Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-03-09
Sold everywhere. In boxes 10c and Csc.

| sl5 for bounty on seals after the law was
repealed. He claims that he did not
know or understand that the adjustment
of said law affected his section. The sec
rotary of State SAYS that it is often
three months after adjournment before
all the towns get their copy OF the leg
islative work, which would re about the
time that the last bounty was paid-puly
l. 1850 The committee claims that ignor-
ance or carelessness is no excuse We
admit that in law this treasurer might
not be able to recover, but this is not u
case for the legal fraternity. Were
these services rendered? The vouchers
show that they were. Was the destruc-
ton of these seals as much benefit to tho
State after the law was repealed as be-
fore? Can anyone doubt It? l have been
told by men in the fishing business that
one seal would destroy SO worth of fish
in one season
BY easy computation it can be readily
seen that the destruction of these se.,
animals, with all their future progeny
has benefited the State nearly $1,000 The
question fer us to decide is: Shall this
treasurer who paid So for services act.
amount which is one and one-half years
salary az town treasurer, or shall the
State of Maine refuse to reimburse the
same on the ground that he is not en-
titled to it by law?
Mr.. UNTON of Belfast-Mr. Speaker
and gentlemen. | know personally the
treasurer of the town Of Stockton
Springs. I know him to be d very ac-
curatc and careful and conscientious
business man. He has served that town
as treasurer for quite a long time. 1t
appears that after the passage of the
Act of 1905 repeating the bounty on seals
he paid out so to persons who had killed
seals before he learned that this law had
been enacted. Now, | don't wonder that
he did not discover that the bounty on
seals had been repealed, for in looking
it up this morning L looked at the index
and was confused myself when l found
the Act, as to whether it was the one
rot. Now that Act reads as follows,
and 1 wish to read it and ask you if you
were a treasurer of a town paying 4
bounty on seals and no one had especial
ly called your attention to the fact that
the bounty had been repealed. whether
you would suspect it from this Act:
Section /. Section 50 of Chapter Al OF
the Revised Statutes is hereby amtndcd
by striking out all of said section as far
as the word mo- in the ninth line, so
that said section as amended shall read
as follows:
Section IS. No person shall during the
months Of June, July and August destroy
seals in the waters of CascO bay by
shooting with rifle other long range
weapon, which might endanger human
life. under a penalty for any violation
of this section, of fifty dollars to be re-
covered upon complaint or on indictment,
before any court of competent jurisdic-
ton
1 understand that the committee re-
ported adversely upon this claim for the
reason that the ignorance Of the law did
not excuse the treasurer. That is true as
IA matter of law. 1t is a rule acted upon
by all our courts but it is not acted upon
by the Legislature. We have at this ses-
sion passed an Act by which we paid to
the town of Liberty a certain amoun;
under the State roads law because they
had failed to comply with the law that
they knew all about. They had failed to
comply with it and were not in law en-
llieu 10 any pay from the state. But
| the Legislature has power to remedy
that, and it seemed right undoubtedly to
the committee and the Legislature that
| it should be refunded and they did 50.
We have passed a law paying to a town
| its school tax because it had been for
| fetcd by not complying with the law
| which the officers undoubtedly knew
| about. 1t was not wiful violation of
| the law but through some inadvertence
| or neglect it was not complied with. Now
| If & town or, Il person has a legal claim
against the State they do not have to
present it to the Legislature. II is only
| when through some tcchnicality of the
| law there is no longer legal claim that
| they 90 to the Legislature. II it is a
| legal claim. all they have to do is to
| present it to the Governor and Council
| or to the proper officers. and it is audited
and paid. So here. there is no question
| about the fact. The treasurer of the