Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-04-07
STATE HOUSE.
detective Liquor Law Passed
by Recent Legislature.
Commissioner Ring Arranging for
Employment Of Fire Wardens.
Forcupine Hunters Getting Ready to
Apply for Bounty.

1t has been discovered since the
Legislature adjourned that one law, at
least. which was passed during the ses-
sion. Is defective. 1t was an amend
ment to Section IS of Chapter q Of the
Revised Statutes, relating to intoxicat-
ing liquors. The section read as fol-
lows:
No person shall deposit or have in
his possession intoxicating liquors with
intent to sell the same in the State in
violation of the law. or with intent
tnat the same shall be sold by any per-
son. or to aid or assist any person in
such SALE"
The intention was to have this Sec
ton amended by adding these words:
Whoever violates this section shall be
nned $lOO and costs or be imprisoned 60
days." But by some sort of means I'M
known to the authorities at the Capt.
toll the section was amended so as it
read as follows:
Section 80. Whoever shall deposit
or have in his possession Intoxicating
liquors with intent to sell the same in
the State in violation of law, or with
intent that same shall be sold by any
person. or to aid or assist any person
in such sale. Whoever violates this
section shall be fined one hundred dol
lars and costs or be imprisoned sixty
days"
1t will be seen that by substituting
the word whoever" for the words mo
person" in the beginning Of the amend
ed section the prohibitive clause was
annihllated. thus making the law in
operative and defective. The matter
has been more or less discussed by
members of the court and by lawyers
generally in Augusta and the universal
verdict is that fatal mistake has been
| made. which cannot be .remedied be-
fore September. In the meantime it is
commended by other lawyers that even
though this particular section may be
defeo tive the fact will not justify per-
s0qs in keeping liquor for unlawful
sales for section 40 Of the same chapter
stfE contains sufficient power to search
PERSONS and premises and authorize the
imposition of a fine and Imprisonment
for the violation thereof.
Forest Commissioner Edgar E. Ring
is now engaged in making official visits
to the wild land counties of the State
for the purpose of making arrange
| mcnts with suitable persons to act as
fire wardens under the provisions of
the new law passed by the Legislature
the past winter. This law provides
that he shall thoroughly police the
timber lands in the unorganiZed town.
ships of the State so as to protect them
from fires. Wardens will be engaged
at 81 per day for such time as they
may be actually employed; and assis-
tants may be summoned at any time
who shall be paid Is cents an hour for
the service rendered. The wardens or
assistants will not be employed con-
stantly, for in the wet seasons there
is little danger of fires in the woods
Last year, for instance, there was only
small amount of damage in the tim
Der lands from such cause. In 1900,
however. the fires were numerous in
many parts Of the State and much
valuable timber was destroyed.
Should the present season be very
dry Commissioner Ring will be obliged
to employ a goodly force of men to pro-
tect the forests from damage by fire.
Otherwise. only a small portion of the
available funds will be required and
this will merely be needed to cover
the expense of patroling the woods oc-
cassionally.
Clerks in the office Of the State
treasurer are now engaged in prepar-
ing the tax acts for 1903 and 1904
preparatory to mailing them to the
local assessors throughout the State.
This duty has to be performed during
the month of April after the adjourn
ment Of the Legislature which enacts
the same Assessors are advised of the
amount of tax their particular towns
will have to pay into the State treas
ury and may govern themselves &C
cordingly.
The annual school returns have not
as yet begun to come in to the educa-
ticnal department in any considerable
numbers. BY the latter part of next
week. however, a big bunch of towns
will have reported. The officials OF
some towns are negligent in the matter
of making these returns and 1t is not an
unusual thing for them to be written
to several times before they comply
with the law.
Already the state treasurer 10 &c
ginning to receive communications
from porcupine hunters in different
parts of the State and from town
(treasurers relating to the new law pro-
viding for u bounty on this alleged
timber destroyer. One letter is to the
effect that this writer has 100 porcupine
noses and feet on hand for which ne
wants to receive Is cents each. or $zo
in all. A town treasurer Of town IN
Washington county says he wants IL
dozen blanks with which to make
claim for the bounty. AS the laws does
not go into effect until April %, 1t IS
difficult to see how bounties can be
paid for animals killed prior to that
date. So that the hunters will have TO
start in anew when that day arrives.
| If all reports are true the approprla-
ton Of $500 to cover the bounty ON the
fretful porcupine will be wholly made
ouate to reimburse the town treasurers
for the amounts they will be obliged
Ito pay out. The law may operate as
i ,rtu