The Portland daily press., 1875-02-01
BY TELEGRAPH.
FROM AUGUSTA.
legislative Matters.
Constitutional CommissiOn-A Bill for
the Inspection of Dams-Accounts of the
Secretary of the Board of Agriculture,
ETC., etc.
Special to the Press.1

lSpeclal 10 the Press
AUGUSTA, Jan, 81.
The Committee on Agriculture have under
consideration bill for the inspection of dams
and reservoirs, for the purpose, if possible, of
preventing the accidents and calamities OF the
nature of those which nave occurred in Massa-
chusetts the past season. 1t provides for the
appointment of competent engineer, VINO, at
the request of given number of citizens, shall
examine any such dam or reservoir, and II
found unsafe a remedy is provided to compel
the propretors to care for the same. They are
also to pay the cost of inspection, but II found
safe the state will pay.
Legislation by order, or rather approprating
money by joint order, is something new in leg
islative history, yet both branches have passed
such an order. There are number OF resolves
pending which it will do to look after.
The Secretary of the Board of Agriculture
writes to explain in your issue Of Saturday.
Mr.. Boardman should have revised his letter
before he made haste to appear in print First,
he mistakes when he says that the bills for the
attendance and mileage of the Board of Agri-
culture were included in the $1216S2. These
gentlemen were paid on a separate roll in Feb
ruary, amounting to $36602. Another pay
roll fer about the same amount has been put
into the appropriation bill of the present year,
because the appropriation of that year for ag-
ricultural purposes had been used up. Here
are S720 which Mr.. Boardman does not account
for. Second, Mr.. Boardman says that his per-
sonal expenses at the State Fair were allowed
and paid. If MI. Boardman had looked over
bill rendered Oct. 30, ne would have found his
footings to De S2S7.56, on which he was allowed
~S27O O6, and a warrant issued for that sum.
The following items were disallowed: Sept.
21-25 fare to Lewiston $1.5O; team (horse to
fair grounds) 81; expenses at State Fair, Sl2.
Total, $17.5
The first petition for divorce that has been
presented to the Legislature came up to-day.
The petitioner was married in England and
says that his wife would not come to this coun
try with him, but has since married there.
LAWYERS doubt if the courts can grant his
prayer and he applies to the Legislature He
lives in Lewiston.
In the Constitutional Commission Mr.. Tai
bot presen ted the following: :
Resolved, That the constitution ought to be
so amended that women shall be electors under
the same regulations and restrictions as are
now applied to men.
The proposition was voted down as follows:
Yeas-Pike, Talbot, 2. Nays-Gilbert. Kent,
Kimball, Madigan, Robins, Rust. 6. Absent
Haines, Libby. -...-
Mr.. Madigan presented resolve to the eff
feet that municipal ities by a two-thirds vote,
may exempt an amount of property not exceed
ing per cent. of valuation, for not exceeding
ten years, for the purpose of encouraging man
ufactures Lost. Yeas, 8; nays, 6. Messrs.
Kent, Madigan and Pike voted for the propo-
sition.
The propositions made by Mr. Libby yester-
day, as follows, were taken up:
Resolved, ~ That the Legislature shall new
er, in any manner, suspend or surrender the
power of taxation.
Resolved, (2) All taxes shall be uniform up
on the same class of subjects, and shall be
levied ana collected under general laws.
The first was adopted. Mr.. Gilbert offered
the following as an amendment to the second:
And in order to place the matter of the tax
alton of railroad corporations upon a well de-
fined and permanent basis, provision ought
to be inserted in the constitution declaring all
of such corporations, whether acquired by gift
purchase by direction under the statute or 9TH
erwise, and whether held in fee or otherwise to
be real estate, and taxable as such under the
the laws OF the state.
The amendment was rejected. Yeas 4, nays
5. Resolve not acted upon definitely.
The whole matter Of taxation and regulation
of railroads and other corporations was sub
mtted to Mr.. Libby for proper draft.
The Commission adjourned to o'clock p. m.
Mon day. S.