Year: 1876

AUGUSTA, Feb. 5, 1876


THE FOURTH WEEK.


And SO the Legislature has made lis fourth
week-and busy one it has BEEN The House
has held long sessions each morning and there
has been very Babel of tongaes in the various
committee rooms afternoons and evenings,
Several schemes have got their quietus for
the present at least. The Montville Lewiston.
lists have gone home 10 an undivided town, al
though Liberty was granted little corner of a
village. The Deering Boulevard astounding
name) will be year older when it next ap.
pears before the Ways Committee, and must
rid itself of an apprehension that it is a plan
to get the perpetual franchise of margin
which within few years will be very much
more valuable than at present. The interest
bill of Mr.. Pixies has been discussed and the
report of the committee against it emphatca !ly
endorsed. The history of the measure from
the second day of the session until last Friday
afternoon would be interesting. The whole
matter is undoubtedly disposed off for the pres
ent session in the House. The vote on the re-
port of the committee is much more favorable
than direct vote on Mr.. Pixies bill would be,
several voting against acceptance because it
practically closed the door to amendments
which certain gentlemen desired to make, one
of which was limiting the rate of interest to s
per cent. per annum. An analysis of the vote
would show that it was sectional rather than
political. The Cumberland county delegation
voted nearly solid for no change in the law.
The support of the bin came from the agricul-
tura aud more remote sections rather than
from those localities where the greatest amount
OF business is done.


STATUTE-TINKERING.


once knew lawyer who undertook to note
the amendments made in the "revised statutes
on the margins of the pages of volume In
three or four yeats all the white paper about
the printed sheet was filed in the smallest of
letters. Many of these changes are made to
tit particular cases which lawyers desire to
bring-most are of little account, but few are
dangerous and mischievous. Among the lat
ter class is pending amendment to the laws
relating to damages received by persons or
property on high ways and two acts to encour-
age illegal voting now pending 1t has mt
been good year for statute-tinkering, but it
nevertheless is probable that about fifty emend-
ations will be made. That first see.lectman
did not use much of figure of speech, nor was
his misapprehension very great who always
alluded to the volume as the re0ersed Statoots.'
IMPORTANT MEASURES PENDING.


Several important measures are pending.
Among these is the general railroad bill which
now lies on the table so variously amended that
its author, am told, does not claim it las his
When he presented the measure, he invited
criticism and amendments. The invitation
was accepted and the bill is really better one
than when first presented. The House will see
that it is perfected-that is-if it cares for its
own reputation for fair ability, simply because
one or two gentlemen whose imperious desires
were crossed, expressed doubt as to the abili-
ty OF the present Legislature to deal with a
question of such magnitude. The bill comes
up next Tuesday.


| Another important measure is bill now be-
| fore the Commerce Committee, which PROPOSES
to put all the harbors and navigable tide waters
under the entire control of accmmission of
five members to bs known as the State Har.
Dor Commissioners. They are to grant per
| missions to build wharves and fish weirs, and
/ are to have power to tear down structures
built into the tide waters. They are to have
| 10 per day when employed, an Office and q
| clerk. A bill has already passed the House
which makes municipal officers Of towns in
| which there are tide waters the supervisors Of
| the same2.with all of the authority that the
Commission above named are to have, except
] to remove wharves already built.