The Somerset reporter., 1909-04-08
Close of the Session.

HOOu idSt dt uVo minutes pdob oicFcu
O'Clock, having been in session thir-
teen weeks. Made up Of business
and professional men and farmers, it
has done its work patiently and we'll.
The work of a legislative body cannot
be judged entirely by the number of
laws it puts upon the statute books,
for it must be remembered that more
time is consumed on those matters
that are finally turned down, than
upon those that are written into the
laws Of the State. More than the
usual amount of "fool legislation"
has been asked for, and this it takes
time to consider. The only way to
take OF this burden lie to decrease the
vast number of bills of a private or
special nature. Many were presented
this session asking for laws that are
already upon the statute books. The
people got more continuous and
better service this year from their
representatives, on account of the
raise of salary and the abolition of the
free pass system.
AS we shall place before our readers
an extra containing in full all the
bills and resolves passed at this ses-
sion, we may mention only few of
the most important. We suppose it
was all done in the interests of tenn
perance. but the most Incorporate
attacks were made upon our prohibit
tory law by loading it down with
amendments that might cause the en-
tire structure to topple and fall.
Happily the most dangerous of these,
the Hastings bill, met its fate at the
hands of the Governor:, and anoth
Ito f. "a che list of pro-
hibited articles), went down to de-
feat. The bill was passed giving the
Governor power to remove delin-
quent county attorneys. The Stur-
gis law remains, but the various coun-
ties in which the deputies are called
to operate must foot the bills. That
removes some of the objections to an
extremely unpopular law.
A law has been passed creating a
board of arbitration and Cancellation,
58-hour law for women and children,
and an employers liability law. In
the line of taxation, the taxes have
been raised on wild lands by an in
crease in the mill tax for schools,
and by putting the expense of fire
warden service on the owners of wild
lands. 1t has also increased the taxes
on all public service corporations,
and passed a direct inheritance tax.
The sum total of the increased reve-
nue. provided by the Legislature is
1851 400, of which $125,0O comes from
lands in unincorporatedp places. With
the exception of the Judiciary and
Appropriations committee, the hard
est worked committee was that on
Inland Fisheries and Game. There is
hardly a mud puddle within our
boundaries but has come under the
consideration of that committee.
Portland, our chief city, in view Of
its financial condition, and the i'm
portant interests involved, has justly
claimed a good deal of the time of
the Legislature, both in committee
and on the floor. BY the legislation
which was secured, Portland will be
able to buy and hold all the property
she needs, to take care of the re-
Gently issued and validated obliga-
tions, and to do with the Ogdens-
burg r. r. stock whatever appears to
be the most advantageous. All the
obstacles are removed in the way of
the building operations.
1t will be seen by our legislative
summary that the appropriations
have been extremely large. This is a
natural outcome, and does not indi-
cate prodigality on the part of the
legislature. Take the large but
necessary appropriations-$350,0 900 for
enlargement of the State House;
nearly 100000 for the Insane Hos
pitfalls; 100000 for the Home for
Feeble Minded; a large sum for the
sanitarium at Hebron; the endow-
ment of every hospital and academy;
8100,00 year for four years for the
State University, and liberal appro-
priations for other objects-and they
all make startling aggregate. The
Governor by his vetoes and shaving
down processes, saved the State some
100000.
No Legislative bodies ever had more
competent presiding officers than
President Deasy of the Senate, and
Speaker Weeks of the House. Pa
tient, forbearing, helpful, considerate
to every member, they richly de-
served the good words said of them
in the closing exercises, expressing
the kindly feeling of the members
towards them. Speaker Weeks of
our county was not absent from his
duties a single day. He is man
whom everybody loves, and they
can't help it.
Wherever the steamer touches,
bearing Mr.. Roosevelt to the hunt
ing grounds of Africa, the Elk -Presi-
dent has received most cordial re-