The Portland daily press., 1891-02-26
THE TWO REPORTS ON THE CLASoN BILL,
Rearing on the Boston & Maine Stock
Increase Bill.
The Legislature VIII Not Incorporate
the BramhaII League.
Hearing on the haInes Bill To Resu-
late Railway Fares.
Especial to the Press. |


AUGUSTA. February 25.-As predicted in
lne fREss some time ago. the judiciary
committee has reported seven In favor of the
Australian ballot bill, as amended, to three
against 1t. The bill and accompanying 1e-
ports were presented in the House this morn
Ing Messrs. Walton, Powers, Savage, Pay
son, Herrick. Chadbourne and Clason sign
the bill 'ought to pass" Messrs. RYDER.
Peaks and Stearns report ought not to pass. :"
And this bill reported from the judiciary
committee today is not "new creature" as
1t has been said it would be. In its main fea-
tules 1t is the original Australian ballot bill.
The bill on motion of Mr.. Clason, was tabled
for printing and assigned for Thursday of
next week.
Section one of the bill as reported today
is amended so that the system is left optional
with the towns of less than 1000 population,
as reported this morning.
Section 4,relating TO nominations is amend
ed by inserting candidates for municipal or
ward officers in addition to those for electO-
raj districts or divisions of the state, for
whom nominatisn papers may be signed in
the aggregate for each candidate by qualified
voters of such district or division not less in
number than one for every 100 persons who
NOtcu az tn6 HtAt pT6CtuluS RuUtIuALOTldl
election in such district or division, but in
no case case less than 10. This minimum
number, 20. is change from the original bill
which fixed the number at so. Another
change in the method of making nomina-
tions is that requiring nomination papers to
be filed with the Secretary of State at least
20 days exclusive of Sundays, previous to the
day of election instead of IA days as under
the original bill. Another change provides
that nomination papers not In apparent con-
formity with the law, may be seasonably
amended under oatQ.
That portion of section 10 providing for
the grouping Of party nominations on the
ballots, so that an entire ticket may be voted
by making only one check mark, Is as fol-
lows:
Section 1o--:Every general ballot. or ballot in
intended for the use Of all voters, which shall be
printed IN accordance with the provisions of this
act, shall contain the names and residences Of all
candidates whose nominations for any office spec
flied in the ballot have been duly made and not
withdrawn in accordance herewith, and the offices
for which they have been severally nominated,
and shall contain no other except th at In the
of elections of resident and Vice President of
the United States the names Of the candidates for
President and Vice President may be added to
the party or political designation. The names of
candidates nominated by any party shall be
grouped together upon the ballot and each group
sha BE- ns headed by the name Of the party BY
were placed in nomination, or by the political des-
igDation as described in the certificate of nomina
nominated by any party, or under any political
designation, mis- name, with the office for which
he is candidate, shall be printed by itself under
blank space shall be left after the names of the
candidates for eacn different office in which the
printed on ths ballot, for Whsm he desires to vote
as candidate for such Office whenever the appro-
val OF constitutional amendment or other public
question is left to vote OF the people, such queS
tlOns shall be printed upon the ballot after the
list of candidates. The ballots shall be printed
as to have blank space at the right of the name
OF the party or political designation and also at
the right of the name of each candidate, so as to
give to each voter clear opportunity to desig-
nate by a cross mark XXI therein his choice of
candidates and his answers to the question sub
mitted and on the ballot may be printed such
words as will enable the voter TO do this, as yes"
'no" and the like.
Under the head of preparation of ballots,
further directions are given in section "a, as
to the method of voting. The section pro-
vides that the voter may place cross [xl as
follows:
He may place such mark opposite the name of
shall be deemed to have voIed for all the persons
named In the group under such party or designa-
ton; or he may place such mark opposite the
names of the individual candidates Of his choice
for each office TO be filed: or he may fill In the
name of the candidates of his choice in the blank
space provided therefor and place the MARI oppo-
site as aforesaid in which case he shall be deemed
TO have voted only for the Individual candidates
opposite whose names he has placed such mark.
