Lincoln telegraph. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1836-1846, 1841-06-24

count for.
But, sir, there is another chapter or two in TINS
strange story that ought to excite still more the
interest of every tax payer in the state, ne
whole number Of days labor allowed and palu
for by Mr. Mcintyre for the protection OF TIMBER or
the disputed territory, since January, lS39, was
E1GHTY-FoUR THOUSAND SEVEN HuNDEEb ANs
TwENTY-EIGHT-this too in less than two years,
When we consider the nature OF the dnty, ana
the amount of labor performed, the number OF
days service seems extrayagantiy large. He
simple duty Of the posse was TO protect The tim-
Der against tTesp2Ssers. l he lnoor choseh ny
the Land Aren't to accomplish this object, was to
guard the two principal streams, the ArooStook
and Fish Rivers, by which treSpassers can take
timber from our territory and convey II TO mar
ket This was done by throwing booms across
/ those rivers to secure and control every thlhg
turned in for passage down, 1He constructing
of these two booms, opening roads, building
BRIDGES and preparing quarters was the labor per-
formed The AroostooE boon, is over l3G0O feet
long with six or seven piers, and ls the greatest
piece of work vet accomplished there. The num-
Der of DAYS labor allowed in the construction OF
this boom, was, according to the report of capt
Parrot, the superintendent, 2l41 LIZ. The boom
at the mouth of Fish River was not work OF 50
much labor, and no special report wns made re-
sppctipr it but allow the same amount OF labor
that was allowed for the Aroostook boom, and
we have on the construction of boems 4,2S9 days
labors The number ofdays labor on roads and
bridges built under the superintendent OF Mr..
jarvis, was not fully given in his report, rs part
of the labor was done by contract; but if that
part ofthe road built by contract cost no more
than that built by the day. there was on roads and
bridges short of 20 900 days labor, to keep en-
tirely outside, call it 81 900. We have no data
before us by which to ascertain the amount OF
time spent in the preparation OF quarters, hnt as
there were only two stations, and the buildings
rough, log structures, much time could not nave
been necessarily consumed in their erection Allow
5000 days, certainly very liberal allowance, and
we have for the construction of roads, booms,
bridges and quarters 29,2S9 days labor. After
the booms and quarters were competed, which
could not have been before April or May OF 1889,
il was necessary that few men should be per-
manently stationed at the Aroostook and Fish Ri
vers to guard the booms, and prevent individuals
from taking timber from territory. Allow
twenty men at each post from A prl 1899, to Jan.
1910 which is much larger number than could
have hecn prnfitably employed, and we have w.
$50 DAYS labor. In the year 1910 the duties Of
the posse became very light, merely nominal
Mr. Mclntire told us in his report laid before us
at the commencement of the present session, that
the force at Fish river had been reduced to IA
men, and that at Fort Fairfield to s. Even this
number was unnecessarily large, and has been re-
duced still lower by the present Land Agent
But allow that number for the year lS40, and we
have an addition of 5000 days: The most OF
these estimates are facts taken fron! the reports
of the Land A gent and his deputies, and where
these reports do not contain the necessary facts,
liberal estimates have been made from such in
formation as they do contain. The calculation
which | have gone gives forty -SeUen thousand
four hundred ami fGy-nine days labor OF the Oh
vii Posse from its first organization TO the COM
mencement of the present year, and have no
doubt but that all which has been done by this
4 at,oIp
less number of days. But the whole number of
days service being nearly FIGHrY-FIvE THOU
SAND, we have ttirty-Seren thousand more
paid for than were required. How this vast
amount Of useless time has been consumed,
whether idled away, or credited to mon who had
no connection with the posse and were never in
the service Of the State, leave for others who
are better acquainted with the secret history Of
this memorable affair to explain.
Not only the amount OF labor or rather
time paid for beyond every reasonable require
mcnt, but the wages paid were in many cases cx-
brilliantly high. In the FIRST place we have 660i
days service for which $4,000 were paid. The
wages for this amount OF labor ranged from two
to Ten dollars per day. Averaging about three
dollars per day and found. We next have 4,233
days, for which $G,193 were paid. The amount
Of labor for which dollar per day and found
was paid was 40,i97 days. For short time,
while pre- parng quarters, building bridges and
boomS, n few aXnen were necessary; DuL more
than three quarters Of The service rendered there
might have been done by green hands, snch as
usually labor from ten 10 fifteen dollars month
When good farming HANDS could have been oh
tanned for II and Is dollars month, was it ne
cnssarv for the State to give 30 dollars per month
for men to bush out roads and clear away stumps'
While were laboring at various kinds OF en-
ployment At twelve and fifteen dollars per month,
was it good economy for the State to pay twice
hat farm tn lahp an r0aIl TO iHlV
gaze on the booms, performing what the Land
Agent calls guard duty, or to ramble Iesurely
about the woods to see if any luckless trespasser
had ventured to approach the neighborhood
State to be niggardv in her dealings with
those who serve her wish for all to receive
the full value of the service rendered. But We
vice not rendered, and double price for that
which is We must remember that our means
must be drawn from the pockets Of our citizens.
They must be taxed 10 meet the cost Of this ex-
travagance, and have a right to demand of their
Government the same economy in this matter,
that they would use in their private affairs Mr..
Charles Jarvis received ten dollars per day for
l45 days service to take charge of the building OF
roads, to facilitate the operations of the posse
Why was such extravagaut price gwen Was
Mr. Jarvis the only man in the State who was
competent to superintend the making OF roads.
and the State therefore compelled to give HIM
three times as much his services were worth
Fo be sure in one of his communications TO the
Land Agent, he very modestly says, (" Though 1T
a little, if not good deal, of vanity, do
believe it would be good economy for nae to be
EMPLOYED in case that road should 90 on" This