The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-02-12
NEW HAMPSHIRE LEGISLATURE.
A Very Big General Court" in Very
Small State.

Concord N H., February D, 1900. DIX
weeks of the New Hampshire Legislature
has passed into history, bit there Is very
little yet written upon the pages that
is of much Importance since the election
of Us Senate and our State officers. 1t
has always been said that Large bodies
move slowly and this is certainly true
of the New Hampshire legislature, Tor
though we are not a large State we can
boast, whether proudly or not, OF having
the largest General Court" OF any State
in the Union. if not in the civilized
world, aud haste never has been, and l
fear never will be, one,of its cardinal
virtues. The two branches are most
unevenly divided, Senate having only "a
mem bers, while the House has 563, the
one being about right, while the other
is double what it should be, and all out
of proportion, making the work neces-
sary to be done not only long and
tedious, but very expensive. Or this
number almost every town sends at
least one. while Manchester, the largest,
sends delegation of 81, Is more than the
whole humble of senators, and still,
notwithstanding all this, the people at
our last election, being asked to vote
upon the question of constitutional
convention, for the purpose OF remedy
ing this evil, among others, failed TO
carry it, and so we must continue on
in the same old constitutional pathway
of cumbersome and expensive legislation.
HhpTR q
measures under consideration that will,
when they come before the House, bring
floods of tratory, and develop something
of the material of which our legislatures
are made. The license bill, that bell
NAL ghost of the Democratic parry,
which stalks in at very returning session
seeking to take the place OF our prohl-
bitory laws, is here clothed in purple
and fine linen and backed with revenue
gathered from the manufacture and
traffic Of and in strong drinks. They
have also happy faculty OF getting
some Republicans to introduce and ad-
vocate their schemes. which has not
been wanting at this time, but the great
majority of the Repu blican party are
true to their pledges, and opposed to any
licensing of this great evil, and, with
some good temperance Democrats, whose
love of home and Justice is greater
than their love of this principle of their
party, and who will never vote for
license law there is no fear of any repeal
of our present law at this time. While
we can and do expect some changes in
favor of prohi bition and the better en-
forcement of the laws as they now exist.
and it is not certain yet that some blow
NAV be struck at the manufacture of
these poisons in New Hampshire, for
there is strong and just feeling that 1t
is not fully consistent with good govern
ment to permit the manufacture OF an
evil, the product of which is prohibited
in sale. 1t certainly is not good Repub-
licanism as exhibited in New Hampshire
and there is strong feeling in favor of
reform in this direction. A great rail-
| road fight is also another OF our Ques-
tions under consideration. The Milford
| & Manchester road are asking charter
| for the building OF their road into Man
| chester, and claim that it is matter OF
great public. interest to the people in
| their section of the State. Opposed to
this come both the great corporations OF
the Boston & Maine and the Concord q
| Montreal roads, and these seek it's defeat
| in the fear that it may do them some
harm. This will be subject for dis
cussion in the House next week, and the
| bill, though reported adversely from the
railroad committee, as W as expected, will
not die an easy death at the hands of
| its DO werful opponents. The Physicians
Registry bill, the Tuberculosis bill. the
Savings Bank Tax bill, and some others,
are also on the calendar for action, and
| will find abba advocates both for and
against.
DR.. Mary Walker, of mans attire fame,
| is also here, and daily visitor at the
Cap1tol and about the committee room.
She, or he, is interested in every measure
under consideration, and is ever ready
| to express decided view. She came to
abolish capital punishment, and failing
| in that, yis bitter in her denunciation of
New Hampshire justice; still she seems
to like Concord, is perfectly harmless.
and we are all glad to see her II she
doesn't buttonohle us too long and too
often.
A new feature of New Hampshire leg
| islation this year is to be known as
Ladies week." which begins on the
| 18th inst, and which will draw large
crowd, especially of ladies, TO Concord.
| Local comimvtees are hard at work to
make it a grand success, and as such it
is sure to be. Charley Hoyt. member
of the House, is to bring his BLACK
Sheep" from Boston on Tuesday after
| noon, and a grand winter carnival is
another important feature in the weeks
entertainment, while all in the legisla-
ture are expected to do the great clown
act. Concord will proudly do her part,
and all shall be proud OF our beautiful