Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-03-05
Letter From the Capital.

AUGUSTA. Mar. :. 1874.
An impatient Sc, OF fellows are we. All
have seen the elephant and desire no more
menaseric sights thi, winter, at least
We wont go home till morning" has lost
it, charms. Quite a number have been
granted leave OF absence" aud many have
taken absence" without leave" Sever
al members are sick. As the House grow.
thin, and the empty >cat. grow thick,
push-thin@s spirit impel> hearty, noisy
and iil-considered legislation. Every da,
or two. some measure of an excitable ma
ture comes up, which stirs up an uproar
A. IL the members We're in league, "offen
.iye and defensive Joined" for riotou,
legislation. To looker-on, these scene,
remind one Of Cowper saying.
When Babel was confounded, and the grea
confederacv of projectors wild and vain
assp.it into diversity OF tongues"
The Goodale Junto, which At the first G
the session. were going to abolish tn
Board, and do sundry other amiable thing
suddenly slueiched. Now, not a word
their bravado. nor even an innuend
Their dogs have had their day. and bar
in@ at the moon never occasioned a mes
geological disturbance. BY the way. tls
dog law, like Lazarus of old ia not deA5
but sleepeth. aud amer "a icw week. ns
ping, came ietcely barking its way id
the House. 10 the sdldcn terror of sunCs
professional Reps" and the way ii,
hurled their jsvelns Of ridicule, was i.
cid-dly sheepish.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
Al act TO abolish capital punishme,
which passed the Senate by two mzjorl
was defeated in the House, on Tuesd,
by lo majority. The result was a S.
prise, as for days its passage had b,
| confidently predicted-so much so. Il
several memOers-openly declared nd. |
Gates Of the Death Pcnalty,"-..swt |
round the circle" with the expectatiof
being with the strongest party. Weas
cock legislators, "can ye not discern :
signs of the times:'
STATE PRISON INVESTIGATION. I'll
This investigation now going on bee
the committee. gives promise of beiA
we'll pronounced fizzle. 1t will subse
the purpose of legislation. and addhto |
our board bill. The projectors, "a |
with all their careful searching, to M
wrong. show evident signs of chasn.
Let them delve-if there are wrongs. O.
earth them-but IL none there be, so neh
ammunition has been wasted. "tieh
might have been ssld and given uthe
poor"
PARTIES.
But rarely has any question occued,
calling for party vste, or for draSns
Of party lines. Few. very few sessios in
which there have been SO little OF a Irti-
IAN character. MOI. for once have the
Democrats taken to the ''war-path, but
both parties seem &c be emineutly bet on
peace and brothery lore. This may be
but Skin Deep" tut that is enough to
cover appearances.
WHAT OF THIS WEEK.
Do you ask, wha We have done thii
week? Ianswer coaxingly. Don't pres.
that question:? For it is very much easiel
to tell what hasept been done, than has
For with reconsidaing. amending, tabling
recommiting. doing, un-doing. and redo
ing, il one does net get befOgged aud los
his reckoning, he must be suppsr-humanll
observation-disclosures. why minority,
experienced legislators and skilled in par
liamentary tactics, can defeat = measure
to them Questionable.
The maip qusetons now being considsr