The Portland daily press., 1891-02-14
THE CAPITOL COMMISSION is SAFE.
Their Report Referred to the Public
Buildings Committee.
Something New Proposed In the In.
surance Business.
The Legislature VIII Hold a satur-
day Session This Week.
Especial TO the Press.I

up In the Senate this forenoon, the discus
sion turning on the question Of its reference
An attempt was made to cut up the report
and refer part of it to the judiciary com
mittee over week ago when Senator
Swanton presented an order to that effec
with instructions to the committee to inves
tigate the legality of the action of the com.
missioners in paying themselves salaries
This order was at that time tabled on motion
of Mr.. Haines of Kennebec. Today the
Senate voted against SO referring the report
and sent the whole of 1t to the committee Oh
public buildings.
The matter was brought up today on q
motion of Mr.. Haines to take up the order
introduced by Mr.. Swanton, and Mr.. Haines
offered the fOlliwing as substitute:
Ordered that the report of the Capitol Commits
sion be referred TO the committee on public build.
ings.
1Mr. Swanton desired to explain why his
order Was offered. 1t was purely business
matter and should be treated as such. The
men who composed the commission are hon.
orable men. There Is nothing hidden in
their report and doubtless they would be
glad to have it fully investigated. But there
Is dispute on the question Of expenditures
and 1t Is proper that it should investigated
The total sum of returned expenditures Is
S157.495. Ali are aware that there are bills
now outstanding for $11, 200. Among the
items OF the report one for salary for com
missioners for $4,000 and for clerk $1,000. The
authority for this salary Is nowhere to be
found. and one Of the judicial bodies of the
legislature should render a decision on the
matter. 1t all is correct, well and good, no
one that is innocent can be injured by an
investigation. He moved that Mr. Haines' S
order be laid on the table.
Mr.. HainaS said that the Q0mmfttaa m
public buildings was very competent one,
and as this Is report on public building IL
should be referred to them. He hoped that
reference to the judicial committee would be
stopped right here.
MIR. Swant0n's motion to table the order
was lost by a vote of 81 to 4.
The question on Mr.. Haines' amendment
was put and carried, but as Mr.. Spear said
he gave notice that he wanted to introduce
an amendment before the question was put.
the President said he would consider the
question open, although it had been carried.
Mf Spear then offered as an amendment
that Senate Document tine commissioners
report be accepted and placed on file in tfe
Secretary of States office, which he desired
to substitute for Mr.. Haines's amendment
He said he could see no reason why this mat
ter should be carried further. The report
had been audited by the Governor and
Council as required by the resolve. The
commissioners had drawn their salaries, and
could the committee on public
buildings do about il? He didn't
understand the commission was required to
report TO the legislature, but that they had
done IL as matter of information. He be-
lieved that the broper course was to accept
the report and file 1t for reference.
Mr.. Haines said he had no objection to
such reference, but 1t was customary to re-
fer all matters to Committee. The gov
ernOr's report the report on the insane hos
nit axnA 9th 10
mittees.
Mr.. Spear could not see any parallel be-
tween the reports OF which Mr.. HaineS
spoke aud that of the capitol commission.
Mr.. Walton of Somerset, said it seemed
that there was something to be done be-
sides looking over the report to see what the
gentlemen who had been serving the state
had done. We have the report of the COM
mittee on enlargement and there seems to be
an important question as to whether the
funds were appropriated properly. Where
there Is money appropriated for a certain
purpose it must be used for that purpose
II not, 1t is misappropriated. We have the
resolve; 1t calls for the expenditure for an
addition and the necessary expenses OF the
commission. We have them reported. How
was the money spent? Mr.. Walton said he
desired to have the matter Investigated, as a
matter of business. The Legislature held
the key to the strong box of the state ana
should know of its expenditures. He as
according to resolve and be wanted this
matter to gOin a business way as did all the
matters of the Legislature.
Mr.. Powers of Aro0st0Ok did not purpose
to discuss items of expenditures; certain
large sums have been expended and Sem
ator had introduced an order to see if they
had been expended according to law. It
seems proper that there should be such an
examination. Let the committee on public
buildings make report. He hoped that the
Haines order would prevail. He didn't be-
lieve that the Senate could afford to keep
anything back.
Mr.. Swanton said that the proposed ac-
ceptance and reference would consign the
matter TO oblivion.
Mr.. Spears motion was lost.
Mr.. Swanton then offered an amendment
Mr.. Haines's order that the committee should
be directed to inquire into the legality of the
expenditures OF money and to the quality of
the building.
Mr.. Spear said that there would be no
smothering in the committee on public
buildinzs. A yea and nay vote was ordered
on Mr.. Swanton's amendment, as follows,
resulting in the defeat of the order, IA to II.
NAYS-Messrs. Adams, Gie, Gilmore, Haines,
Harper. Libby of AndroScoggiD, Mayo, Nash,
Nutting, Pettengii, Poor, Smith, Stewart, War
ren-l4.
YEAs-Messrs. Chaplin, Mallet, Moore, Powers,
Ryder, shannon, Spear, SwantoD, Thatcher, Wad.
lin, Walton, Wilbur-12.
Mis hdiuto OIutT WAS t0eD passed, duQ
the matter referred to the committee on pub
llc buildings.
Matters of Taxation.
The special tax committee will give it's
last public hearing next Tuesday evening on
the broad subject of general questions of
taxation. Among those who have been
mentioned as among the probable speakers
on this evening is Liberty B. bennett. ESQ /,
of Portland. Thus far the hearings have
been Of marked interest. as rule. Especial
ly haSssthis been so the cases of the hearings
on the questions of railroad taxation, the
taxation of saving banks and the taxation of
other corporations, The trend of the tasti-
mony at these hearings has been to snow
that all these corporations were not getting
fabulously rich as many people have sup
posed. In the matter of the affairs of the
savings banks, an especially strong case was
made out What the inve ,tigatiOns of the
coumittes may bring out in addition TO the
statements made at the hearings 1t is as yet
too early t. predict, the committee so FAR
having held only two executive sessions.
AT the first OF these, a vote showed a senti-
ment in favor of leaving the poll tax and
taxation OF mortgages as it exists under the
present law, but this action Is not final and
tne vote may possibly be reconsiGered. On
the question of the state board uf
assessors the committee has de-
cided definitely as already reported
and will soon bring in a bill to establish
such a board. This bill will be a measure by
itself, and will appear before the general tax
bill or bills. The special tax Commission
Incorporated the bulk of their sugeestions
into one long bill, but it is not certain that
the COMMITTEES will do the same. Other i'm .
p0rtant matters may be embodied in sena-
rate bills, as has been the creation of state
board OF assessors.
Labor Matters.
Under the present law Labor Commission
or Matthews has an annual appropriation of
5000, on which to run his department. Ont
OF this the commissioner salary of S1BnO ia
paid, leaving $500 for other expenses. Now
petitions are coming in from workingmen In
various parts of the state asking that the a ~
nual appropriation for the Labor Bureau no
Increased to $1,000. No increase In the saia.
nv of the commissioner Is Contemplated The
additional $1,000 being for the purpose of ayo
tending the scope of the departments labors
enabling the commission er to EMPLOY snec,a;
agents to DO certain kinds Of work wSich r.
rs believed would be of advantage bnt wbiob
the present amount of the appropriation
does not warrant.
Labur Commissioner Matthews is recaiv
ing many expressions of satisfaction from
workingmen with the action of the leeisIa-
ture In making Labor Day a legal holidav
One man prominent in labor circles want.d
the pen with which the governor signed tha
bill and Mr.. Matthews gladdened his hasrt
nv procuring IL for him.