Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-04-18

shall be purchased Of the state agent. There
was the usual amount of talk, and Mr.. WinslOw
of Newton was distressingly ironical about the
angelic purity of liquor dealers and the base
ness of the state agent, but the house decided IL
allow the gentlemen Of the pestle and mortar to
purchase liquor where they please, the amend
ment being rejected by vote of GA to 80. The
bill itself barely escaped rejection, getting only
majority of three in vote of 157 on the ques
ton of ordering ii TO a third reading.
| Next came a bill to change the compensation
of the state liquor commissioner from a salary
to percentage Of the profits of the business
which was ordered to be engrossed without mucl
talk, excepting what was made by Geo. Shaw il
a vain attempt to geti in several pointless amend
ments. The next bill, which was to abolish tn
Office Of state liquor commissioner, the commit
tee on the liquor law reporting that it ought no
to pass, came next door to success, the hous
EseXhibiting prejudice against state rum shops
The bill was defeated on a yea and nay vote o
ninety to eighty-fve. There was more of
fight over the bill concerning the reco enhances
of persons convicted of liquor selling. Mr.
! Thompson Of Gloucester vocierated pretty
| strong speech against it from a legal point OF
view, and moved to amend so as to simply re-
peal section 80 of chapter 415 of the acts of1S69
| He was beaten, however, on yea and nay vote
of eighty-three to ninety-one
The general sidewalk law for cities was passed
to be engrossed with the proviso allowing abut-
| tors TO construct their own walks struck out.
| Mr. Barnard of Worcester moved an amendment
giving the power to grade and construct, etc.,
10 city councils, instead of the mayor and alder
men. The motion found no supporters and was
rejected The bill giving police and district courts
concurrent jurisdiction with judges Of probate
in cases Of juvenile offenders under seventeen
was ordered to be engroSSed after being amended
by the addition of a section authorizing the COM
mitment to the industrial school of girls between
seven and seventeen years, under section of
chapter IS of the general statute; and by the
omission of the section which repealed all acts
and parts of acts inconsistent with the bill. The
bill to establish the district court of central
Hampshire was, on motion OF Mr.. Quigley, re-
ierred to the next general court. The bill pro-
yiding that hereafter the check list shall be saved
aad sealed up with the returns of votes in cleo
Several bills which have been held back to
await the action of the committee, who were in
structed to consider the feasibility of taxing the
religious and educational institutions, were pass
ed to-day. The committee find it impossible to
agree upon any plan this year, and Mr. Kim
ball withdrew his amendments to all the bills
The bill to amend the charter of the trustees of
nd Of ha
odist Episcopal church was amended
so as to limit the amount of property to
be held to S5OO,O Your Peoples club bill
was passed to be engrossed, not however with
ont some nameless although useless tinkering
at the suggestion of Messrs. Cogswell and Cod
man. A section was added providing that the
estate shall not he exempt from taxation if used
for other than charitable, benevolent, education
al, scientific or religious purposes. The words
"innocent recreation" were also stricken out at
the earnest desire of Mr.. Cogswell, or rather
because Mr.. Bernard said there would be no
objection from Worcester to crafty the gentle
man in this particular, The bill to amend the
charter Of the trustees of the Worcester academy
was ordered TO a third reading without change
The report of the committee on state commits
sonerships was reached pretty late in the after
noon. Mr.. Thompson moved to refer the report
to the next general count, against which Messrs
Ely OF Newton, Hoyt of Athol, and Fisher Of
Southboro of the committee protested earnestly
Messrs. Ely and Hoyt expressed the fear
that conspiracy was developed to ignore
the report and bills OF the committee Finally
Mr.. Thompson withdrew his motion, Tand the
matter was brought fairly before the house by a
motion to have the two bills read. First came
the bin to abolish the board of police commits
sioners. Mr.. Towne raised the point of order
that it should not come from the commissioners
ershp committee, but from the committee on
state police, but the speaker ruled that the
point was not well taken. The next was bill
relating TO the adulteration Of articles intended
for household consumption, and the point OF
order was raised against this by Mr.. Cogswel
that it would not be reported under the COM
mittee's order. Here is the order in question,
and every reader can Judge from his own idea
about il:
Ordered: That a committee of five on
the part of the house, with such as
the senate may join, be appointed to
sionerships, and officials and their number, ex-
penSe, etc., and also auy methods of reducing
the taxation, direct or indirect incident to the
living expenses and business of the people, and
to report by bill or otherwise.
After pretty general ventilation of views of
the meaning TO be attached TO the language of
the order, in which it was suggested that the
committee has either greatly Exceeded its pow.
ers, or only partially discharged its duties, for
reasons which are obvious from the ruling of
the speaker on the bill, which followed, the
chair said that the question to be considered
was what the house meant by the latter part of
the order, which was the part under which it
was claimed the committee was authorized TO
report the bill. Then the question was
presented as to the meaning of the leading word
of the sentence, taxation" as intended by the
house. This meaning, the speaker ruled, must
be the act of laying a tax on people by gov
eminent or on members Of corporation by the
proper authorities, as that was the only proper
sense in which it could be used in any legisia-
tive or statutory document He then forcibly
presented the logical result of giving the term
any other meaning, saying that it would al
low the committee to make an entire revision of
the constitution and the general statutes. The
speaker also suggested the improbability that
the legislature should intend to appoint a COM
mittee which would overlap all the other COM
mittees, and closed by ruling that the bill in
question could not be properly reported by the
committee. Mr.. Hoyt of Athol appealed, but
quorum not being present the house at quarter
past six adjourned.
The committee on agriculture reported on the
several orders referred to them concerning the
dog laws, bill providing for the payment Of
damages inflicted on sheep or other domestic
animals tincluding cats,) by dogs, from the
money received for dog licenses. Under this
bill it will cost two dollars year to keep male
and five dollars to keep female dog, and every
canine must be licensed as soon as it ceases tC
be "purp," which occnrs at the early age OIL
six months. The bill also provides that in case
the money received for licenses is not exhausted in
paying damages, the remainder shall be added tC
the appropriations for library or school pur
poses. il is in appearance one of the most for
midable bills presented this session, consisting
of fOrfy-pi0ht gpctiouS