The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-03-29
LONG NECKERS.
Do Not Meet With Favor in the
House.
THE STATE TAX AND CUMBER-
LAND COUNTY'S PROPORTION.

Cover Bill Goes Over to Next Legislature
SatiricaI Remark BY Mr.. Higgins of
Limerick-A Conundrum That is Puz-
zIing People-General Business yester-
day.
Especial to the Press.1
AUGUSTA, March 2S.--The House this
morning did a sensible thing when it re-
fused to pass druggist bill made of
combination of two measures. The bill
before the House was that complicated
measure proposed by Mr.. Cover of Win
throp, providing for the sale of liquors
in sealed packages and makingit the du-
ty of the state board of health to inspect
the liquor. Mr.. Cover abandoned this
bill and urged in it's place a measure
composed of the original druggist bill
and part of the Cover bill. This prop
sition was new one, as was that made
by Mr.. Mitchell of Bath to amend the
Cover bill and, while the passage of the
druggist bill earlier in the session would
have won the approval of very many
people, it would have been foolish for
The House to have enacted legislation of
this character in a new form snapped up
on it at this stage of the session. When
the matter came up, Mr.. Twitchell
promptly offered his amendment to the
Cover bill which was to strike out sec
tions l, 2, 8. 4, 6, 9 and IL, and to re-
number the remaining sections. The
effect of this would be to strike out of
the Cover bill all of the provisions pro-
viding for sealed packages, including the
inspection of the liquors, a outy of the
state board of health and requiring the
filing of the druggists by sales made
with the clerk of courts. Section of
the Cover bill which this amendment
eliminated, Mr.. Mitchell claimed
gave powers to municipal officers, which
might virtually establish license law.
This was the section:
SEC. 2. No. person in the state of
Maine after the first day of July in the
year 1898 shall have in his possession any
Intoxicating liquors for sale till he has
first obtained permit in writing to do
so, under penalty of imprisonment for
three months and fine of two hundred
dollars in addition thereto. The mayor
and alderman of a city or selectmen of
such town or plantation only shall
have authority to issue such permit.
Inc pOTGlOuS Ol tll0 Dlu WuICA LII
Twitchell's amendment retained, pro-
vided for the issuing of permits to reg
istered druggists by municipal officers
and the sale of liqnor for medicinal, me-
chanical and scientific purposes. The
method of purchasing was much the
same under the Cover bill as under the
original druggist bill, re ,uiring similar
statements by the purchase but as prev
iously stated. Mr.. Twiteheli would take
out all relating to the filing of records
with the clerk of courts.
Mr.. Cover said that he also had an
amendment which he thought was as
sweeping as that offered by the gentle
man from Bath. Mr. Cover moved to
strike out of his bill all after the enact
ing clause and insert in place thereof
Senate document 81, the original drug
gist bill reported from the judiciary
committee and that portion of the Cover
bill relating to sealed packages. Mr..
Cover said that this combination of the
two bills he believed to be Satisfactory
to leading druggists as he had consulted
with representative pharmacists from
five cities. He also believed that tenn
perance people would be pleased with the
bill. He believed this because he had
consulted with temperance people and
found them in favor of this new plan.
Among the temperance people with