The Portland daily press., 1881-02-03
THE DEATH PENALTY TO BE
REVIVED IN CERTAIN
CASES.
Council Refuses to Confirm Gov
Plaisted's Son.
The Rockland Division Question Up
Again.
Especial Despatch to the Press.l

| Moses Giddings spoke for the Bangor & Pts
| cataquis road. The hearing was adjourned
until tomorrow. The committee voted to re-
! port bill amending charter of the Aroostook
Railroad and also allowing the Boston & Maine
railroad to purchase the Orchard Beach rail-
| road.
The bill to incorporate the Eastern Tele-
graph Company gives the company the right
to construct lines upon and along any public
highway or bridges or along any line of rail-
road, but in such manner as not to incommode
and endanger the customary public use thereof,
between eastern and western boundaries of
the State. Gives power to connect with other
lines. The capital stock is left discretionary
with the officers.
Il is expected that DIR. Blackwell and Mrs.
Annie Garland Spencer of Boston will appear
before the judiciary committee tomorrow, and
speak in favor of woman suffrage.
A brief debate took place in the House oc-
casioned by an amendment offered by DR..
Eaton of Camden, to the bill granting
charter for the Eclectic Medical School, The
amendment was opposed by Mr.. Verrill of
Portland and favored by Mr.. Folsom of Old
town. DR.. SWEET of Brownfeld and DIR.
Eaton. The amendment pending its adoption
was ordered printed.
The temperance committee gave hearing
this afternoon OH the Portland petition for the
sale and manufacture of light ale and beer.
1t is one of the strongest petitions that was ever
presented to the legislature, comprising among
the 152 names appended to it such men in
Portland as W. L. Putnam, w. F. Milliken,
j. D. Fessenden, Jacob Mcclellan, Bion
Bradbury, J. Marshall Brown, G. E. Jose, S.
j. Anderson, w. G. Davis, S. G. Strout and
others of the highest position, intelligence and
wealth in Portland.
The petitioners represent that the present
law prohibiting the anufacture of light
beer and ale has not served to sensibiy diminish
the consumption of such beverages and that
the only effect has been to destroy the valu of
and render useless the investments to large
amount which had been made in business and
to send abroad money which would otherwise
be expended in this State for supplies and
labor.
Charles F. Libby of Portland appeared for
the petitioners and Neal Dow in opposition.
Mr. Libby made an able and powerful argu-
ment. He claimed that the present
liquor law was a failure and that it was
Intellectual in suppressing the sale of liquors
and drunkenness, as shown by the statistics of
prosecutions and arrests for the last ten years.
He contended that the law had operated
disastrousy to the growth and prosperity of
Portland in the opinion of many in lessening
summer travel and increasing the burden
of taxation; that the change re-
quested was in the interest of temper
ance in the true significance of that
term-not in the meaning the prohibitionists
would put upon it. He argued that the use OF
malt liquors as demonstrated by the expert
ence of European countries and by the obser-
vations of all travellers was favorable to the
promotion of temperance; that it was for the
legislature to deal with the evils of intemper-
ance in practical manner; recognizing the al
most universal appetite evinced by the race
and seeking to satisfy the appetite by COM para
lively mild beverages, such as light ales and
beer containing from four to five per cent. of
alcohol about one-half the quantity found in
cid cider. This change was asked for by many
of the most prominent citizens of Portland,
whose character and standing vindicate them
from any unworthy motive or lack of any en-
lightened public spirit. The bill herewith SUBJ
mitted simply asks that the citizens of Port
land may try the experiment of allowing the
sale of light ale and beer under suitable re-
strictions, and thereby drive out the strong
liquors which surreptitiously have taken their
place. If the experiment does not prove sue
cessful it may be repealed in less than one
year. In place of prohibition which is inef-
fectual and has been productive of perjury
and the spirit of lawlessness, it presents a
remedy based upon suond experience and fun.
damental facts of human nature.
The following is the bill which Mr.. Libby
handed to the committee:
Be it enacted, &C.:
Sec. Amy city or town may on the first
day of June uext and thereafter annually in
March, on the day of the municipal election,
vote that any person may manufacture, sell or
keep for sale therein cider, ale, porter lager
beer and other malt liquors, and in any city or
towns so voting, any person may manufacture,
sell or keep for sale such liquors until the day
| of the annual election of municipal officers
| next following, but nothing herein contained
| shall authorize any person to sell cider, ale,
| porter, lager beer or any other malt liquors
| during any part of the Lords day.
SECT. 2-Meetings called for the purposes
| aforesaid shall be notified, warned and held in
| the same manner as meetings for the election
| of municipal officers. The polls shall be kept
open from 10 o'clock in the forenoon to O'Clock
| in the afternoon. The vote shall be by ballot
| and ballots shall be "Yes'' or mo- in answer
| to the question: "Shall keep for sale cider, ale,
porter, lager beer or other malt liquors in this
| city or town."
SECT. 3-All acts or parts of acts inconsis.
| tent herewith are hereby repealed. This act
shall take effect upon its passage.
Gen. Dow replied to Mr.. Libby, characteriz.
ing the petition as an affront to the Legislature
| and charging that it sought to re-establish Pat
| McGlinchys brewery with all its evils.
| The committee tabled the matter.
They voted to give heoring to the petition
from Biddeford asking for a license law on
Friday of this week, and hearing one week
from to-pay to the petitioners for the repeal OF
the cider law.
The Judiciary Committee voted to report a
bill for the restoration of the death penalty in
certain cases, that is, to have it apply to mur
| derers under sentence of life if they should
commit murder again. Also bill providing
that accident policies shall not be subject to at
tachment. They will report adversely on the
proposition for general law for the ineorpora-
tion of telegraph companies and for the prohi.
bition of smoking in public places.
The Executive Council today confirmed the
nomination of Judge Tallman as judge of the
Bath municipal court by unanimous vote.
They also took up the nomination of Gov.
Plaisted's son as messenger, going into q COM
mittee of the whole and reporting that the
nomination be indefinitely postponed. They
took the ground that the nomination wa
without authority of law and that the messen.
ger was State employe instead of a civil Off
cer The rejection was unanimous.
The Insurance Co mmittee will report bill
repeating chap. 145, laws of 1879, whereby sec
10, chap. 40, of the Revised Statutes, was
amended This bill. should it pass, will make
the law so that insurance companies cannot
refuse payment on risks by recourse to any
ambiguous language in the law.
The Committee on Towns gave hearing
this evening in the Senate chamber to the Pc
titioners from ward 7, Rockland, asking that
the ward be cut off and incorporated into a
separate town, to be known as West Rockland
c. E. Littlefeld spoke for an hour and hall
for division. He introduced as witnesses Jere
miah Talman and Freeman W. Smith, but nc
new facts were ELECTED in the argument OF
from the testimony, and no reason given why
( the town should be divided. This is the