The Portland daily press., 1897-01-08

of their conclusions.
The seashore fisheries Of our state fur IF
neonle and should be carefully guarded
and protected against any improper
methods of fishing SO as hol " iApeAii
their productiveneSs.
Not only should there be adequaie llWs
and regulations to accomplish TINS enc
but they should be i1npartlaliy ana .nols
must be appropriated for so doing
ELECTION LAWS. .
The Republican party demands a Iree
and fair ballot and an honest count count
There are no more dangerous and repre-,
hensihle crimes than those COMMITTED
against the purity and honesty OF eieG &C.
tons This may be accoInpiis5nie "a e., 10y
fraud, intimidation, or virtual oisL !;
chisement of men who have constltu-
tional right to vote and have thelr Dali
lots counted. ,4 ,,,o,, Fol
low, If a large number of voters fail, undeT
existing laws and regulations, 70 ca s1I
votes SO marked that they can ana WIZ
he as the law requires. our system ol
xo+ino should be such that the average
citizen will be able to select, and oesig-
nate his ballot so that 1t will count lor
the candidate of his cholce.
From some cause there Is an stlfi 11 II
ineiv large number of defective pailots
Under our present election laws
From the best attainable 1nlortha a'I.d,d l
@ n, convinced that nearly flVe tnousand
persons failed to vote correctly at the iast
BARTENDER election, and We're conse-
| uuently diSfranchlSed. -, r;,o
This question came before the Leglsla-
ture of 1895, through bill drawn by HON:
James w. Bradbury OF augusta. But IL ~
was deemed best to give the eXlsting Yot,
mo Laws q further trial. and the pill ana
n an5 papers were therefore re-
ferred to this Legislature.
The whole subject will be before you.
have no definite Recommendation ~ ~ 'it %n
carefully inquire if there cannon pc soli a
changes made, that shall AFFORD the PEG peg
pie an opportunity to vote WIN ,ess thnir
ballots counted. and at the same uIae
nrovide the desired secresy and also
safety from intimidation ,ab -
he understood as in the least opposing the
principles upon which the so-calieo AUS
| fralian system is based, as they nave my
sincere approval, but rather 70 enqeaVofs
i to find some more satisfactory method OF
arranging the details.
BANKS. ETC.
| Our savings banks, trust companies
and loan and building associations arc
subject to inspection and examination by
the State bank examiner. His reports,
| which you have before you, aemonSSrate
! healthy condition. there are thirty-four
State loan ana building associations.
Confidence in them was, perhaps some
what shaken by the failure of the Gran
lite State Provident Association Of New
Hampshire. which had many members IN
all sections of the State. Yet they are
doing, 1 think, legitimate business I'M
proving in their management, nave mao a
fairly successful year, and are deserving
| encouragement and patronage.
There has been one additional trust
company, but no new savings banks or
| ganized, and there has been no failure OF
| suspension of any of our savings banks
| during the past two years. This speaks
well for their faithful and conseryatlYss
| business management. Yet you shoulo
| not hesitate to place additional restric-
| tons and safeguards around them. FOR the
| further protection of depositors and IN
vestors in any of llese institutions, II you
| think their patrons interests ana safety
| demand IL.
| / am not prepared to endorse the rec
| ommendation of the bank examiner Tor a
banks. 1 am not yet confident of it's wis
| dom or necessity, especially upon invest
ments made outside the State.
do r. rec ana assets
| of these institutions are trust funds and
| the hard-earned savings of small wage
earners. and that any Sequest OF these
be relieved, as asked. If the present rates
are inequitable or excessive
CORPORATIONS.
| Charters comforting special and exclu-
| sive privileges, or giving away valuable
| public franchises, especially where the
| act of Incorporation carries with 1t the
| right of eminent domain, and permits the
incorporators to take private property
| for their so-called public use, you should
scrutinize with great care. They should
not be granted solely for individual profit
or gain. You should be satisfied. in every
instance, that the PUBLIC good is the prin-
/ cipal interest to be served, and that in
COMPENSATED for any injuries received. 1
| fear that our State has sometimes given
| away very valuable franchises too readily.
many aov a applic cato for charters which
| could and should be organized under the
There has been an effort for many years
| to call a halt To this end the Constitu-
| ton was amended so as to require the
/ organization of most corporations under
| general laws, and ample statutes Wers
| provided for so doing. Yet an examine
| ton of the acts of the several sessions of
| the Legislature since that time Will snew
| that the volume of private or special leg
| should ever keen in view the Constitu-
| tional inhibition against creating corpor-
| atoms by Legislative enactment Wnen lhey
| can be organized under the general pro-
| laws which tend to create monopolies
or prevent a healthy competition are not
| wise.
| In this connection 1 would invite your
| attention to Section /, Chapter los of the
| Public Laws of 1895. This section seems
| to me prevent any necessary Improvement
| being made where some prior persons or
| corporation has merely organized unless
| you buy it or them Oft, or get legislative
| action. was mSupeF OIL lAiS LSSlSiel-
| ture that enacted it.
| For some reason 1t escaped my obser-
| walton, as presume 1t did most of those
| who were responsible for it's passage AS
| / view it, it contains novel and sweep
! ing prohibition of almost every public en-
| terprise, until session of the Legisla-
| ture shall grant relfef-no matter how
much the public convenience may be in
| jured-in case some rival has located in
| the same town or city or. in some in
| stances, in an adjoining one, and refuses
| consent.
l think that you in your Judgment will
| decide that it should be repealed.
| The question of the right of the citizen
| to other or better services-or to any ser
| vice at all--should not be determined by
| some interested person or corporation
| that has first attempted to occupy the
| ground II should be decided by some
| Impartial tribunal, where the demands of
| the people shall be heard and respected.
| The public should not be compelled to
wait, perhaps for the space Of two years,
| before they can have an opportunity Tor
| a hearing in many cases, no matter how
| urgent. e&As
/ would not, however, advocate inter-
| fering with or impairing vested rights
where the general public are receiving
| such services as they have right to ex-
| pect.
| No CORPORATION should be organized or