Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-02-21

MAINE LEGISLATURE.
Continued from page p

M, PRESIDENT: The Chair is hap
~ "a the Senate that ii receives
- encouraging news from Senator
,I,lsion. who's, condition We are 50
,,,,;r,s about. His condition is much
improved.
a, motion hv Mr.. Staples Of Knox,
,;u an act to repeal Chapter "97 of the
,ovs If 1891. being an act for inNcsti-
tin. fires. was taken frCm the table.
,,r. STAPLES Of Knox: Mr. Presi-
ant this bill was tabled by myself, the
committee on mercantile affairs and
;,surancc having reported ought not to
mass Upon that question, / desire to
,,,bnjt a few remarks. | cannot. in
:,,stice 10 myself. allow the bill to be
sccopFed as reported by the commit
900 without making my protest against
II. and ask the Indulgence OF the SEN
IN for A few moments while | give to
,ben my reasons against the adoption
If tha renort of the committee upon
this bill. | am aware that when Il
committee reports. the Senate is liable
10 take that report, ana consider that
,bey have had the matter fully under
about it better than anybody that op-
poses it. This is an act to repeal
,,hanter 90 Of the Laws Of 1897. for
tho Investigation of fires; and l wish TO
say. gentlemen. that we already have
upon the Statutes-ard this is my first
ohiection-a statute covering this whole
,-round. that. when fire has occurred
which YOU will find by Chapter 29S of
m, Revised statutes of Maine. Section
9.-that when any building or any
store or anything is burned, that it is
suspected it might he incendiary. the
municipal officers OF the town. the
county attalney and officers Of the
county have full and complete power
"a investigate those fires, ana | appre-
bend. 10 take il plainly. that this act
was passed entirely for the benefit of
the insurance commissioner Of this
State. Now. We have appropriated
$1,000 per year since 1897. That $1,000
has been spent by the insurance COM
missioner in his office. in expenditures
and my first objection TO this bill is
that the municipal officers of our towns
the county attorneys Of our counties
are Jealous Of this matter. and there is
4 rivalry between the insurance com
missioner and the whole lot upon our
statute which gives power 10 municipal
officers to investigate this matter. I
do know that in my own town. will
say here. that | believe that the &ppro-
priation of this $1,000 is a gross hum
bug. and is only gotten UP for the very
purpose Of giving the insurance com
missioner an additional salary, He al
ready has salary Of $500 q Year ana
expenses Of his office. $1,000 year. and
row he himself gets through in 1891
an act to give him 4 chance - spend
$20oG more by junkettinS all over this
Statc-perhaps with a railroad pass in
his pocket, to investigate fires. and |
find that all Of the $4,000 appropriated
two years ago except IS cents of it has
been spent-1@ cents We haVc-aud
have not found another fire to inveSti-
gate. | had some feeling about this
matter because in my own town ] had
some experience. y fire happened there
The 9th day Of last May. there was
some neiGhbor that made some COM
plant about it. and l think, notified the
Insurance commissioner, and he canc
over therc-not the insurance commits
sioner himself. but 4 deputy, an at
tache of his office and the insurance
upon the building was only $500. The
Soloctmcn of the town were better
qualified than anybody else to invcSti-
gate that fire. They knew more about
it than anybody else. After the in
surancc commissioner Of this State ha5i
spent 1896, to investigate that fire,
when | stand in this Senate and say
there was not scintilla Of evidence
That the matter was inCcndlary-the
man had been kept out Of his insur-
ance and has been kept out of it to the
present time. when the insurance of
his building was only $500, and within
81 Of onc-haIf of that amount of his in
$urance has been spent by tn" lnSuf-
"ncc commissioner in investigating a
fire where there was not any smoke ~
1t ana not sCintilla of evidence thaf II
was matter of incendiarisn, or any
thing Of that sort-they continued thel'
investigation from last May way up t.
November, ana you will see, by look-
ing at the report of the Commissioners
that il cost, as have said almost SiW';
ana the poor man, for that very i''l-
son has been kept out of his insurance
and this Very winter has been obliged
to live in Il shed that happened not t.
be burned. connected with his house
What is true in regard to this fire Is
true with regard to every fire that has
happened in the state. Go TO your
county attorney in kennebec county
where there was one case Of suspected
notwithstanding man. ] think, was IN
dicted and I think the officers of Ken
ncbec county will tell YOU if it had not
been for the monkeying of the in%ur-
ancc commissioner with the evidence
IN that case. that he would have sur
iered . conviction. Naturally there i;
rivalry. The county attorney 81
every county in the state of Maine
and the municipal officers OF every toWr
are fully qualified and have ample
power under the statute 10 Investigate
fires. | say this is only gotten up FOL
me very purpose Of giving the lnSur'
ance office chance 10 travel over this
State and to spend the peoples money
There is another reason why | objec
to this thing. If there is a case of in
cendi2rism. or suspected incendlariSm
and the man is insured. is it not tn
duty of the insurance company? WIZ
should the tax payers of the state @
Maine prepare defense for the insur
.ance company? why should the insur
ance commissioner go All over TIM
State to Investigate that matter an