Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-02-28

over ne railroad, Of course stop there TIL "a.
Zen with horse teams, 1t seemed to be more
ceosssl ~ Il regarded business travel; but
evsrvshisg b about TO be changed, BY the
railroad sexsending to Norridgewock, and 90
On - to Anson, Scion and 20 on. This will
no longer be the state Of things With many
depots much furtherup the county than Show
hogan and with q tern,ini Of railroad, very
much further up the county than Skowhegan,
nelsher horse teams or any other will have
any occasion to 60 to Skowhsgan for freight
that comes to the different merchants In diff
fsrent parts of the county to anything like
the extent that it now does And daily sta
sss from these different towns, will no longer
b needed when the cars carry both the malls
and passengers right away up to those differ
ent towns In different sections, 20 that matters
are very much changed.
As to hotel accommodations, there is one
more hotel in Norridgewock village than in
Skowhesan village, and ono of those Ia the
Norridgewock House, which was built at an
expense of about eight or ten thousand dol |
lars, as I understand. by citizens there ex
ypressly for the accommodation of those at
tending courts, that is to say, that was the
moving cause OF its being built County
buildings were extensively repaired, and jail
extensively repaired, after the overwhelming
vote of the people TO let the shire town remain
they had right to expect they would remain
there. Skowhegan is at the south end Of
long narrow county, and is a border town
bordering upon kennebec, and we have a
whole set OF good comfortable county build
ings including Jail at Norridgewock, and we
do not need any more.
Before the vote is takep ! wish to reply to
SEINE Of the points made, and word in rela-
ton to the remarks of the gentleman from
Gray He speaks of Gov. Coburn's large
heart, and of the bond he has given; he says
that If we vote to send this to the people.
and the people allow it to remain where it is,
that the bond given by Gov Coburn is gone,
because in that event it would be invalid, and
then we have lost tina. valuable bond, that
came frou tina. big heart, even if the people
vote in favor of Skowhegan. He says he
gives this bond out of respect and love for
the County of Somerset Now gentlemen, l
ask, how is the bond gone? How is it lost in
that event? Il tae bond lost in that event and
II so, is the big heart Of Gov. Coburn's gone
& too, with the bond? II Gov. Coburn's
heart is so big, that he gives the Coun.
t. Of Somerset a set OF County build
ings, excepting Jail, would not that same
big heart give the County buildings, except
the Jail, If the people voted upon the ques.
tion, provided they did not vote to have shire
town at Norridgewock, but did vote to have
il st Skowhegan? The truth about the matter
u, If Gov. Coburn has big heart, and l DO
not say that he has not; but If he has, in this
particular matter, it is big for the benefit of
Skowhegan alone, and not for the County Of
Somerset. For that bond was hurried up,
hurried into the County convention, and
there read; and carried into the various town
meetings of Sept. last, or the substance of it
for the express purpose Of forestalling thi.
very legislature. This was the whole mis-
sion and purpose of that bond to, in tina
manner, hold the shire town at Skowhegan
A to the validity Of the bond, the gentleman
from Gray, Mr.. Vinton, is a much better
lawyer than am; but will say that gen
tlsmsn who are better lawyers than !, ant
who are ~ good lawyers as any we have, tel
me, that If the bond be valid at all, in any
event, It would be equally valid, In the event
of our sending this matter to the people, and
OF their voting TO let it remain at Skow-
hogan.
Another position of the same gentleman is
that there must be something to put an end to
all strife,an that it strikes him that this ia the
time to do IL. Now let US see how that is.
This is an old warfare, as has been stated.
The other side have been the ones who have
been making the strife for the last twenty
years, year after year, disturbing the whole
community up there; and time after time,
coming down to the legislature, and asking 1t
10 remove the shire to Skowhegan; and every
time unsuccessful until the last one, when
they succeeded In the deceptive manner that
they did; and now for the first time, the
move is made by our side. While IL happens
that the shire town rests, just at this time, al
Skowhegan, do not blame the gentleman
who are advocating the cause of that town,
for imagining that 1, 10 for that towns inter.
est that this particular time be selected as the
time more fitting than all others to put an end
70 this strife, because selecting this psrticu-
lar time to cease strife gives them the victo-
~; that is all. But that has nothing to do
with the merits of this question.
One word more in relation to the conyen.
fence of the people, in going to and from
Skowhegan and Norridgewock. i have lived
in Somerset County, as said before, about
twenty-five years, and know all the roads,
and have the means Of judging Of the fn-
ture prospect as to the travel from and to
different parts of the County, and / state
here upon my reputation, that the roads are
a. good and convenient to Norridgewock as
10 Skowhegan for the next Ave ten and more
years. taking an average Of the roads, and
taking into account the future prospects of
railroads and such changes in the business
community and travel as those railroads will
effect. Towns in the eastern section of the
county would have five miles further to ira
vel to Norridgewock but that is very tri.
fling Inconvenience on u good road, and dali
ly stage road connecting with the cars. Now,
how is it with other parts Of the county,
Starks, Fairfield Smithfeld, Mercer, some
parts Of Arson and Madison. and so up
through there? And then again, Franklin
County from which lawyers generally at
tend our courts, and parties, witnesses, quite
numerously have to come through Norridge-
wock to Skowhegsn.
The iron is already laid to Norridgewock,
and it win be convenient to reach Norridge-
~ock from the great distance away up the
county by railroad in the morning, before
the Court goes in, and return home at night
by the same kind Of conveyance. And this
cannot be done to and from Skowhegan, for
railroad goes no farther up than Skowhegan
from that point
And from all other parts of the State il is
just as convenient reaching Norridgewock as
skowhegan, for it is as easy taking one rail.
road as the other, and both connect with the
Maine Central.
Mr.. Adams alluded to the fact the bill pro-
yides for reiubursing to Skowhegan whatev-
er and all it has expended under the act of
last year which changed the shire town to