Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-03-11
BUSY FRIDAY.
Evening Session Supplements
the Morning Work.
Large Number Of Important Measures
Talked Over.
Anti. Usuy Bill Passes Senate - More War
Loans. industrial School State Properly.

The close of the 10th week of the 69th
Legislature was a busy one, worthy If
the busy week. The session, Friday
| forenoon, continued from 10 A. NJ. 20
P. NJ. and then IA recess was taken to
7,30 p. NJ. when the first evening ses-
| sion of The winter was held. A great
mass of routine work was disposed of.
and there We're number of debates
and interesting features that made the
day an important one. Several of the
committees met in the afternoon to
clear up odds and ends. At the morn
| ing session the order extending from
March 10 to March q the time in which
the committees shall report finally.
was laid on the table, and will be con-
| sidered next Wednesday. 1t now
| looks as though all the committees will
be able to report finally by that time.
and the work of the session all COM
| pleted by the end of the week.
| An important feature of the day in
the House was the Introduction of two
| resolves from the finance committee
authorizing temporary loans to meet
| war expenses. The first calls for a
loan of $50, 900 in 1899. This is to enable
| the Governor and Council to meet the
claims of various Maine cities and
towns for reimbursement for money
| paid out during the war with Spain.
/ A large number of such claims have
| been presented to this Legislature and
! all have been referred to the Governor
and Council with full authority to set
tie. The second resolve authorizes A
loan of $150,O0O in 1900 to meet and re-
new this first loan and the temporary
loan for war expenses already made
earlier in the session and carried in the
first genera! appropriation bill Soon
er or later the national government
will pay back this money to the State.
There We're several long debates in
the House, Friday. The first was on
the bill authorizing Lewiston to take
its water supply from any pond in An
droscoggin county. Virgin of Portland
offered an amendment excepting Sa-
battus pond This amendment was op-
posed by Morey of Lewiston; King of
Caribou and Maxcy of Gardiner; while
Jordan of Lisbon, supported it. Fin
ally the amendment was adopted by
a vote of So to 81 after the ayes and
nays had been called for. Another de-
bate. almost an hour long. was on the
proposition TO put the property and
School for Girls at Hallowell, in the
hands of the State. This action is pro-
vided for in the resolves for the new
building and support of the school.
Chase of Portland. opposed such ac
| ton. but the plan was ably urged by
Burns of Westbrook, Merrill of Skow-
| hogan, Morey of Lewiston, Field of
Oakland, Peasee of Wiscasset. Walker
of Starks. Ryerson of Livermore. and
on their passage without division. it
being plainly the sentiment of the
House that the State which supports
this reformatory institution should
have absolute control of it's manage
ment.
In the Senate on motion of Vickery
| - f<,.
! each of the next two years for i'm
provements at the Insane hospital DIT
| Augusta was cut down to $500 for
each year The Morey anti-usury bill
which has been hung up SO long. was
finally passed to be engrossed. In the
House there was a lively debate on the
bill providing that all caucuses shall
be called by the party committee at
least six days before the time set for
will be considered later Colonel Plum
amer presided ably over the Senate ses-
sion. President Clason sitting beside
Speaker Stetson in the House most of
the forenoon. The full report OF the
/ speeches and the routine proceedings
will be found in the stenOgraphic re-
port in another column.
The judiciary committee always has
lots of work to do. When all the rest
OF the Capitol was quiet and compare
. lively deserted, Friday afternoon, the
room of this committee had a lively
ASPECT. The matter of allowing this
now Bath Light and Power Company
to acquire by purchase the property
and franchise Of the Bath Gas ant
Electric Company, which was given &
hearing early in the session, was giver