Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-03-02

The majority and minority reports Of tn
Committee on Banks and Banking on bill an al
TO prohibit savings banks, mortgage, loan an
trust companies 10 act as executors, admin
lstrstors or guardians came from the House
the minority report ought TO pass hayin
been accepted. Pending the question of ac
ptsuee the reports were laid on the table o.
motion of Mr.. Burrill OF Hancock.
The majority and minority reports of III
Committee on Fisheries and Game on bill ii,
act TO amend chapter POL of Il Special Law
of lss5 relating 10 migratory hsh cam
from the House, the majority report of ough
to pass having been accepted and the bill
passed to be engrossed. Pending the accep
tance of the reports they were placed at tn,
foot of the calendar on motion of Mr. Hinck
ley.
Bill an act relating to the construction o
drains and common sewers and bill an ac
relating to actions for libel on their plsssg,
To be engrossed. we're laid on the table OF
motion of Mr.. lsines of kt nnebec.
| RErERRLp.
! Mr.. Kendall of York presented under
suspension of the rules bill an act To rep a
and amend certain private and special law,
of the city of Biddefori, and on his motor
! it was referred to the Committee on the Ju
dietary.
STATE NORMAL Schools.
| Resolve in favor of State normal school.
came up on its passage to be engrossed ard
on motion of Mr.. Poor of Cumberland, il
was amended to make the item for Gorham
normal school. $500 instead of Sl500. The
resolve was then passed to be engrossed.
TAKEN FROM rHE TABLE.
| On motion of Mr.. Freeman of Cumber-
land, resolve in favor of payment of eI-
penses of the militia 10 the celebration OF
the centennial Inauguration of George Wash
| ington, was taken from the table and indefi-
nitely postponed.
| On motion of Mr.. Heath Bill an act to
amend section 81, chapter 81 of the Revised
Statutes. relating to embezzlement of prop
erty of deceased persons, was taken from
the table, amended by striking from line 8.
page /, the word may" and inserting Shall
not" 1t was further amended on motion of
MIR. Dagget, by adding 10 line II of the
first page the words "or corporation" The
bill was then passed to be engro.sed.
On motion of Mr. Heath bill an act to
amend the charter of the Moose River Log
Driving Company, was taken from the table
and passed to be engrossed under suspen-
sion of the rules.
ON motion of Mr. Heath bill an act to
amend section 6, chapter of the Revised
Statutes, relating TO property exempt from
taxation, was taken from the table and re-
committed to the Judiciary Committee.
REFUSED 4 PASSAGE.
Bill an act to make the first Monday in
September of each year legal holiday
came from the House refused a passage.
On motion of Mr.. Freeman yea and nay
vote was taken on the passage of the bill. re-
sulting in the negative as follows;
YEA Dageett, iIaines. Heath, Hi Hinokley,
Hunt, k.ndai. sleeper, Nalker.-9.
NNr-Au,tu, burge.s, Collins Freeman, Frost
Hulbrook, Lord of YORK, Nash, Nickels foor,
Rand, Mright.-l2
SO the bill was refused a passage.
SPECIALLY ASSIGNED.
The majority and minority reports of the
Committee on the judiciary IN the matter
of comforting upon women the right of
municipal suffrage came from the House, the
majority report giving the petitioners leave
to Withdraw having been accepted. Pending
the question Of acceptance, the reports were
laid on the table and assigned for Wednesday
next, at II o'clock, on motion of Mr.. Heath
of Augusta.
Bill an act to amend sections l. 8 and of
q
lating to schools. came from the House re-
fused a passage, and was laid on the table
and specially assigned for Wednesday next,
at II O'Clock, on motion of Mr. Heath
| Bill an act to incorporate the Quebec and
Maine Railway Company, came from the
| House passed to be engrossed and was read
once and laid on the table, and assigned for
Monday next at Il o'clock, on motion OF
Mr. Frost of York
AUSTRALIAN BALLOT BILL.
| The majority and minority reports of the
Committee on Legal Affairs came up in
order, the question being upon the acceptance
of the majority report of ought not to pass
in concurrence with the House.
Mr.. Heath moved to recommit the bill to
the Committee on Legal Affairs with in
.tructions to report back Sena.e document
No | Is of the minority report amended by
striking out the word ''Iown' wherever it
occurs in the bill which, he explained,
would make the bill apply to cities alone.
He would not 90 over the history of the at
tempt of the different States and govern
ments of the world to purify the system of
voting. Massachusetts, has approved
of similar bill to this, but
applying to the whole State. If the evils
OF politics in Massachusetts, demanded thi,
law who would not say that in MaiHe there Is.
a greater necessity than could ever possibly
exist in Massachusetts: Facts are stubbors
things. and however proud We miy b. of the
grand old State of Maine. if there be evil.
that aillict the body polite, If there be a
cancer that is eating into our p0llticu insu.
tutions, it is no answer in spee ch of bun
combe to appeal to Statetpriie, because State
pride will not disproye facts. He challenged
any member Of the legislature with knowl-
edge of all the facts to deny that in every
city of the state bribery is prevalent 10 a
most alarming extent; to deny that from 10
to 20 per cent of the actual vote that is cast
purehasable, and that in contested elections
It is purchased, and he appealed to the SEN
ator from York to corrob0rate his state
ment that in some cities it rises
higher than that. Within the last
fifteen years the percentage of purchassble
votes in the cities has annually increased.
| The amount of money paid to each voter has
| increased, and it has spread from national
| down to municipal elections. 1t is a matter
| of common knowledge that in the city OF
| 3iddeford at the last municipal election
| S20, 900 was expended in the Who'll sale pur-
chase Of votes, and the public conscience
had been 30 beBumbed by the constant eIer-
else Of this evil that votes were bought open
4 ly in that election. Men went about the
streets of the city of BidiefOrd bearing cou
pons in their hands, and went to the election
brokers and bankers sho stood behind table,
with money piled in front Of them csshins
the coupons az they came in certified by ths
proper election officers Was it not time
that the strong srm of the law was applied
to correct this evil; so far as the bill ap
piled to intimidation, he did not thin.
! there vas what would cal
that in the State. But that briber,
exists. that both political parties when driver
to it by necessity, use it, is fact that M
member of the legislature dare deny. I
was idle to hope 70 correct the evi
by penal statutes. Bribery can no more b.
extsrminated by penal statutes than BY pro
Carnations. Ia 81 the legislature enacted
penalty for the briDee, which closed thi
door against the possible enforcement Of tn.
statute, because the party bribed i. not go
ing to testify against the one VITO bribe
him when be too is made snenable to th'
law. He had no hesitation in saying tha
he believed that clause was put into the Law
that bribery might not be stopped. He re
membered the discussion over it and VIII
was responsible for putting it there. Thi
only way in which bribery in tn,
State can be stamped out is by removing ID,
opportunity for the crime. Among all tn
experiments. that have been tried it is th'
result Of history that the secret ballot bes
removes the opportunity Of purchasing votes