The Portland daily press., 1875-06-24
BY TELEGRAPH.
MATTERS IN MAINE
DenOminatiOnai Meetings.
State Universalist Convention.


BELFAST, June 23.-The meetings of the
Maine Universalist Convention have been very
fully attended to-day, many more delegates and
visitors having arrived last night and this morn
ing. A full and spirited prayer and confer
ence meeting was held at five o clock this morn
ing, and another from eight to nine. The Uni
versalist church proving too small to hold the
congregations at the public religious services,
they have been held in the Unitarian church,
which has been entirely filed. At 10a a. m. an
able sermon was preached by Rev. j. q. Snow
of Auburn, on religious liberty and its respon-
sibilities. This afternoon the Sunday School
meeting was held, at which addresses by Rev.
s. Goodenough, Rev. III. G. Munson of Turner,
Mr. j. Howe, Portland, Mrs Oliver Newman,
Lewiston, Mrs. E. H. Cobb, Boston, and Hon.
Rufus Prince, were delivered. Singing was
furnished by the Belfast Sunday School. At
business meeting this afternoon the Executive
Committee submitted their report, which was
assigned tomorrow morning, and the following
resolutions on capital punishment after inter-
esting discussion, were adopted by unanimous
rising vote:
Resolved, That in the sense of this conven-
ton the penalty of death is unchristian; that
IL partdkeS OF tuo Sprit VI udTk aye, 10 udIu-
ening and demoralizing in its influence; that it
possesses no greater restraining power ou Grim
inals than life long imprisonment at hard lab
or, and is, therefore, no greater safeguard to
society, and should be abolished.
Resolved, That in view of the prevalence of
crime in the community, resulting largely as is
believed from an insufficient execution of laws.
we are most strongly impressed with the great
necessity of policies and measures which shall
tend to quicken the public mind and conscience
ishment and knowing the difficulty of procur
ing convictions in cases where the penalty
is death, we are more and more confirmed
in the opinion that in the interest of morality
and repression of crime all laws that provide
for the fnfiictiOn of capital punishment are un-
wise and should be removed from the statute
book.
Resolved, That we are much saddened by the
thought that during the present week in obedi-
ence to the mandates of the law two fellow men
are to be put to death in the prison yard at
Thomaston and that as followers of the Great
Master so far as it is possible as citizens of the
state, we wash our hands of all participation
in the barbarous deed. esass &E3
This evening a large meeting is being held
for the consideration of general denominational
interests, at which addresses are being made
by Rev. r. G. Pullman, General Secretary of
the General Convention, and others
Congregational Conference.
AUGUSTA, June 23.-At the session of the
Congregational Conference last evening the
Secretary of the Maine Charitable Society, re-.
ported receipts for the year 81 1850, of which
$473 had been appropriated to the relief of
families of deceased ministers. E. f. Duren
reported that eight ministers had died during
he year of whom five were graduates of the
Bangor Theological Seminary.
At the forenoon session to day a committee
of one from each conference was raised to cor
respond with the local committee and make ar
rangements for the jubilee meeting next year
at Portland. The com mittee was as follows:-
Aroostook DIR. Luther Rogers; Cumberland, S.
p. Benson; Franklin, Rev. Simeon Hackett;
Hancock, Rev. Sewall Tenney; Kennebec, Sim.
con Page; Lincoln, j. o. Fisk; Oxford Rev.
ID. Garland; Penobscot, Rev. Enoch Pond;
Piscataquis Rev. p o. Thayer; Somerset, Rev.
Thomas G. Mitchell; Waldo, Rev. Stephen
Thurston.
At a meeting of the Maine Missionary Soce-
ty Rev. Mr.. Fisk of Bath, was chosen Pres-
dent, and Hon. j. S. Wheelwright of Bangor,
Secretary. At five p m. the members of the
Conference, to the number of five hundred,
went by special train to visit the Classical
School at Hallowel, and returned at z. At to
o'clock a reception was given the members at
the house of Hon. j. G.. Blaine A collation.
was served and the occasion was very eujoya-
bic.