The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-01-02
AUGUSTA HAPPENINGS.
Some Statistics Regarding the
Present Legislature.
THE RESULT OF LAST NIGHTS
REPUBLICAN CAUCUSES.

By the Committee Appointed to Pre-
pare General Laws-Everyth1ng Points
to Short session-What Will Be Done
Today.
Especial to the PRESS.)
Augusta, January 1.-The General Court
will convene at 10 o'clock tomorrow fore
noon and Augusta is tonight putting on its
biennial air of hustle and excitement. Al
the Augusta house. the corridors have been
during the late afternoon and early evening
filling with the members-elect of the legis.
| lature and the members-elect of the Third
House. who, perhaps, display keener in.
terest in the organization tomorrow than
the men who will have hand in it.
ABOUT THE LAWMAKERS.
The Kenebec Journal will tomorrow print
the following:
In politics the Senate is soIidly Republi'
can. The Oldest member at the board is
hon. VIM. M. Cook of Cumberland, who is 6s
years of age. The two youngest members
are Hon. Elmer P. Spofford of Hancock
county. and Hon. Frank W. Hovey of Som
erset county, who are each 81 years old.
Nine of the Senators are between 80 and 40,
nine between 40 and so, eleven between SO
and so. and two between 60 and 70. Eleven
were born in the towns where they now
reside; two were borE out of the county:
seven received a collegiate and eleven an
acamdemical education; twenty-five are
married: twenty-six of the members ha, Q
had legislative experience. Twenty-one
have always been Republicans. Other facts
are complied as follows:
profosoion IT,
lawyers. 6; merchants, 8; farmers and 1um-
bernen. @; manufacturers, 2: superinten-
dents, 2; journalist, publisher, physician,
lumbermen, surveyor and engineer, farmer
and surveyor, surveyor, farmer and mer-
chant, hotel keeper, l each.
Religion-Free Baptist. 4; Universalist, a.;
Liberal, 4; Congregationalist,3 8; Unitarian,
2; Baptist, 2; Methodist, 1; Spiritualist, l.:
no religious preference. 10.
HOUSE.
This Maine House OF Representatives is
composed of one hundred and flty-one
members. OF these in the present House
there are one hundred and forty-six Reuub-
licans and five Democrats. We were una BILE
to obtain returns from fourteen Of the
members. The Oldest member, 1.-THE father
of the House," and the one now having
the longest legislative experience. is Col.
William Bfckey of Fort Kent who is "a years
of age. The youngest member is Hanson
7. Crockett. ESQ.,, of North Haven, who is
n years Of age. Four of the members are
between 20 and so years of age, twenty be-
tween 30 and 40, forty six between 40 and
80, forty-three between so and 60. thirteen
between 60 and 70, six between 70 and so,
and one between so and 80. Fifty-four were
born in the towns they now represent. only
two members were born out of the country
fifteen received a collegiate education ;thir-
ty-nine received an academical education
The remainder haG only the privileges of
the common school. Twenty-eight have had
legislative experiences; ll9 are married !:
seventy-two have always been Republicans.
and one has always been Democrat Most
of the occupations are represented, the
farmers leading. as usual. We present sta
tistics follows:
Profession or Occupation-Far Sc;
lawyers. IA; manufacturers, 8; merchants,
II; carpenters. and builders, 5. real estate
agents, 5, mariners, 5; no occupation at
present, 4; lumbermen, physicians, 8: far
mers and lumbermen, g.; farmers and mer-
chants, 2: teachers, 2; mechanics, super
intendents, 2; insurance agents, 8; farmer
and oveIseer, farmer and shipper, farmer
and teacher, farmer and civil engineer, ex-
farmer, editor. publisher, banker clerk,
agent. dentist, speoulator. contractor, and
builder. granite contract or, ,shi pbuflder, sur
veyorIof logs, ,laster cooper, commercial trav-
eler, fisherman. yato hman hotel proprietor,
one each.
Religion-Methodist, 90 Universalist, 22
Congregationalist,21 Bapllst,9; Free Bap-
tist.7; Unitarian, 8: Episcopalian, 2; sRo-
man Catholic, 2; Free Thinker,:2; Liberal,
2; no religious preference, &c. Friend,
Christian, Independent. one each.
THE LENGTH OF THE SESSION.
After the dates have been discussed. the
next topic is the length of the session.
Every body talks about this. but it is noticed
that the old hands do not make the positive
predictions that are heard from new men,
bers and inexperienced on-lookers. When
one says that there is no present prospectof
a sufficient amount of business to justify a
long session, he is stating fact. When he
predicts a short session he may FIND, when
Augusta streets are appearing as beds of
mud in the midst of heaps of dirty snow,
that he was a fake prophet. The General
Court is a law unto itself. 1t may dawdle
along with a small amount of business or it
may tackle anew subjects at any time
One thing which tends to prolong the ses-
sion until the middle or last of March is the
fact that many of the legislators like the
experience of law making and do not care
to cut it short. IL may seem strange that
anybody should want to prolong a winter in
Augusta. but to the one term representa-
tive, mem bership in hesleg islature is a mat
ter of pleasure as well as business and so,
until the board bills reach too uncolnfo1-
ia BILE figure and the time for spring work
comes around. they are quite content to
stay he.e. This legislature has not now SO
much important business in Sight as its re-
cent predeo essors have had but 1t does not
follow that the session will be much shorter
in consequence.
SOME OF THE BUSINESS.
But if the number of pending measures is
small, some of them are of considerable im-
portance. AS an inheritance from the last
legislature comes the 'listing bill.'' to the
SUPPORT of which the State Grange has re-
Gently pledged itself anew. This will be the
+ h,rd session at which this measure in one