The Portland daily press., 1873-12-30
Legislative Work at Augusta.

The Maine Legislature for 1874 meets at
Augusta on Wednesday OF next week. After
the preliminary furry of few days involved
in the choice of Legislative and State officers,
and the appointment of committees, the leg
sla.ors will be ready to attack in earnest the
work of the year. This promises to be di-
verse AMI important, and to be more largely
of general nature than for several previous
years.
The railroad controversies which have en-
crossed the attention of successive legisla-
lures of late, are not likely from present indi-
cations to occupy so prominent position as
heretofore. The B y & River Railroad Com
pany will ask for additional powers, and a
new charter for road from Portland to Bath,
and the regulation Of transit by rail through
Commercial street in this city wi be sought.
So far as now appears neither of these re-
quests will encounter very savage opposition,
aud no other proposition which has been pub
licy announced is likely to awaken serious
contest. 1t is to be hoped that the imposing
lobbies which have faunted their banners and
uttered their war cries in the face of the Leg
islature for three or four years. will be con-
spicuously absent. The Lobby is depart
ment of the Maine Legislature of very recent
origin, and its odor in the Iostrils Of Maine
people is not savory. The appearance OF
parties specially interested in the result OF
proposed Or pen ling legislation before COM
mittees,by self or attorneys, to present the ar
guments pertinent to the case is entirely prop
er, and, formerly, interference with legislative
action was limited to this. But tho mainte.
nance of body Of men at Augusta, with the
avowed purpose Of influencing members o.
the Legislature, the keeping Of open house OF
entertainment by these professors of skilled
talent" and their coarse boasts OF Controlling
so many votes at their will are an affront to
the Legislators and their constituents, and
should be visited with stern reprobation.
Everybody is, in some sense, at the mercy OF
these INSCRIPTIONS fellows, as everybody must
vote on one side or the other of each ques
ton, and is certain to be claimed as under
the control Of some lobbyist, who will collect
of his principals 'what it cost to get him."
1t is bad state of things, and theie are in
dicatious that the legislature of 1874 will have
very little patience with this style of opera
tlcn. Parties in interest may quite possibly
find that the absence of a lobby is much
more effective avenue of approach to the ia
vor of the legislature than its presence. The
parties who have supported the lobby for sew
eral years are becoming very tired Of it, find
ing themselves played upon by their own ~
strune1ts, who, when no question naturally
arises to quarrel about. will instigate some
operation against their own side, to contest
which they themselves must be employed to
their great temporal profit and editicaton
We are creiibly informed that one at least of
these parties will maintain no lobby this year,
and the Others will, quite possibly, follow the
good example, which will certainly GARY
great prestige.
The prospect of freedom from these legisla-
tive harpies may be llusory, and they may
descend upon Augusta in full force, but, if
mo-, much more time than usual can be given
to general legislation, which has been crowd
ed aside entirely or hurriedly considered I'M
der pressure of demands for railroad legsla-
ton. Among The subjects likely to present
themselves to the attention of the legislature,
are proposed changes in the Reform School
system; the State Prison; Normal Schools;
the Lew Insane Asylum; Public School legs-
ton, OF which there will be a considerable
variety; the State Militia; an Insolvency
Law, if the Bankrupt Law be repealed by
Congress; the Maine General Hospital; Wo-
man Suffrage; the protection of our navga-
bic waters by the establishment of Com
mission; the adjustment of the Land Agen-
cy and the transfer of its few remaining du-
ties to the State Department.; the regulation
of the blowing Of steam whistles in cities, and
notifications of the laws relating to Savings
Banks, State Pensions and Insurance.
These topics aud many others which will
arise, we shall make the subject of careful
discussion and comment as they respectively
come under consideration at Augusta; our
present purpose is accomplished by simply
cataloguing them to give general notion of
the prospective legislative work.