The Portland daily press., 1895-01-04

ana town agencies. recommend that eithei
| the State liquor agency be abolished or tina
appropriate legislation be enacted in the direc
| ton indicated.
The municipal officers of cities and town.
| have the right under existing law, to establish
city and town agencies. and are now required
| to purchase their stock of liquors through thu
| State agency. Under a former statute, thu
municipalities were authorized to supply sucl
agencies independent of State liquor agency
| With the large number of these agencies tel
| maintained throughout the State, the legal re
| strictions surrounding this method were mo-
| considered sufficiently rigid to prevent al
| abuse of the authority conferred upon clblei
| and towns, and the Legislature abolished tn
! system and established the State agency. A
| report subsequently made by Legislative
| committee upon this subject, indicates that TIT
| latter method did not then entirely meet TIN,
| appreciation of the friends of law and good or
DER
should you deem it advisable to discontinue
| the present method, and still continue tt
| authorize city and town agencies, other ques
| tions will naturally arise. If it is Impractical
| BILE for the state to assume the direct response
| bility of supplying such agencies then yor
| may be called upon to consider, whether i
| will be judicious to confer independent author
| ity upon the municipalities. Permit me tt
suggest. if legislation be contemplated in the
| latter direction, it should be guarded by tht
| most intiexible legal restrictions; regulations
should be established for proper tests as to thu
purity of the purchases after their arrival in
this State; the profits of the cities and town
should be limited to sum not in excess of tn,
actual cost OF maintaining the agency; sucl
agencies should be continually subject to in
spection by competent assayer, and absolute
power should be conferred upon the courts tt
summarily close any agency, should it bs
found, upon investigation, that it was mo-
hop TOD trio am axUitf
| the intention of the statute.
Whatever action you may deem it wise to
| take, it should be with a purpose to promote
| the cause of temperance in the State, anG
| remedy existing conditions.
| No reflection whatever is intended upon any
| one connected either or in the past
| with the management of the State agency, OF
| the various city s@d town agencies. My ortiz
| cism refers solely to the law governing the
| same, and to that the remedy should be I'M
hesitatingly and vigorously applied.
Special and Private. Legislation.
The people have ordained by explicit consti
tutional provisions, that 1.-THE legislature shall
from time to time provide as far as practica
ble by general laws, for all matters usually
appertaining to special or private legislation
and that corporations shall be formed under
general laws, and shall not be created by spe
| cial acts of the Legislature, except for mu
nicipal purposes, and in cases where the OBJ
jects of the corporation cannot otherwise bi
attained; and, however formed, they shall for
ever be subject to the general laws of the
| State"
This requirement has by many Legislative
bodies, since it's adoption, been practically dis
regarded. Our statutes are burdened with
| legislative enactments, clearly at variance
with the intention and spirit of these plair
provisions. While special and private legisla
ton is not prohibited in absolute terms, the
law-naaking power is commanded to make
provision, as far practicable, by general
laws, for matters of this character.
The constitutional provisions bearing upon
this question are somewhat elastic, leaving
much to the discretion and Judgment of the
Legislature. It's provisions are especially
adapted to State so vast in territory as our
own, with many interests requiring legisla-
ton, at times, to aid in development. Among
the numerous matters that will come before
you for consideration, you will find many that
can be benefcially provided for by. general
and uniform laws. Other subjects will come
before you where safer and better results can
be reached, and more advantageous to com
munities and the people, by discreet special
legislation applicable to the same, and where
it would be unwise and injudicious for the
Legislature to surrender, by general laws, it's
power of control.
At its last session the Legislature, aapreciat-
ing the Importance of limiting to some extent,
the rapid growing tendency of special legisla-
ton, authorized the appointment of a board of
| three commissioners to take into consideration
| the subject of private and special legislation,
| to investigate and ascertain what subjects
| might properly be provided for by general
| laws, for which special legislation had hereto
| fore been asked. Under the resolve, Honor
| able Leroy T. Carleton, of Winthrop, Honor
abb Fred Fl. Appleton, of Bangor, and Honor
| able William H. Fogler, of Rockland, were ap-
| pointed. They have given the subject patient
and extended investigation, and the result will
be placed before you. Their suggestions and
recommendations deserve the favorable con-
| sideration of the Legislature and you can, by
| general laws, relieve the legislative branch of
the government of much private and special
legislation, which will result in shortening the
| session, Tightening your labors and reducing
| the public expenditures.
State Flower
| The National Garland, to be composed of
| flowers selected by the different states of the
| American Unlt n, will appropriately represent,
not only their independent sovereignties, but
great and free Republic The selection of
Names flower for this garland, under the di-
| rection of the Maine Floral Emblem Society,
| of which Miss Janet L. Dingley, of Auburn, is
| President, has been submitted to popular
vote, and very deep interest is manifested in
the choice. Later in the session the society
will ask of you appropriate legislation, which
you will cheerfully grant.
Columbian Exposition.
The report of the Board of Worlds Fair Man
ayers, of the States prom nence in the Worlds
Columbian Exposition, will be placed before
you. Names exhibit was highly satisfactory
and the services of the entire Board land of the
Executive Commissioner, General Mattocks
are fully appreciated by the State. An unex
pended balance O. the appropriation, amount
| ing to six thousand dollars, has been returned
| by the Treasurer of the b )ard to the State.
Maine.
Notwithstanding the depressing influences
that have surrounded many of our industrial
enterprises and the interests of labor during
the past two years, State has steadily in
creased in population, in valuation of prop
erty and material wealth. Our enterprising
people have constructed more than two hun
dred and eighteen miles of new railroad, pen
etrating and opening up in various sections OF
the State. territory rich in natural resources.
with fields productive as any that can be
found under Southern skies or on Western
prairies.
We look with pride on the permanency of