The Portland daily press., 1891-03-18
THE SENATE WILL NOT RUN RAILROADS
Judge Hamilton Accused of High
Crimes and MIsdeanors,
The House Votes To Be Old Fash
.loned In School Matters,
The Listing Bill Not Reached Owing
to Mr.. HaInes's EIoquence,
Especial to the Press,1

Especial to the Press.l
AUGUSTA, March 1.-THE Senate this
morning accepted the report of the railroad
committee on the Haines bill to regulate
rates and fares. The report was that the
bill ought not to pass. Senator Haines, the
author of the measure. called 1t up, and
made long speech In its behalf. repeating
much that he said when the matter was be-
fore the railroad committee. Mr.. Haines re-
peated his criticisms of the rates of the pas
senger and freight tariffs of the Grand
Trunk and Maine Central roads. He de-
elared that the latter was monarchy, with
king In Portsmouth. prime minister in
Portland. a prince in Bath, prince In Au-
gusta, duke In Waterville, and duke in
Bangor.
Senator Moore of Cumberland made a
brief reply to the speech of Mr.. Haines,
stating the reasons of the committee in max
ing their adverse report. By this bill the
legislature was asked to place In the hands
of the railroad commissioners the making of
rates on the railroads of the state. Before
reaching decision on the measure. the COM
mittee endeavored to ascertain the extent Of
the demand for It and whether or not the
rates charged by Maine roads were excessive
For the first Of these purposes the committee
gave public hearing which was advertised
IOL 1UuE Wt6kS III tu6 ltdulug u6WSUdU6TS OIL
the state. At that hearing only two gentle
men appeared in favor Of the bill. One was
the author Of the measure, the Senator from
Kennebec; the other was commercial trav-
eller. They both complained that the
charges on the Maine Central were excessive.
That the legislature might have some knowl-
edge of the rates on Maine roads as eompar-
ed with those on other lines, the commit
tee had gathered some figures which Colonel
Moore read. On the Maine Central the COM
v,,if fonn nd hat rr.tla bafo o11G
at from q to cents mile; long distance
limited tickets at fraction over q cents;
the average fare on the road about
u cents. BY the new passenger tariff of
tine Maine Central, now in print. no local
rate will exceed 81 cents mile. On the
Boston & Maine road, which the Senator
calls a gigantic corporation and the owner of
the Maine Central, the committee found the
average rate Of fare to be 1.87 cents mile.
Comparing these figures with those of other
that the average rate on the New York and
New England was about 1-12 cents mile;
on the Boston and Albany a trifie over 2
cents; on the Old Colony 81 cents a mile.
In view of the extensive local traffic enjoyed
by these roads, the committee did not regard
the rates on Maine roads unreasonable. But
the Senator from Kennebec had said some-
thing of western roads. The committee had
examined the rates on few and found that
the average rate was less than 3 per cent.
The Senator from Kennebec was willing
that the roads should pay fair dividends.
Senator Moore found that the dividends of
the Maine Central were not over per cent,
and the Grand Trunk had never earned l
per cent on the capital stock The Maine
roads are now running from 700 to 1000 miles
of train service, which Is unproductive
daily. In order to show that the roads had
been fair In their dealings with cities and
towns. Senator Moore read the. valuation of
towns and cities on the lines Of the roads In
1850 and in 1890 showing large increase as
compared with little or no property in
crease In towns not on the roads. The
speaker also referred to the state of affairs
in Iowa where, he said, by the enactment of
ing crippled. In 1890 they paid S1,5OO.0O0
less in wages than In the preceding year and
employed nearly 6000 less people.
Mr. HaineS then made another speech
claiming that the situation In Iowa was not
due to this law; that the Maine Central
rates were higher than the average for the
country and that Mr.. M0ore's argument
from the growth Of towns on the roads was
not sound.
The Senate voted to adopt the report of
the committee against the bill. the call of
the yeas and nays resulting as follows:
Yeas--Messrs: Chaplin, Giles. Gilmore, Harper,
Hunt, Mallet, Mehan, Moore, Nash, Nutting. Pet
Swanton, Warren, WilDur-19.
Nays-Messrs. Grindle, Haines, Poor, Stewart
Thatcher, Wadlin-6.
The Case OF Judge Hamilton.
The case of Judge Hamilton of the Bidde-
ford municipal court is before the Legisla-
ture at last and the law makers are offered q
choice of the horns Of the dilemma. They
are, by the measures presented this morn
ing, given chance to remove the Judge by
abolishing the court and then re-establishing
it. They can also proceed by address. The
-lI l. kha ux,6 fc lox,fv
document, beginning as follows:
"Tbe Senate and House of Representatives in
Legislature assembled, present this address to
The Governor OF the State of Maine, the HonOra-
BILE Edwin c. Burleigh, for the removal of Charles
the city OF Biddeford, in the county OF York and
State Of Maine for the causes following"
The address then accuses Hamilton of ap-
pearing at various times In state of intoxi-
cation; of being notoriously subject to habits
OF intemperance; subject to habits OF i'm
morality and licenti0usness; OF having pre-
sided over said municipal court of the city
of Biddeford, determined causes and rem
dered judgment therein, heard complaints
and issued warrants under the seal OF SAID
court and his signature officially as judge
thereof for the arrest of divers people while
in state Of intoxication himself;" of sign
ing blank papers, including warrants for the
search of places. bills of costs, complaints
for the commission of crimes, the names Of
no persons appearing therein and mittimus-
ses, and giving these papers to officers to use
and fill as such officers saw fit.
thus exceeding their duty; be-
because the continuance OF such habits, acts
and proceedings nullify the proper and just
operation of law and its due execution and
brings all judicial proceedings into contempt
and excites the disrepect of all; because the
safety of all legitimate pursuits of happiness
and of those rights of life and liberty una
lienable, depend upon the personal integrity
and uprightness Of character of the judges
of the various courts of the state to great
degree. Attached to the address are several
blank forms bearing the signatures Of Judge
Hamilton.
Accompanying the address is the petition
Of John Lord and others praying for pro-
ceeding against Judge Hamilton by this
means. S. j. Bassf0rd and many others
sign another petition praying that the York
county delegation take steps for the removal
OF Hamilton: Then there Is In this package
OF papers bill to abolish the Municipal
Conit in the city Of Biddeford, and another
bill to establish police court ALI these
papers were introduced by Senator Warren
and on his motion referred to the judiciary
| committee.
Assessors Sill on the Table.
On motion of Mr.. Savage of Auburn the
bill to establish state board Of assessors
was taken from the table. Mr.. Savage said
| that IL was necessary before proper consider
alton could be given to the various tax bills
to take some action on this bill for state as
SCISSORS. 1t was for the interest of the state
that board of this character should be ap-
pointed as the old custom Of having a valua.
| ton commission to work once in ten years
was not satisfactory. The commission
| which has put in its report at the eleventh
| hour of the session has been at work for two
years. So late was the report Of the commits
| sion that 1t will be impossible to give 1t pro-
| per consideration. All goes to show that a
| board Of state assessors would be great