The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-01-09
THIS WILL Be COMMITTEE DAY.
Some Assignments Likely to be Made
by Presiding Officers.
Many Members Uncertain Of Their
Fate.
Some Good Places for Cumberland
and York Men.


reports on 1t to their respective bodies.
There are of the Executive Council fourteen
regular committees, besides the three visit
ing committees for the Insane Hospital
State Prison and Reform School. As there
are but seven councillors, and three on eacf
committee, each councillor serves on mum
Der of committees. Hon. A. l.. Lumbert
the only lawyer in the Council. win be chair
man of the committees of State benefciarie'
and pensions, and of public
lands and buildings. Both these
committees are important. one deal
ing with all those troublesome State pau
per cases, in which great care and firmness
is necessary to protect the State. Hon. Silas
G. Hatch will be chairman of accounts and
taxation and expenditures, both appropriate
assignments. Hon. Tobias Lord will nc
doubt be assigned to the place for which his
two years of experience abundantly qualify
him.
The Senate and House do not, except fol
certain details, have separate committees, as
do the Senate and House of Congress. In
Congress bill is finished in one House be-
fore the other takes it up. In the Maine
Legislature bill goes through both Senate
and House at the same time, taking a step in
one and then in the other. This makes
necessary joint committees, each composed
of three Senators and seven Representatives
The President of the Senate appoints the
Senators and the Speaker of the House the
sion there were twenty-eight of the joint
standing committees. Last session the COM
mittee on labor was added, making twenty
nine; and this session the committee on tenn
perance has been made joint standing COM
mittee, thus making thirty joint committees
In all. First and most important comes the
judiciary, for which the foremost lawyers
are usually picked; then the legal affairs
committee, which takes care of the overflow
work from the judiciary. and is composed
also of the best legal talent Of the two houses !;
financial affairs next requires able mem
bers to consider the finances of the State
Federal relations is a committee that has lit
tie to do in these times; but what they do
may be very important. Education is an inn
portant committee and railroads, telegraphs
and expresses another very important one
upon which places are eagerly sought; COM
merce is not very hard worked committee (;
but mercantile affairs and insurance is of
great importance usually; the committee on
mittee, though not usually so hard worked as
some others; neither is manufactures hard
worked committee; but banks and banking
has some important questions to consider al
most every session; military affairs will be
an important committee this year as changes
in the militia law are proposed; interior
waters is very important committee, as it
considers questions relating to our rivers.
and the lumbermen and icemen and others
who use them; State lands and State
roads is usually desirable committee
for members from border towns and
ant usually; but the next committee in order,
fisheries and game, Is very important indeed,
dealing as il does with questions relating to
our great sporting and industrial interest /;
counties will probably be hard worked COM
mittee this year; OF towns the same cannot
be surely said, as there are several bills for
divisions of towns coming up that may re-
quire long hearings; Indian affairs is mCder-
ately important, and will be so long as We
have Indians; claims is committee that
threshes great deal old straw, much of its
deliberations being in old claims that per-
sistently reappear year after year only to be
rejected by successive committees, pensions
Is quite an important committee, as Maine is
now dong considerable for the veterans, and
will probably do more; Insane Hospital will
be very important committee this year, in
view of the situation at the asylum
State prison was an Important
committee two years ago, aLd
will probably be this year, as the unsatisfac-
tory results OF the change OF industries In
that institution may suggest further legisla
ton this winter; Reform School will not
probably be called upon to distinguish itself
unless steps should be taken in earnest to
Introduce the cottage system at the Cape
Elizabeth institution; public buildings ought
to make itself very important committee
by beginning the good work of removing th,.
State Capitol to Portland; the library COM
mittee will not do much, and the committee
on the State college of agriculture and me-
chanlc arts will make very comfortable
tour to the institution, and recommend a
good big appropriation; mines and mining
is rather relic of other days, but labor is a
committee that will probably do something
this session, though its great and i'm
portant work was the consideration of the
l0.hour bill two years ago. Finally the new
joint standing committee on temperance
will listen to General Neal Dow and then
draw up more amendments to the Maine law.
The work OF these committees is very i'm
portant They scrutiDize the meas sures
brought before the legislature, hear argu-
ments pro and con from interested parties,
and finally report the result Of their investi-
cations to the two houses, where their recon-
mendations have great weight Bow these
committees will be constituted will not he
their character must depend much upon tn e
material in the two houses. Members who
have had previous experience in committee
work are generally put onto the committees
on which they have served in previous legis-
latures. 1t Is understood that this rule will
be followed to a considerable extent by the
present President and Speaker. There are
in the present legislature six members who
were on the judiciary committee two years
Senate SsRstqa ensfman Hsrse SENATOR who waU
years ago, as were also Messrs. Wiswell OF
Ellsworth, Barker of Bangor, Manley of Au-
gusta, and Talbot of East Machias. To serve
with Senators Heath and Walton new SEN
ator will be selected, who is understood to be
Inn ri of nd ybr ic o
notable accession to the legal strength of the
Senate. Senator Heath will probably be
chairman on the part of the Senate, as he
was two years ago, while on the part of the
House, Representative Wiswell will have
that honor, although some have thought that
it might go to Mr.. Barker of Bangor, another
probable member of the committee, who had
sonfo support for tho Spoalership, New
House members of the judiciary will be Mr..
Fogg Of Portland, who is promoted from the
legal affairs committee; Mr.. Stearns of Carl.
bou, who brings to his first work in the leg
islature an enviable reputation, won at the
Aroostook bar; and Mr.. Peakes of Dover
a leading lawyer of Piscataquis county.
OF legal affairs Senator Wright of Paris,
was last year chairman on the part of the
House, and will be the only Senate member
with previous experience on the committee
Senator Sargent was on the committee two
years ago, when there were not lawyers
enough in the Senate to 60 around, but will
uOb Dt bulo year, do luC law yOio aiO piCutioi
Senator Ryder of Penobscot, will be a new
man on the committee, but may get the
craftsmanship, as he comes from the East
For the third Senate place there are Sena'
tor Haines of Waterville, and Senator Free
man of Yarmouth to choose from. On the par
of the House there are number of young mer
mentioned for places. Mr.. Looney was Oh
the last Legislature and probably this. Their
there is Walter L. Dane, a bright young law
yer from Kennebunk, John Madigan, the
young Democrat who carried H0utoD, anC
K. f. Goodwin, the young and talented rep
resentatiye from Skowhsgan, all OF whom
would make admirable members.
The committee on mercantile affairs anC
| insurance will probably be presided over by
| Senator Harding of Gorham, and Senator
| Burnell of Ellsworth, will be one of his col
| leagues. Senator Rand of Oxford, would
make an excellent third member. Repre-
sentative o. q. Clark of Saco, who had val
liable experience on the committee two years
ago will be chairman on the part of the
House. Perhaps Ex-Governor Robie may bt
on TINS committee, although it is understood
that ne would prefer to be relieved of com
miItee work entirely this session.
" tne railroad committee Senator b. j
Hlll OF Auburn, will be chairman, and with
MIN VIII probably be Senator Collins o.
Aroostook On thepart of the House Repre-
sentative Ciark OF Bangor, was chairman
two years ago. There is also Colonel Ed
ward Moore and Representative Nealey o.
| Lewiston, who have seen service on this inn
| portant committee Representative Wake
| field of Bath, who was on the finance com
| mittee two years ago, very likely will 90 4
| the railroad committee this year, as he doe
NOT care To serve on tha fnanna con,oit.aa