The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-02-11

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this morning and submitted a bill Ia nrn
vide for aid from that county to the exttau-
sion of the Shore Line. After soma dc
cusslon the delegation adjourned to meet
again tomorrow morning in order to alIo1
Col. Green aud Gen Leavitt to make SON."
changes in the plan. The scheme pronosaS
Is for the county to guarantee the Interest at
rate not exceeding per cent for a term
not exceeding 80 years on bonds to an
amount OF about S650,0O0. Should the road
become paging piece Of property, as its
promoters believe 1t WILL under the proposed
arrangement 1t will be requared to pay back
u tue county any sums which the county
Tsss 5sye pad a. as hteTess hesd on their bonds
Washington county people and the promot-
ers OF the road are confident that thew can
tako care Of the interest on the bonds after
the first few years.
The Australian Ballot.
The committee on judiciary gave hearing
on the Australian ballot bill today in the
Representatives Hall. Hon. J. Manchester
Leigh, Jr;. j. d, Manley, Esq. Mr.. r. l..
Chalk of Kennebunk and others. spoke In
favor. and + w. Hovey Of Pittsfield, Arthur
Y. Perry of Presque Isle and Judge Wood
bury OF Bethel, opposed.
AS the first speaker this afternoon, Mr..
Clason called the Hon. j. Manchester Haynes
member of the National Republican Com
mittee. Mr. Haynes said he had come at
the request of Mr.. Clason to give his opin-
ion, without argument, of the Australian
system. BE believed in the grincioles Of the
Dill, and thought 1t should be freely dis
cussed In the legislature. MIR. Haynes sug-
gested to The committee that 1t was the bet
ter course to follow in regard to this and
similar measures to so report them that they
would be fully discussed on the floor of the
houses rather than settling them In commit
tee In such way that little or no disc ussion
would arise after the committee had report
| n mat
OF committee would be properly acted up
on without discussion, but Mr.. Haynes urged
such action in this case as would give no
chance afterwards for talk of anything be-
nents of this measure had seemed
In e reply to this, iOtht the qsesslPer speaker
said that he firmly believed that the Austrsl-
Ian ballot system was destined to become of
universal application In this country. He
! then proceed ded to classify the opposition to
the measure. Some of it is found in towns
! very strongly Republican, where the major
ity is so large that the result Of elections is
foregone conclusion. and there Is conse-
| quently no desire for change In the voting
fystem by either side. In other terms the
political parties are so evenly divided that
both seem afraid that they may lose what
fsey e'0Sd have ey the change Men Who
CID system are sometimes appre-
hensive that they will lose it
under the new. Others who have become
unpopular fear that they may be singled out
10r persecution II secret system of voting is
adopted. Mr.. Haynes said that an expert
ence OF many years In the political affairs of
the state. led him to believe that the ballot
In Maine was as pure as In any state In this
proud Union. BE did not ask for this law
because he belved corruption to be wide
spread ia Maine. He favored it because
1t would make elections uniform,
ne favored the provision for
the printing of ballots by the
state and he favored the second voting
clause. But this. said Mr.. Haynes was the
point to which the greatest objection
was made. Much of this believed to be due
TO the nervousness which annoy many peO-
pie was felt over any radical change 10 their
institutions. Mr. Haynes did not believe
that the change in the law would make any
difference In the leadership of parties, ex-
cept that those men whose ability a d fit
ness pushed them to the front, as now,
would have better influence under the new
system than they have had under the old
MIR. Maney took issue with Mr.. Looney In
regard to the extent to which bribery and
Eruption exist He favored an amendment
to the Clason bill making the law applicable
oDly to places Of 5000 population. Mr. Man
then described process by which he would
have provision made for voting straight tick
e na06s WSl6 Il 0ns place on the strip
ticket, ETC.. and mark against these words
would be equivalent to mark against every
Republican aud Democr attic name. If man
desired to split his ticket he could go along
clusion he said: Il believe this system will
not break down party lines but will have the
effect OF making all citizens take more inter-
est In the primary meetings"
Mr.. X. L. Chalk, representing the Shoe
makers Union, next spoke. he described
the manner In which w0rkmen in factories
are directed to vote in certain ways aud
then watched carefully to see that they do
so vote, and appealed to the committee to
rescue 5000 working men from that state of
things, promising that If it were done the
wOrkingmen would elect honest men and
would deal with them honestly.
hon. Josiah ID. Drummond of Portland,
made the principal speech of the afternoon
IN opposition to the measure. Mr.. Drum
mond's chief objection seemed to be that
this was measure in the interest of kicker
ana Mugwump who wants to tear down par
| ties.
Hon. E. c. Allen of Dresden. and M. Rol-
lins OF Gardiner, favored the bill, and Joseph
Holden Of Otisfied, opposed it,
Before the Tax Commission.
The committee on taxation held its session
| IN the Senate chamber. There was a large
attendance, the subject of considerati n be-
| ing the taxation Of savings banks and collat-
| eral lnheritances. A committee was present
to oppose any increase lof taxes for banks.
MI. george A. Wilson OF South Paris. dis
| WY ihtOhttOu Ou THO phLt Va enO
banks to escape their just due Of taxes. He
showed that tax increase would tend to lower
| tne rate OF interest paid dep0sitors. and that
TINS would tend to discourage the poorer
classes from continuing to save their money
and to deposit 1t with the banks. He spoke
OF 1t purely as a state tax.
| T. Bnrnham followed. speaking of the
reserved funds of banks as the accummula-
lions OF which the bank examiner spoke,
ana showing how this was an absolute me-
1 ce3SttV t0 QuQr6 tho lOoo
Mr.. John A. Merrill was the next speaker
de thought this lowering of the rate Of in
terest should be carefully considered.
Hon. u Y. 1eat0n of South Berwick, t0l-
| lowed. Regarding tn increase in surplus
which appeared in the examiners report,
MI ieaton said he thought 1t mora appar-
| ent than real. He reviewed the financial his
tory OF the state to show that the savings
oanSs mad been losing ground steadily, whlle
| the necessities OF the stats were also decreas-
ing Why then, he asked, Increase the tax
He then touched upon the constitutional
point, showing that equal ana Just taxation
was provided for. How then, ne asked, can
| one rate be charged on foreign and another
| on domestic Investments? j. G. Deering, K.
| A. NOyes and Hall G. BurleigE spoke brief
state Printing.
| Bids for the state printing for the ensuing
/ two wears were received by the committee
state printing ana aOd sOday from the
| f3ickford Of Portland. and Burlegh & Flynt
| of Augusta Smith q Reed of Augusta and
| the Brown Thurston Company Of Portland
presented bids on the binding.
Points.
E.A. Orne and "a others, K. T. Burrowes
and 46 others, Isaac A. Clough aud 36 others.
| @. r. Brewster and 45 others, j. B. Donneli
and 40 others, l. II. Llttlejohn aud 35 Others.
| Charles r. Ferris and 80 others, are among
| the signers to those petitions which pray
| that the prohibitory law may be so amended
| as TO make its viol ,tion Improbable and un-
A number of petitions were presented in
| the Senate today for action to provide for an
| index digest of the Maine Reports.
Mr.. Drummond of Portland presented TO-
| day a hill providing for the granting of ad.
| mInistration on the estate of an intestate
mnrs than 20 wears after the death of the in
II r. Brown and 81 others of Portland and
TIE McDOnald and Sc Others Of Portland
are petitioners in frvor of the dental regis.
MI. Bird of Rockland presented In the
| Honse TODAY bill for the incorporation of
| the Old Ladies' Home at R0ckland,
Petitions from hundreds Of residents of
towns along the line of the Knox ana lin
coin. are being received In favor of the hin
to legaiize the sale OF that road and for other
| purposes. , p,