Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-06-02

corresponding right of the State is Al
so as clear, that these thousand ac-
counts now open upon the books Of
the Land Office should be faithfully
settled and turned into the wealth OF
the State.
In connection with this subject
that OF the Swedish Colony Is also 10
be mentioned, the care of which i'm a
measure is devolved on this office The
condition and importance of this sub
Ject are dwelt upon more at large in
another part Of this report.
Y-MISCELLANEOUS.
| Very many other duties devoIying
on the Land Agent 70 perform under
the existing state; Of things, will i'm case
the office Is abolished, Necessarily re-
quire provision to be made by new
laws to meet them. Among these ara
the preparation of schedules and de-
scription Of lands, sold, SO arranged
as to make the records in future avail
able for use of generations yet To fol-
low us; Of islands in our rivers and IN
the sea along our maritime border. of
which there re numerous ones he
longing 10 ne State; the appointment
of local agents to look after the in
terests OF the State in lands and tim
Der III which for time the State will
be Interested; the working out of an
| preparations for roads and bridges
which the State may make in future.
as 1t has annuallyin the past made
| more or less provision, and in general
| 10 attend to the multifarious Duties
which half a century of legislation
has gradually imposed upon the Office
| TO perform
| MI. Burieigh was undoubtedly hand
icapped in presenting the foregoing
views to the committee and TO other
members of the legislature from the
| TACT that, as the encumbent of the Of
nee, he would seem to have personal
reason for entertaining them. The
committee, as result of its delibera-
| lions, reported the following resolve:
CHAPTER 314
Resolve concerning the abolition of
the office of land agent
Resolved, That the Office of land
agent of the State of Maine is abol-
lshed from and after December thirty
f1rst, eighteen hundred and seventy
four up to which time the present land
agent. under the direction and control
of the governor and council. shall as
speedily as the public good allows
bring to a termination all unsettled
business, and at that time turn over
to the governor and council all records
plans. papers. moneys, and all other
property of the State whatsoever. to
be by them administered until other
wise provided"
The foregoing resolve was approved
nv
In an article, published in a number
OF the Democratic newspapers of the
State, Mr.. l.. b. bennett refers to the
tact that Edwin c. Burleigh-then a
young man thirty years of age-was a
clerk in the Land Office at the time
the foregoing legislation was enacted
and criticizes him because he (Mr. Den
netO could discover no evidence from
The journal of the House or the Senate
that he sounded an alarm. or called a
halt, as he might easily have done" in
Mr.. benefits opinion. to this act which
legislated him out of the humble posi-
ton he then held.
Considering the fact that Mr.. Bur-
leigh was but young man, and that
the responsible head of the department
in which he was employed i'm subord-
nate capacity. was man much
older and more experienced than he
and had vastly wider acquaintance
with the public men of the State, it
might strike the unprejudiced citizen
that the role of Mr.. bennett would have
had him enacted would have been to
say the least. a decidedly bumptious
one. If we read Mr. Dement'S criti-
cism Alright, he would have had this
young man, tell the State official, whose
clerk he was. 10 go way back and sit
down." while he sounded an alarm"
and 'called a halt on the Legislature
which was bent upon abolishing the Of
flee in which he earned livelihood.
Moreover Mr.. bennett solemnly as =.
sures us that he might "easily" have
done it.
We do not know whether Mr.. bennett
made this statement i'm a far-fetched
attempt To get political rap at the
Congressman from the Third District.
or whether he merely offered it as a
sample of his own rich and roaring
humor.
The act of 1874 abolishing the land
Office never went into effect The con
stitutiOnal objection alone, of the many
urged against this policy by the LAM
Agent in his report of that year, was
found to he sufficient to invalidate this
legislation. The Land Office therefore
continued in operation as before.
The legislature of 1875 passed an act
Chapter &c. laws of 1850 repeating the
act of March 4. 1874
We quote the sections of that act
0S15) which bear upon the legislation
of 1874:
BE 1t enacted by the Senate and
House Of Representatives in Legisla-
ture assembled. as follows:
Sect. l. Chapter three hundred and
fourteen of the resolves of eighteen
hundred and seventy-four. Is hereby
repealed and all statutes and parts Of
statutes relating to the land agent or
land Office. i'm force at the passage OF
said resolve. are hereby revived.
Sect. 3. The land agent under the
direction Of the governor and council.
shall, as speedily as the public good
allows. bring to termination all I'M
settled business connected with the
land office and relating to the lands