Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-01-13
CAPITAL CHAT.
Important Naval Book by
a Maine Man.
Attempt to Improve Mail Service
Out Of Readfie|d, Me.
Corporal Punishment for wife Beaters
-..Train Rohheries.

WaSHlnStO -. u, Jan. lZ.-(Specldi).
An effort is being made before the
postofIice department to better adjust
the handling of mail out of Readfield.
Patrons of rural free delivery routes
wish their letters could leave Read
| field depot several hours earlier than
| is now the case. Among them is l.. o.
Tihbetts of Readfield, who has writ
| ten a letter on the subject to Repre-
| sentative Burleigh.
1t is expected that Inspector f. P.
| Boutelle Of Bangor will make a trip to
| that vicinity before long. Gov. Bur-
| leigh has written Il letter to Fourth AS
| sistant Postmaster General p. V. De-
| Graw requesting that Mr. Boutelle be
| directed to investigate the matter.
| The Senate has directed that there
be printed 100 additional copies of the
compilation Of naval laws which is the
work of Pitman Pulsifer of Lewiston,
Me. Last year there was big edition
of the work, but it has met with an
| enormous demand. Not only did almost
| every man around the Capitol want a
copy, but officials in the department
found it 4 ready handbook and, as
soon as they had once secured it, the
| book was regarded almost indispensa-
BILE. II think it very important doc
| umeEt," said Senator Allison of Iowa,
when the request for printing was pre-
ferred. "It ought to be printed for the
use of the Senate. I think the Senate
should have access to this important
| publication"
| Mr.. Pulsifer has been busy during
the holidays bringing his book down to
date. 1t comprises all the naval appro-
priation laws passed from 1883 to 1906
inclusive, with information in tabular
| fern relating to the vessels and per-
! sonnet of the navy"
! Among the numerous kinds of petit
| lions now coming in on Congress, is
| one for the creation of volunteer
army retired list. There seems to be
some sentiment for it out in Missouri
| and also in other border states. where
| the inhabitants suffered severely from
| the conduct of the war. 1t is altogether
| unlikely. however, that any such an act
Will ever be passed by Congress- 1t is
more probable that the retired list Of
| the army will be cut down than that it
will be increased. The number of men
on the retired list has been greatly
sWelled since the Spanish war and there
| has been much more criticism than
has appeared in the newspapers, about
| the hurrying of promotions and the
retiring Of officers at the highest posi-
| bic rank. The opinion prevails that a
| halt should be called when a time
| cones when it can be. Then again, if
the government is going to spend more
money in reward Of Civil War veter-
| ans. it is felt here that it could be bet
| ter spent on the private soldiers.
| Representative "Bertie'' Adams of
| Philadelphia. a bachelor and fashion,
able society devotee, recently made a
| speech in the House advocating cor
| poral punishment for wife beaters. Mr..
! Adams has attracted more attention
for his advocacy of that law than for
anything else he ever did during his Il
! years in Congress. The idea was first
suggested for the District Of Columbia
by a Maine man. Police Court Judge
Ivory G. Kimball. Judge Kimball came
| from Jay. Me, lived many years in In
| Glana and since then has sat. since
| President HarriSOn'S time on the no
| lice court bench here. There are $4,000
| negroes in this city and among the
male part Of that population the beat
ing of wives is popular. The white pop
| ulatiOn a the city is by no means eX-
| empt from that offence Mr.. Adams
| bill proposes not more than 80 lasheS
on the 'bHre back" dealt by the United
States marshal, or one of his deputies
! I'm the presence of a duly licensed
physician or surgeon The punishment
would be given within the prison en-
CLOSURE" and the public would not be
admitted.
| In his SPEECH recently Mr.. Adams re-
cited how brutally the wife was treated
under the laws of Rome. Then he con-
Itinued: During the whole Ango-Sax-
| on periDd the law gave the power to the
husban6 to exercise restraint by cor
| recting her il necessary. Civil law al
! lowed the husband for some misde-
| meanors 'flagellis ct festibus acriter
verberars uxorum.' and for others only
| 'mcfnenm castigationen adhibere' Au-
tnorities do not agree as to what con-
stituted a moderate castigation, or the
| instrument wherewith it was to be in
flicted Welsh law fixes as proper al
lowance three blows with broom
stick on any. part of the body except
1 the head A second law limits the size
of the Sielc at the tlergth of the hus-
bands arm and the thickness of his
middle finger. Another rule was that
"a man may lawfully correct his wife
with stick no bigger than his thumb
No wonder. then, when Justice Brooke
| az Henry VIII, fol. ~ affirms that If
o man beat an outlaw. a traitor, a pa
gan, his villein. or his wife it is dis
punishable. because by the law COM
mon these persons can have no action
He says: God send gentle woman bet
ter sport or better compane.' But said
Blackstone, in his Commentaries, with
us in the potter reign of Charles II
this power Of correction begins to be
doubted and wife may now have Sc
curity of the peace against her hus-
band. Yet the lower rank of people.
u Continued on Page Fiva.l