The Portland daily press., 1891-03-04
GENERAL DOW HAS THE COMMITTEE.
Liquor Law vioIators Will Do Well
To Quit or Move Away.
Vigorous Opposition Developing To
The Tax Listing System.
The Debate OF The Session VIII
Begin Tomorrow.
TSpecial to the Press. !

Especial to the Press.l
AUGUSTA, March 3.-General Neal Dow
seems to have captured the temperance CON-
mittee. at any rate they have embodied
some of his proposed amendments to the
prohibitory law in bill which Senator
Stewart will report tomorrow. This bill
would make radical changes in the present
law. beginning with the provision recon-
mended by General Dow so that, If the bill
became law, a man convicted of being a
common seller or Of keeping tippling shop
would be liable to $500 fine and one years
Imprisonment. Under the proposed law, the
penalty for the first offence would be as great
as fol the second and the offender would see
the inside of the jail whether he had or had
or had not been previously convicted.
Another provision of the bill makes rum
sellers ineligible for jury service and also
prohibits persons known to be habitual users
Of strong drink from sitting on juries. The
bill repeals the present law whereby juror
violator of the liquor law. The rights of
officers in their efforts to enforce the liquor
law are increased by provision authorizing
the search of a mans person for c0ntraband
liquor as we'll as the premises he occupies.
In addition AT, to all these pains and penalties
way, for this state at least, as
General Dow would express it. .to
put the grOg shops down." This done by in
cooperating in the bill what If known as the
New Hampshire nuisance act This provides
that upon Information. by 20 voters the Su-
preme Court may enjoin place as nuis-
ance. The present nuisance law Of Maineis
not touched.
Having found way to arrest the rumsel-
lers, shut them up in jail and close the rum
BILE and uncomfortable" for corporations to
transport liquor. This done by means of a
section which declares that transportation
company which carries liquors known to be
for unlawful sale, shall be liable to fine of
$500 for each offense and knowledge on the
part of an employe that such liquors were in
tended for unlawful sale shall be deemen
knowledge on the part Of the corporation
which employs him.
These are the principal provisions of the
bill, which ofscourse repeals such parts OF
Senator Stewart said tonight that the liquor
law, If this bill were made part of it,
would be so amended as to be much shorter
than at present.
The Kennebec Court.
The petitioners for the abolition Of the Su-
perior Court of Kennebec county were given
a hearing by the judiciary committee this
afternoon. Hon. o. D. Baker, Senator Spear.
County Attorney Carleton. L. c. Carleton,
Esq, and others favored the petition, and
Senator Haines. Hon. II. M. Heath and other
members of the bar opposed 1t. 1t has been
understood that dissatisfaction with Judge
Hall had something to do with the movement
to abolish the court, but that was not brought
out at the hearing, the petitioners bastng
their case on the ground OF economy, alleg-
ing that the Superior Court is not necessary.
That Listing System Bill.
The Senate today, on motion of Mr.. Spear
of Kennebec, postponed the consideration Of
the bill to create board of state assessors.
until tomorrow, on account of the absence of
Mr.. Walton of Somerset, upon whose motion
the bill was tabled. 1,hasSenate will not be-
gin the consideration Of the bill providing
for the listing system until the first bill has
had its chance so 1t is likely 1t may be some
day next week to which the listing system
will be assigned for consideration. There is
to be lots of talk about 1t. Not only is there
a strong opposition to the general principle
of the bill, but some of the features are
pointed out as being especially Objectionable,
One of these is that contained in the last
clause of Section 2. This is the section that
makes it the duty of the taxpayer to return
under oath answers to interrogat ives for a
statement of cash on hand; debts due or to
become due from solvent debtors secured or
unsecured, including deposits In any bank,
or in any savings bank which are not ex-
empted by law from taxation in this state or
elsewhere; and debts due or to become due
from insolvent debtors. Now under this
bill taxpayer may claim a deduction for
debts owing by him, but each taxpayer claim
ine such deduction as provided in this sec
tion must make statement of his deposits
In savings banks and trust institutions and
the amount of government bonds and other
securities owned by him and exempt from
taxation In this state. Furthermore it Is
provided: "And no deduction shall be made
in the list OF any person, by reason OF debts
owing by him, unless such statement in
cludes the name and plan OF residence Of
each creditor to whom he Is so indebted and
the amount so owing by him to each cred
itor."
This clause, compelling ma to not only
make statement that he owes certain sums
of money but TO force him to tell to whom he
owes them. proceeding which in many
cases would be equivalent to putting on his
list what the debt was contracted for, is re-
garded by the opponents of the bill.
AS a provision which would put taxpayers
to the disagreeable necessity of making
statements of their private business affairs
in order to obtain the reduction to which
they would be justly entitled.
The members of lhe committee who signed
the minority report are considering the course
which they shall pursue in regard to the bill.
1t is probable that when the matter comes
under discussion they will have some inter.
esting statements ready as to the results OF
similar laws In New Hampshire and Yer.
mont. The New Hampshire law, they say,
Is admitted to be dead letter. Letters from
Vermont say that the Vermont law, which Is
not so stringent in its provisions as the law
of New Hampshire, for time after its en-
actment seemed to increase the amount OF
personal property on which taxes were paid,
but of late the law, according to information
given these gentlemen, has been falling into
disuse and promises to become practically
imperative.
Maine Lawyers.
Mr.. Powers of Aroostook presented bill
to incorporate the Maine State Bar Associa
tion and asked that the rules be suspended
that the matter might be considered without
reference to a committee. Mr.. Powers stated
| that the measure was one to prevent the for
nation of an organization among the mem
| bers of the legal profession In the state in or
| der that they might combine for useful pur.
| poses including the institutions of needed re
| forms. The Senate voted to suspend tht
| rules and the bill was given Its first two
readings. The bill names as corporators the
following gentlemen, many Of whom are
members of the present legislature James
| w. Bradbury, Charles +. Libby, Andrew P
Wiswell, Sylvester J. Walton, Frederick A
Powers, Erastus G. Ryder, Joseph B. Peaks
| Lewis. z. Stearns, Albert r. Savage, Oliver
| b. Clason, Franklin G. Payson, A. (. Her.
| rick. B: F. Chadbourne, William T. Haines,
Jesse M. Libby. Henry W. Mayo, G. A. Hsr.
| ringtop, Frank L. Noble, ]. ii. Drummond
yr. Morrill, n. Drew, Oscar II. Hersey, Geo.
r. Fuller, Edgar +. Gentleman, Albert M
| Spear, Treby johnson, Charles P.Allen. Jas
| Archibald. Charles E. Littlefield, William i,
Putnam, Henry L. Whitcomb, Charles F
| Woodland, Seth M. Carter, Ansel L. Lumbert
| George G. Wing, George ID. Bisbee, A. a,
Stront, George 9. Yeaton. Orville b. Baker
| l.. G. Titcomb, III. M. Heath, j. III. Manley
F. G. Bean, l.. G. Downes, w. P. Thompson
| w. Z. Hogan, w. III. Hilton and others who
may jain.
Iu The House the rules were also suspend
ed and the bill read times and passed to be