The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-03-06
AUGUSTA.
Attempt to Get the Courts Opin-
ion on the Apportionment.
ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF A FERTI-
LIzER CENTRAL STATION.
Especial Despatch to the Press.l


AUGUSTA, March 9th,
Commencing tomorrow the House is 90 hold
two sessions day, the morning session to be-
gin at $50 O'Clock and to adjourn at II 45, and
the afternoon session to begin at 2.30 O'Clock.
Most of the members are out of town today,
many of them being called home by town af
fairs. The House had no quorum this morn
ing, al hough the point was not raised, and
only transacted little routine business The
Senate had no session.
REPRESENTATIVE APPoRTIoNMENT.
The order introduced by Mr. Rogers of
Bath requiring the justices of the Supreme
Court to give to the House their opinion on
the construction of the constitution relating to
the apportionment of Senators and Repre-
sentatives, has been printed, and comes up
tomorrow for disposal. Sagadahoc feels that she
is entitled to another Representative, and will
exhaust no efforts to get what she thinks be-
longs to her. In the order it says that,
whereas, the counties of Somerset and Kenne-
bee during the present decade will contain and
carry the following actual fraction of popufa-
ton, namely, Somerset 1884, Kennebec 1888,
but will by their relative decrease for the
coming decade carry only the following frac-
tons, namely, Somerset 114S, Kennebec
1857, while the county of Sagadahoc during
the present decade will contain and carry the
actual fraction Of 2102 and will by the relative
increase for the coming decade contain and
carry the fraction OF 2339 unrepresented,
therefore be it
Ordered. that the justices Of the Supreme
Judicial Court OF the State of Maine be and
y "a hp faH IN irlfn 10
whether such an superintendent, giving to the
couDies of Somerset and Kennebec each one
Representative upon its said fraction, and to
the county of Sagadahoc no Representative on
It's said fraction, if passed by the [ legislature
as proposed, will be in accordance with the
constitution Of the State.
1t is vely doubtful if the order receives
passage The session has now reached that
stage when the memlers are very anxious for
final adjournment, and this will influence
them to sustain the majority report of the
committee. The Kennebec and Somerset del
egations claim with strong reason that both
these counties are now increasing in popula-
ton, and that while no doubt Sagadahoc has
strong claims for five representatives yet the
additional Representative should not be taken
from either OF these counties.
OAIA1&AI1 fUN1odAlhEI.
The bill to restore the death penalty for
murder in the first degree comes up in the
Senate on Wednesday, on its passage to be en-
crossed, and will be discussed at some length
in that body. understand that an amend
ment is likely to be offered, allowing the jury
to recommend mercy in certain cases. some
what different from the one offered by Mr.
Heath in the House, which was voted down.
The bill is liable to be pretty thoroughly dis
cussed in the Senate, but it is said that that
body stands 18 to 1s in favor of restoring the
death penalty.
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTAL STATION.
Tomorrow at u o'clock has been assigned by
the Senate for the consideration of the bill es-
tablishing the Maine Fertilizer Control and
Agricultural Experiment Station, appropriat-
ing $4,000 annually for the purpose The OBJ
ject of such a station is to protect farmers
from fraud in commercial fertilizers, from
adnlteration in seeds and feeds, and for the
purpose OF promoting agriculture by scientific
investigation and experiment. In case the
bill passes the station will probably be located
at Orono, in connection with the State Col
lege. In several other States these stations
nave uSeH oStaullsnou, 10 IS Clalul6d VIII bbO
most beneficial results. Many of the CONNER
cial fertilizers in the market sell at exorbtant
and extortionate prices, considering their in
trinsic value. A certain fertilizer was sold in
Connecticut before station was established
in that State, at over $50 ton; chemical
analysis showed that its actual value was only
$3.50 ton, and that farmers had been swim
died out of $57.67 on every ton purchased.
Since the station has been established the val
ue of the commercial fertilizers offered to the
Connecticut farmers has been largely in
creased, while the price has been correspond
ingly diminished. Maine farmers have no
protection, and it is claimed that the State hiss
become a dumping-ground for low-grade ferti-
lizers of all kinds
NEW GRANGE,
Senator Parkhurs5 of Aroostook, deputy
Stats master-at-large, organized grange in
Augusta on Saturday, with a membership of
about forty. DR.. W B. Lapham, agricultural
editor OF the Maine Farmer, is master. Gov
Robie is to install the officers of the new
grange tomorrow evening.