The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-12-01
The State Capital.
AUGUSTA, Nov. 10Th, 1873.

to making their reports. The last meeting of
the
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
takes place this month, when all of the present
unfinished business will be closed up. Among
the unfinished business is the decision OF the
contested election cases in Somerset county. 1t
is intmated that the committee of the council
to which the matter is referred will report that
Page Republican, is elected Treasurer by two
or three majority, and Cragin, Fusion, Com
missioner by one majority. This decision is
likely to cause trouble in Somerset county. as
the friends of Mr.. Cragin declare for him that
he will not accept the new court house which
will not be done in time for the present board
to approve. If Mr.. Cragin is elected two of the
board, Messrs. Pratt and Cragin, will be anti
Skowhegan men. The Insane Hospital Com
mittee of the Council have been making an in
vestigasion into the financial management of
that institution. l am informed that the work
is being thoroughly done and that as far as the
examination has proceeded, no important error
appears. A full report will be made before the
close of the session. The present Council has
given unusual attention to its business.
In the Treasurer's Office the visitor will find
WILLIAM CALDWELL
closing the last of his five years service as the
head of that department and about the thirtieth
year of his connection with the OFFICE So con-
spicuously faithful has Mr.. Caldwell been to
the State during his long term # service that
the Legislature will show how ungratefnl re-
publcs are if it does not recognize his worth
and fathfulness by passing resolution of
i.
ment to which he has devoted nearly lifetime
Of transformations but hard service. 1t is to be
regretted that the trainers of the constitution of
the State saw fit to insert an article SO senseless
as that which disqualifies a man from holding
the office of State Treasurer more than five
years in succession. Hundreds of those who
appreciate Mr.. Caldwells worth heartily wish
that there was nothing of the kind in the con-
stitation, in order that the State might avail it
selfof his services as long as he could be in
duced to accept the position.
Mr.. johnson, State Superintendent, has al
lowed me to read few of large number of
letters received from various parts of the State
giving the results Of the workings of the
FREE HIGH SCHOOL LAW
Of the last Legislature. 1t is enough to say
that these letters indicate that these schools
have exceeded the expectation of the most
sanguine friends of the measure. Reports had
been received from liz of these schools up to
the 2Sth inst and there are about dozen that
have not yet reported. With very rare excep-
tons, the schools have been successful in an I'M
usual degree, creating new interest and giving
hundreds of our young people an opportunity
to avail themselves of all the advantages that
few years since could only be obtained in the
larger towns and at the academies, both of
which were beyond their reach.
THE MILITIA.
The enrolment of the militia provided for by
the last Legislature has been carried out under
the direction of Adjutant General Murray. Re
turns have been received from the entire State
with the exception of thirty-fve municipalities.
The following is the result by counties: An
droscoggiu. except Lewiston and Greene, 8, 1888;
Aroostook, except Houlton, Island Falls, Mon
ticelo, EIadawaska and few plantations,
$780, Cumberland, complete, 1857; Franklin,
except Freeman, 2,415; Hancock, except two
plantations, 5,479; Kennebec, except Gardiner,
) 1868; Knox, complete. 4,436; Lincoln, complete,
1923; Oxford, except Brownfeld, Woodstock
and two plantations, 4,052; Penobscot, except
Oldtown and two plantations, 1894; Piscata-
quis, complete, 1906; Sagadahoc, except George
town, 2,549; Somerset, except two plantations,
1867; Waldo, except Belfast, 1894; Washing
ton, complete, 1852; York, complete, 8,154
Total, 74,574. The remaining cities and towns
will bring the number up to about $4,000. The
last enrolment before the present one took
nj in IF met 4 oil of
the war, when the number of men liable to do
military duty was 81 18, but then 139 towns
and plantations failed to make their re turns
One advantage arising from the new enrolment
is that under the law of the United States,
which distributes arms to the States on the bas-
is of the number of its enrolled militia, Maine
will hereafter get a third more of the weapons
of war than at present. The value of the arms
furnished the State by the General Government
last year, was $3636.57.
am afraid the unmilitary matter of fact tax
payers, do no not appreciate the benefits of The
uniformed militia, with its resplendent staffs,
to that extent that will lead the Legislature to
provide for another regiment The last Legis-
lature appropriated $4,000 for military pur-
poses, and the appropriation is nearly drawn
and all the bills not yet paid. There is feel
ing quite prevalent that the State Of Maine can
not afford to expend much money for soldering
so long it pursues its present niggardly policy
towards
THE SOLDIERS OF THE LATE WAR,
who are suffering from wounds, and the heirs
of those that were killed or died in the service.
The pent'on appropriation is $25 900, with S.
900 more for "indgent orphans,' or $50 900 in
all. Thus afar about 700 applications have
been made for State pensions, 566 of which have
been granted, involving an expenditure of
$4,000 for the year. The law contemplates the
least possible aid to those who have the first of
all rights to demand of the State that they shall
be cared for But if the law is born of mean
ness, the straight-laced rules and iron clad
placed upon it years ago, render it
contemplate in that an applicant must not only
swear that he or she is in want of the comforts
of life, but must make the humiliating confession
that they must go to the poor house or beg on
the streets if the little aid is not doled out to
them, 1t is due to Gen. Murray to say that he
inherited the rules and did not make the law.
l believe that our State affairs are managed
with unusual economy, as the management of
puoic andlIS go, DuI III Ine same auStere fru-
gaity was practiced in every department as is
now pursued iowa d the States manned veter-
ans and their heirs, it could be held up not as
the most prudent government in the world but
the meanest and most ungrateful. There is a
deal of feeling respecting this matter and pre-
dict that the next Legislature will hear of it.
QUIs.
ENGINES OF Wharf.-The Boston Advertiser
gives the following particulars of the Wizard
gun experiments, Thursday, at Nut Island: