The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-01-27
BY TELEGRAPH.
FROM AUGUSTA.
Claims of Certain Towns for Bounties
Paid-Rcporis Of Committees.
Especial to the Press.1

lopecial 10 Tue fress'1
AUGUSTA, Jan. &C.
The following communication was received
in the Senate to-day:
Iothe President Of the Senate, and Speaker of
the House of Representatives:
The Governor and Council, to whom was re-
ferred a resolve of the last Legislature in favor
of certain towns and plantations, with instruc-
tons to report to the next Legislature whet her
the sums therein named were illegally and
wr0ngfully demanded and received of the sew
eral towns and plantations therein named, and
them, report that the facts appear to be briefly
as follows: Under the Presidents call for
troops in October 1868 the duty of filling its
assigned quota was upon each town, the state
paying bounty of 800 per man in aid of the
town, and the town was empowered to pay
bounty OF $500 per man to encourage enlist
ments. A majority of the towns, $50 more or
less, filled their quota by their own efforts. A
minority of the towns, $50 more or less, failed
to get their quotas full. The Adjntant Cen
eral. to prevent delay in recruiting for the
army and to enable those towns to avoid a
draft, assumed the work of enlisting men by
the state to be credited to the delinquent towns.
To effect this he demanded that each of such
towns pay into the state treasury the sum OF
5000 for each man needed to complete its quota
provided to meet the call of February 1864,
could not be legally used to aid town until
that towns quota of October 1868 was filled.
Twenty-one towns complied with the demand
and the money was all used in enlistinR men
to complete their quotas. The towns now
claimant are of these twenty-one.
When the bounties were equalized by the re-
payment to the towns of 800 for each man en-
listed on their quotas, these twenty-one towns
received 500 for each $500 they had paid upon
same they would have received had they furn-
iShed the men instead of the 5000
1t is apparent from the above statement that
the $50 towns, more or less, did their full duty
in the premises by themselves furnishing the
men. The twenty-one towns did no more than
their duty 10 paying their money instead of
furnishing the men The twenty-one towns
did no more than the $50 towns, if so much,
while they received precisely the same benefit
from the equalization.
the $50 sowns to pay the 81 towns now claim
ant. Such course would seem to place pre-
MUM upon neglect or failure of duty.
The demand of the Adjutsnt General may
not have been within his authority, but it was
voluntarily complied with, and the towns have
received full credit for enlistmentS for sums
paid.
The towns thereby made the Adjutant Gen
eral their recruiting agent instead of using 10.
cal agents. There was no injustice in this and
therefore we cannot fiud that the money was
wrongfuly exacted.
Two of the q towns have been repaid by
special order of the Legislature. We believe,
however, that the facts here stated could not
have been understood by the Legislature. In
any event small injustice to the faithful
towns cannot be made precedent for greater
injustice TO them.
We therefore find that nothing is legally or
eguitably due from the state to the claimant
towns.
By order of the Governor and Council.
s. j. CHADBoURNE,
Secretary of State.
Ordered printed and referred to the Com
mittee on Claims.
Legislative com mttees will report bill to
amend the law relating to election returns;
bill providing that stenographc reports in
courts may be used as evidence in subsequent
actions; resolve providing for new seal of the
state; bill exempting the harbor commissioners
of the city of Portland from the provisions of
the law of 1876, relating to harbor commission
ers; resolve providing for quieting the titles of
settlers under the treaty of Washington, for
which the government has paid the state $125,
there being 637l acres
Adverse reports will be made on order pro-
posing biennial sessions of the Legislature; on
order proposing an amendment of the consti-
tuition relating to the educational qualification
of electors; on bill relating to practice of
medicine; on bill relating to damages for de-
fects in highways. P.