Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-04-03
Correspondence.
Ma line Men in Massachusetts.

~ #r Maine man, horn aud living IN
- Mle till about twelve years ago. and
:. Eent representative to the Massa-
, Ets legislature from Cambridgeport
10 me H ~. 70 ~, ~
.,..s-i. Tof the working of the solons OF our
rs,, n state.
80. membership OF the House is 269 and
by ain ~, ~.
makn 4 =. pop ,,.,e
man al v ~ e''"'
tiverhF u 'no Mas'eon''e.,s 'ep' e'en.'
h have larger constituency than
o OF our senators, and most OF the
- ttors represent a population greater
NJ IN our average counties.
covFune ~ " 10 A' a.
itsiillj aoo1' w ae.s' = ~
pres of different marbles used in
!. terior structure and decorations makes
Ia place OF attraction for hundreds daily
4. mo come for this purpose rather than
L, lat OF listening to legislative work.
1.-THE arrangement OF seats in the House
y similar TO that OF the Maine Senate, SO
!, hat each OF the 269 members has as good
q 1osition as the much smaller number in
4. bur own House. In the Senate there IL
,bnly one row extending In perfect circle
= entirely around the room. In the hollow
4 space so formed sit the clerks and the
7official reporter.
In the House there are fourteen men,
bers born In Maine. Two years ago there
- were twenty seven. In the Senate nine
hos in Mi
vi The smartest speech made while l was
there was by Weeks, of st. Adams, a
| former Maine pedagogue, but for the last
ten years resident of Plymouth, Mass.
The speaker of the present House is
James J.. Meyers, OF Cambridge, a gentle
man of ability and who in Maine would
/ be termed hustler, but the calm, digni-
| fled presence, the unfaiiing command OF
: the House, aud the intuitive assistance to
nervous members, characteristics of the
speaker OF our own House, the Hon.
Joseph ii. Manley, were found wanting
In the presiding genius OF the Massa-
, chusetts legislature.
/ shall go back to my own State after
seeing the work OF the two presiding Off
! GERS OF this state more than ever i'm
pressed with the genius Of our own pre-
siding officers, Maniey and Hamlin, than
whom no greater have graced the posi-
tions filed by them the past session.
, The business OF the Massac husetts
J House is conducted Ia race-horse man
ner, SO that only those thoroughly con-
versant with the order of.business know
what is being passed unless it be some
| "a. lnkx. -
times pheard members asking their neigh
bors what was being passed. Members in
distant parts of the. House talk aloud to
each other in a wholesale manner, and
casual observer coming in during par
: ticuiarly noisy period might think 1t was
a recess OF the Maine House. The debate
was mostly between very young men and
was mainly thrusts and sharp retorts,
though much OF 1t showed preparation
and judgment; but the silver tongue Of
PattaDgall, the logged but brilliant de-
lenses Of Libby, or even the stentorian
voice of the erstwhiie legislator or COM
missioner from the quiet shores of lake
Cobossecontee were wanting in any OF
the debates that have ensued in either
branch this week.
There are more than 500 rooms for the
committees and the officers of the diff
ferent departments, some of them larg-
er than our Senate chamber, contrasting
strangely with the difficulties in the way
, of room for committee work in our own
capitol. The pay of the Masssc b usetts
legislator is 300 and mileage, which
seems large to Maine legislators, but it
must be taken into account that they fire.
quently stay there till the middle Of June.
had the opportunity OF being present
during the discussion OF the lobster law,
and instinctiveIy thought OF the ag-
gressiveness and ability Of my friend
Wilson, OF Cherryfield, with whom had
the honor to struggle on this and other
fish laws during the past winter.
The green grass of the common and
public gardens seems wonderful when We
think that only three days ago we saw
teams crossing the Kennebec on ice, and
we learned through letters from home
that the woodsmen were pursuing their
avocations with more than two feet OF
snow.
We were fortunate enough to be able to
attend last evening the production at
the Colonial theatre of "Ben Hur"-a
wonderful creation from masterful
book. This company has had crowded
houses every night duringls the last
five months with the same play, and
1t is almost impossible now.to get tickets
without three weeks notice.
We were pleased to see in Maine
paper this morning the commendatory
notice of the Hon. Oscar Fellows, Of
Bucksport, for the speakership OF the
next House. Hancock county may be
justly proud, not only that she has a
candidate so well fitted to follow in the
footsteps OF his famed predecessor, but
also that she has representative of such
tact and personal magnetism as to call 10
his side in SO short legislative career so