The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-02-28
AJAX AND ULYSSES or THE HOUSE
Lead the Debate on the Tramps-The
BIi Given Passage.
The Catholics statement Concern.
ing the Reform School Question.
How the Portland Police Bill Came to
be introduced
Especial to the Press. !


Especial to the Ptess.l
AUGUSTA, Feb. 27.-This forenoon had
been assigned for the woman suffrage bill in
the House. A trooT of ladies from different
parts of the State were present, and ex-Gov
Robie and no one knows how many others,
were on hand to make speeches for or
against. But this session has been session
Of unexpected Interruptions. This forenoon
the tramps broke into the hall and the House
fought all the forenoon to put the down.
| Tramps are not so elegant subject OF de-
bate as is woman suffrage, but the debate
this morning was highly entertaining. This
was so largely from the fact that it was
struggle chiefly between the humantarians
of the cities and the practical reformers of
the country. The city members contended
that the bill was cruel and unjust. The
country members held that it was needed to
protect their wives, their children, their
barns, their houses and even themselves
from the irresponsible rovers of society. The
country members were led by Hall c. Bur-
leigh of Vassalboro the Ajax of the House /;
the city members were all leaders, though
Col Moore of Deering, in the character of
Ulysses, was perhaps the most useful, as he
came within one of doing considerable dam
| age to the prospects of the bill.
When the city members failed to defeat
| the bill directly they tried to do it by amend
ments. They nearly succeeded; but. al
though Greek met Greek, Ajax was equal to
the wiles of Ulysses, especially as he had
| the majority on his side, and the bill
| triumphed.
| This was the section that stirred up the
trouble:
Whoever goes about from town to town, or
| from place to place in any town, asking for food
| or shelter or begging or subsistng upon charity,
| shall be deemed a tramp. and be imprisoned In
the county Jail for not less than sixty days. at
| hard labor for ten hours each day, Sundays ex-
| cepted. And should any person so sentenced re-
| fuse to labor In accordance with the provisions of
this section he shall be placed in solitary conine
| mept and provided with no food, except bread
| and water, until he shall consent to labor in con-
| formity with the requirements of this section.
Mr.. Talbot of East Machas rose first.
Mr.. Talbot read the principal clause of the
bill impressiyely, and then said: "Who
ever goes from house to house asking chari-
ty." Is that to be the definition of tramp?
| And is the one who comes under that defni-
tion to be subjected to punishment like
Representative b. +. Chadbourne who is
city marshal of Biddeford. said he had had
| good deal of experience with tramps. He
| told story: "A few days before came
down here was sitting IN the police station
at Biddeford one evening, when there was a
May have sittingp
"'What? said l.
MAY have sitting%"
"Of course"
He came in and sat by the stove. Soon
noticed that he was crying. | asked him
what he was crying for. He didn't answer.
Soon told him that it was getting late and
he must be locked up. Then he told me his
story. He had a family in Clinton, Massa-
chusetts- Getting out of work by the shut
ed he had started out with his little store of
money to look for work. He had spent his
money without finding the work, and then
he found that he was likely to be put behind
bars for his misf0rtunes. He was not put
behind bars, aud it would have been better
that that one worthy man should be unjust
ly punished. / am against this bill"
Mayor Wakefield, of Bath, told an equally
pitiful story of an old soldier who had been
reduced to want and who would have been
set to breaking stones if this bill had become
law. He also told with great effect the sto-
ry of worthy tramp whom he had assisted
to obtain the work that the tramp was anx-
ious to get Mr.. Wakefield was loudly APP
plauded, and those who did not know the
sentiment of the back seats thought the
tramp bill was doomed.
Mr.. Sprague, of Dexter, defended the bill.
He said there was already law on the Stat
ute books more barbarous than this BILL The
present law would send a tramp to State
prison for fifteen months. AS for the bread
and water provision, that was merely to be
used as a method of discipline. Suca disci-
pline was needed and in use wherever prison
discipline was needed.
Mr.. Looney of Portland, said he had read
the penal code of Russia, he had read of the
torments Of the Inquisition, but he had not
until now been able to conceive that a COM
mittee of this legislature should make such
a report as the present bill Mr.. Looney Wig
oronsly denounced the bill as barbarous.
Mr.. Taylor of Unity, replied. He told
some stories of outrages committed by
tramps in his neighborhood that showed that
the people of the State should have some
sympathy as well as the tramps.
Mr.. Burleigh of VassalbOro, said the pro-
visions of the bill were not very onerJus.
They merely gave the tramp chance to
work sixty days at breaking stones, work
that many farmers did without complaint.
Mr.. Bulleigh cited instances of outragss that
had come, and made plea for relief of the
women, of the children and even of the men
of the country.
Mr. Adams of Belgrade, said the people of
the country had no police protection, and the
people in the cities did not realize how they
needed protection. He thought this bill
would be good law and that no injustice
would come from it,
The yeas and nays on indefinite postpone
ment were then taken, the motion being de-
feated SO to rs. This was the vote:
Yeas-.Adams of Limerick, Achom of Alden,
Bither, Brooks, Chadbourne, Chaplain, Cloutier
Cock. . Cote. Crosby. Dane, . Dc6keXy, EdgeeSomb
Eels, ;Enge Foster ,;, frees, Giirord' Glover
Kneeland Looney, Madigan, Mallet, Manley,
Michaud, Moore, Morrill, Morse, Norwich, New
ton. oBlien, Pattangail, Pendeton Robe, Rof-
field, Wentworth, whitten Of Lee. WIswell-59.
Bennett, Berry, Burleigh, Burnham, CAIN Carson,
Clark of Saco, Clason, Closson, Cole, Curtis Of
Paris, Curtis of Perkins. Dame, Danfsrth. Ding
Fox, Frank. French Gowell. Green, Grinde Of
Haliowell, Hawkins, Head, Hichborn, Hill of
Augusta Hin Of Mars Hill HolbTook. Hutchns,
LinDell, Littlefeld, Lombard, McCabe. Mcintyre,
Marden, Marshall, Maxim, Merrill, Mitchell,
Parker, Perkins, Plummer, Poor. Pottle, Race,
| Record, Ross, Sheahan. Smith, Sprague. Sweet
ger, Taylor; Tilton, viekery, Warren Of Oastine:
Portland, Wilbur, Winter Wing, Woodsum-7S.
Mr.. Engel of Bangor, offered an amend
ment, which was rejected, striking out the
words ''placed in solitary confinement
| MT. SpraRu6 Oh DexCer, mere 0ffereQ an
amendment, which was adopted to change
the bill SO that counties that have work
shops shall not be compelled to furnish
places where the tramps shall break stones.
Mr.. Moore of Deering, moved to recommit
| the bill to the State prison committee with
| directions that it be reported in such a form
that no really needy person who should be
begging might be brought under the pro.
| visions of this bill.
Mr.. Sprague of Dexter, thought there was
| no need for any one to beg in the State of
Maine where in every city, town or planta
tion there was abundant provisions made fol
helping the needy.
Mr.. Moore combatted this. He said there
were many laboring men who were forced to
go from place to place at certain seasons af
| ter work, but who could not afford to 60 on
the railroads When they wanted meal OF
victuals they had not time to hunt up the
municipal officers of the town. There were
many such honest men and Col. Moore said
that upon them the bill was an outrage.
Mr.. Talbot of East Machias, who wa:
aware that large audience of ladies were
present awaiting the woman suffrage
debate, said he wished to amend the
motion Of the gentleman from Deering sc
that the committee should be instructed tc
modify the bill so that women at least should
be exempted from breaking stones for g