frowned upon their absence. 1t was probable
they would return, but it was not quite the
thing to be away. The amiable Judge apollo
gzed and eensured. At last seventeen were
found in their seats, and the Sergeant was re-
lieved from duty.
Another racs was that OF the Eastern men,
bers to drive through, so as to get off in the
four o'clock train. By the time these two
races had been run, and the cars fairly off, the
balance remaining shew "a beggarly account
of empty boxes"
There was third race run on that eventful
day, which eclipsed either the eastern or
western race, in speed and bottom. That was
run on the "Milford and Princeton turnpike"
Thereby hangs tale. A bill had passed in
termediate stages in both branches, granting
$4,000 in aid of turnpike between Milford
and Princeton, in Washington county. The
joke was, as it came out afterwards, that nei-
Their branch desired to pass the bill, but left
the interesting work of decapitation to the
other In the meantime, Mr.. Granger, the
worthy member from Calais "a man of ability
and infuence-had gone to work to popular
ize the measure, and had so far succeeded as to
get it through engrossment in the House on
Saturday morning, by close work. When the
yeas and nays were taksn and declared,
members insisted that the count had not been
kept correctly. Much confusion ensued. The
names were called again. The first decision
was confirmed, and the turnpike doomed up in
the distance, and appeared to be at least half
built.
But when the venerable Granger had run it
over the air line into the Senate, in order to
confirm this action, that he might take his
pet out in his pocket and 60 home, a noun
tain huge as the Alps rose before him. The
Washington Senators, satisfied by prior action
of the House that the child was killed be-
yond resuscitaticn, had raced home, and when
it finally passed the House the opponents of
the measure in the Senate were in the ascend
ant. There was no quorum. The expedients
were various by which the life of the scheme
could be kept in its body. But two votes were
wanted. In the full belief of ultimate defeat
they had departed before this glimmer of day
At last the motion to consign it to "the
tomb of the Capulets" was reached. "Refer.
red to the next Legisature'-a doom which
has been written on mole blighted legislative
hopes, than could be recorded on that huge
pile of stationery which the insatiate NAV OF
each legislature swallows, and as it swallows,
| cries, "more, MORE" TWAS run over the road
again to the House--a rough road this time.
Will you agree with the Senate. No quorum
voting. Gentlemen must vote. Return the
House. Call the yeas and nays. No quorum
voting. Bring in the members. Cali the alb
sentees. Secure the doors, SO that none shall
leave. At last seventy-six are found, and the
measure is again killed. There is a farce call
ed "Killing no Murder" The action on the
bill might have been of this character; but it
was not of that light shade on Judge Granger.
1t nearly killed him for the time; and heard
a whisper shat the mill had not ground very
slow" in this particular case. That when he
carried his forces for the third rail, he forgot
for the nonce, that his turnpike was not quite
ready for travelling. OF this know nothing.
However it might be, the western members,
especially those from Portland, stood by the
Judge as long as there was breath of life in
the child. But apoplexy set in early Saturday
morning-though it did not expire till A, P.
NJ. The satirical fellows-and there are al
ways more or less about-cried out in their
grief, "died of superfuous strip of iron on
the BRAIN" M III
The list of acts andFesolves denotes the fin
ished business. 1t will be furnished you 10 a
day or two. Those who don't find their
measures named in that interesting catalogue,
may depend their cases were continued to a
future day.
At halfpast four. the business having been
announced as completed in the House. Mr..
Bradbury, of Limingtoa, moved a vote of
thanks to the Speaker. 1t was sustained by
two or three members in complimentary re-.
marks, and Mr.. Speaker Dillingham; replied,
ina straightforward, sensible speech, which
was highly creditable to him. The speech of
Mr.. Stewart, in the Senate, I did not hear-as
it was rather difficult to be in two places at
once-but am assured it was fine effort.
andI have no doubt of it, for Mr.. Stewart is
an accomplished gentleman, and has sustained
his position with marked ability. Mr.. Weston.
of Gorham, just before adjournment, propos
ed society of the members of this Legisla-
ture, to continue SO long as two of them should
survive; Speaker Dillingham; to be President.