The Portland daily press., 1875-02-19
ton, and thereby revealing the act making the

ton, and thereby repeating the act making the
Governor and Council court of review. Inc
amendment of Mr.. Pillsbury was to the effect
that the sentence shall be death or imprsoh-
ment for life as the judge and jury may deter
mine. Mr.. Talbot explained that the judiciary
Committee agreed that if the bill to abolish
the death penalty should not pass, bill should
be reported to remove the anomalous feature OF
the present law making the Governor and Coun-
Gil a court of review, aud leaving the sentence
and time of carrying into effect to the court.
He then proceeded to oppose the amendment
and declared that the leaving of the question
whether the sentence should be death or I'M
prisonment for life to the court or jury render
ed the bill more Objectionable than the law as
it stands at present
Mr. Powers of Houlton, favored the amend
ment and thought the jury could best decide
from the evidence, as they both saw and heard
it than any other party. He considered, there
fore, that the jury who so heard the testimony
and noted the appearance of Witnesses were
best qualified to say whether the punishment
should be death or imprisonment for lfe
Mr.. Wilson said u at he was opposed to the
uea'n P0n'''S' 0o''o'ol T. u.,,ac
rather than severity deferred crime. The House,
however, had decided otherwise, and it was his
belief now that the law to carry out the death
penalty should be 50 amended as to make pun
ishment certain. He was for this reason OPP
| posed to the amendment Mr.. Tefft advocated
the amendment 10 the name of mercy and hui
| mainly. Mr. Talbot retorted by saying he was
| glad to hail him as a convert to humanity, re-
| calling the amendment he made to the bill to
abolish capital punishment week since, which
| was the refinement of cruelty The vote being
taken on the amendment of Mr.. Pilsbury by
yeas and nays, it was rejected, yeas 66, nay u,
as follows:
YeGs-Aen OF Brookyn 6aker, n anIan Petty r
Denison. Dodge. Doten. Durel Eaton, Evans, Fer
guson, Fogg Gilmore, Haines, Hal, Haley narEs'
IocSe lyman Moody. Mitchell, Mouton of La
| grange, Moulton Of Scarboro', Oak, Page; Park,
Ragers sanders Simpson. Smith Of Whitehead Stew
ems, Sturgis, Taylor, Tetft, Tolnan, Trott, True
s la''S Veil sWbeeler. Whitcomb whitney Of Dix
mont, Whitney of Frndship, Wiggina66.
ord Rsachett Riawn. Buck Butler of Hancock,
Clark OF Lincoln, Clark Of WiscasSet Cleaves Gooo'
ESas ErnsS yosom Frost. Gle Grinde, Gea,
| SOL, Idliooh,
Marf Mason Mcciiyerv Mcintire. Merrill of Cum
berland Merrill of Wesc Gardiner Millikep Mitch
e Randall Reed Of Bath Reed of Boothbay
Shepherd, Snow, Stratton, Stone, Stowe, Talbot
Wnt1s WbeeIwrisbt Whife, wilson Withee Wood,
bury-72.
Mr. Watts of Thomaston. moved an amend
ment to the effect that the respective sherlffs OF
counties where the murders We're committed be
required to make the execution. He said be
| did not desire to have his county do this work.
| Mr., LYMAN hoped the amendment would pre-
| vail. He would have this great moral spectacle
| of indcial murder made in the most public
| manner He would have the people summoned
far and near, aye, even required to attend the
executions. If good as an example, it was
| good for all. MIR. Wilson protested against
| such measure for his constituents. The spec
tacle was demoralizing. The vote being taken
by yeas and nays was rejected yeas 3d. nays
| 1O4 Mr.. Talbot's bill was then passed to be
| enerossed without division
| AFTERNOON SESSION.
The House promptly resumed business at
$50 O'Clock.
| Mr.. Snow of Hallowell, from the committee
ures on the Sneakers table. The bill to ex-
tend the charter of the Castine & Ellsworth
| Railroad Company was referred to the next
| LEGISLATURE The bill relating to the duties oil
Secretary of State relative to stationery was
/ recommitted to the Finance Committee fol
perfection. The bill providing that any free.
i holder in any city owning one-ffth of the stock
of any railroad. NAV be elected director OF
such road was passed to be engrossed the
| amendment being rejected
The resolve to grant the Fort Fairfield branch
railroad $1,000 acres was next taken from the
| table. Mr.. Leayitt of Eastport, offered an
amendment to the effect that all of the interest
of the state in all public land, stumpage, grass,
| ETC., be sold at the earliest possible date, and
the proceeds to be invested the same as the
| sinking fund of the state, and at the end of
| five wears the proceeds to be divided among the
uncompleted and chartered roads in the state
in proportion to the number of miles built at
| that time. The amendment was advocated at
length by Messrs. Leavitt and Wilson, and op.
posed by Messrs. Keegan and Powers After a
| long discussion, during which several gentle.
| men spoke several times, the I.eavitt amend
ment was rejected almost unanimously. On
motion of Mr. Drawn of Oldtown, the resolve
was indefinitely postponed, yeas SO, nays a.
Mr. Snow next called up the bill relating to
that the taxation of corporation stock shall be