Section 20. which is in a new form pro-
vides that the municipal officers, 60 days be-
fore any election may divide towns and
wards of cities into convenient polling plac-
es which shall contain not less 300 votes in
each. The municipal officers are also re-
quired to give notice of their action and ap-
point presiding officer aud clerk for zach
duties of fS such officers. The board Of regis
tration for any city in which ward has been
so divided and the municipal officers of any
town which has been so divided shall pre-
pare check lists for such divisions. Another
new section is the last, which follows:
Section 33-No result of any election as shown
by the checking of ballots actually deposited in
the ballot box except so far as they are lawfully
rejected under this act, shall be set aside as af
son of any failure to comply with any of the pro-
visions Of this act by the misdescripton Of the
residence of any candidate or other person.
That Boston & Maine Stock.
In the early days of this session of the Leg
islature, bill was introduced authorizing
the Boston & Maine Railroad Company to
increase its stock by an amount not exceed
ing 100000. Bills similar to this one had
already passed the Legislatures of Massa-
chusetts and New Hampshire. The bill pre-
sented to the Maine Legislature was accom-
panied by statement prepared by Hon. VIM.
L. Putnam of Portland, as attorney for the
road. In the statement Mr.. Putnom said:
"The immediate purposes for which the
increase Is to be applied are double tracking
that portion of the western division not so
Mass. $250,000, station at Maiden, Mass,
$4,000, new rolling stock $68O,000, and the
payment of bonded indebtedness soon to fall
due, all legitimate purposes.
Some time after the Introduction Of this
Boston & Maine bill, Mr.. Payson of Port
land presented an order, which was passed,
directing the judiciary committee to inquire
into the expediency of enacting law to COM
pei the sale OF stock Of certain quasi public
corporations at public auction. This order
sale of this laIge amount of additional stock
by the Boston q Maine. The order has been
assigned for hearing Tuesday afternoon.
At the hearing on the order Friday it Is ex-
pected that Hon. William L. Putnam of
Portland, George G. Yeaton, Esq, of South
Berwick, and perhaps others will be present
to represent the road.
The position of those favoring such gen.
eral law is this. 1t is claimed that under
the present law the Boston and Maine rail-
road might sell the whole of this large in
crease Of Its capital stock to the present
stockholders at par while the present value
| of the stock in open market is something
over $500 share. The effect of thus selling
| the stock at par would be to put 5000 00O
| into the treasury of the road and $4,000, OOO
more into the pockets of the present stock
holders. This does not seem right to the
| friends of the proposed law who think that
unnecessary burdens might thus be imposed
upon the public. The stock should rather be
sold at market rates, giving the road the ben
| eft of its full value. No objection is made
| to the present stockholders having the first
| chance to buy tt e new stock, provided they
pay the prevailing rate for 1t. Such amount
| Of the new stock as is not brought BY the
stockholders In this way should then be Of
| fered to the public.
A Question Of Education.
On motion of Mr.. Grindle vf Hancock. the
bill providing that appropriation for acade
mics and other institutions of learning be
taken from the school fund was taken up,
Mr.. Grindle said he didn't believe in the bill
and was intending to move 1t indefinite post.
ponment but he thought 1t would be courte.
sy to hear what the committee who reported
| the,matter had to say about 1t.
Mr., Thatcher of Penobsc0t, for the com.
mittee on Finance said his committee had
| considered the bill for some time and finally
| considered to report the bill. He told what
| the school fund was and It's amount for the
| present year.
Mr. Haines of Keunebec, wanted to know
| IL the appropriation for the Maine State col.
| lege was to come from the school fund. The
| language of the bill surely indicated that.
| Mr. Grindle pronounced the bill as one oil
theImost mischevious ever presented to this