The Portland daily press., 1873-03-01
The Fifty-SecOnd Legislature


1t should not be set down for granted be-
cause the Legislature of 1878 passed 377 acts
and 100 resolves that it has performed large
amount of legislation that is of general inn
portance. Indeed, it may safely be asserted
that nine-tenths of the acts passed to encum-
Der the archives of the State and entail need
less expense, might have been accomplished
by the enactment of general laws. ASIDE
from the resolve providing for industrial SUI
tistics, the bill to reform the jail system, the
bill establishing an industrial school for giris'
and the act establishing free hlgh scnoois' IL
will be difficult to find another that Is OF gen
eral inheritance. or that has in it progress
i've feature. The principal features of the
new law relative to jail reform are the intro
duction of employment for the inmates, the
classification of convicts according to their
offenses, granting authority to judges to sem
tence convicts to such jails out of the county
where such conviction is made, and providing
for thorough inspection of the county jails
The free high school act provides that any
town or towns that maintain free
high school ten weeks of the year,
shall be entitled to draw one-half of the
actual expense of instruction, not ex-
ceeding $500 per annum from the State
Treasury. In all other respects these schools
are under the same general supervision as
other town schools. A measure also passed
intended to make insurance companies more
responsible for losses incurred by policy hold
ers. A bill was also passed providing for the
enrolment of the militia. Among the i'm
portant measures considered and rejected are
school supervision, a general railroad law,
the increase of the mill tax for schools, COM
pulsory attendance of children at schools, the
provision for board of harbor commissi on
ers, geological survey of the State and few
other measures, some of which are most de-
sirable and were entitled to more considera-
ton that the Legislature saw fit to bestow
upon them. 8 - r. sr
1t is certainly to be regretted that the Leg
islature did not pass srch general laws as
would relieve its successors from the great
mass of special legislation which now annu-
ally bars the way to the consideration of use
full questions. Only one such law has been
passed. Judges of Probate will hereafter be
charged with the responsible Office of chang
ing, as matter of course, the name of every
person who makes an application forthat pur-
pose. That will do some good. But the general
railroad law would have done at least hun
dred times more. 1t would have removed
from our legislative halls the discussion of
those private interests which alone have
given rise to suspicious of corruption and i'm
proper influences. But, as usual a combina-
ton of adverse interests strangled it. The
would also have removed the necessity for a
vast amount of perfectly uninteliigent legisla-
ton of the special kind. The bill was killed
through sheer ignorance. The country mem
bers thought that its main purpose was to
create new offices, when, as a matter of fact,
hardly any hill of the session has been freer
from such an unworthy origin.
So the next Legislature will go on, like
those which have preceded it, Extending
wharyes into tide waters" of which it knows
nothing whatever, and quarreling for days at
time over railroad charters that ought to
the guidance of the whole people,
By reference to the titles of the acts passed
1t will be seen that large numberi are for
the incorporation of such companies as should
properly have been dismissed on the ground
that ample provision has been made for the
organization ofsuch by the general law of
the State. Another long list will be found
Is
comforting authority upon parties to build
wharves in tide water, to construct fish
wcirs and build dykes which should be dis
posed of by a board of harbor commission
ers. sj Loo III
The railroad legislation has consisted prn-
cipally in extending the privileges of compa-
MES already organized. A charter has been
granted to the Portland, Bath and Seashore
Company. Acts have been passed confirming
the location of the Boston & Maine at Berwick,
to extend the time of the location of the
Bridgton railroad; to extend the time and
define the location of the Penobscet Bay and
River Railroad; to incorporate the Androscog-
gin & Oxford Railroad Co. Ito extend the time
of the location of the Maine Central extern
ton from Danvllc to Portland; relative to the
location of the eastern Railroad in Portland;
to extend the time of the location of the Port
land, Rutland and Chicago Railway; amend
ing the charter of tho Penobscot and Union
River Railroad Company and various similar
measures. --i.. -Ai5
Several savings banks have been incorpo-
rated; five new towns have been authorized,
and number ofinsurance companies chart
cred. A full list of the acts and resolves are
published elsewhere. yt