Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-02-15

nobody knows how or at what rate, or from
what year. For what purpose? 1t can only b,
for the purpose of presenting an enormousl
exaggerated sum total Of expenditures To de
ceiyc this House into the belief that Ward
has for twenty-five years been groaning under
outrageous burdens in which it had no inter
est. Nothing can be more untrue. not ON,
single cent has been paid for interest in an,
of these items. Neither Ward nor the cit,
ever paid any interest They have paid Ger
tain amounts aS they have fallen due. But
the interest is added for the double purpose
of swelling the apparent amount and of pre-
venting yerifcation.
propose to take these items up in the or
der in which they are made, and to ask YOU
aS candid men whether YOU think or not that
the citizens Of Ward : have any interest in
those expenditures. The first is the item OF
police. That item. as | understand. they
have figured up with interest. to a total ex-
pensc of $4S,94S.5f in - years. You can
estimate how much that is per wear.
haven't figured it up to see. Then take the
interest out and it will be found that the cx-
pcnSe is about the same A. the present wear.
when the amount appropriated for police was
Sl20O
Now, gentlemen, what i, police for? 1t is
for security of the lives and property of the
city. Where are they stationed? They are
stationed in the midst of the populous parts
of the city, because there are more likely TO
occur scenes of violence than in the sparselv
settled portions. The lower wards are trav-
crsed by the Inhabitants of Ward as much.
il not more; than they are by the citizens of
the lower wards. If anybody has an interest
in seeing the lives and property of that city
protected intact. il certainly is as much for
b. ip,o ,f
part of the city. We have had A. hard a
class of citizens in Ward as in the lower
wards. There have been rs dangerous quar-
rcls with the police on their account As with
any other class of citizens. | am told by
one of our first lawyers, ho has had large
experience in defending criminals from differ
ent portions of the city. that as large pro-
portion. if not a greater proportion of persons
accused of violation of law. have been de-
Tended by him, who have come from Ward
as from any other Ward. There is no rca-
son why they should not pay their proportion.
There is no reason why il is not as much for
their interest to have police as it is for u.s.
If property is destroyed by mob violence, or
public security endangered, they have Just
rs much interest as we have. 1t takes so
much ont of the taxable property of that
town, or interrupts business to the mutual
los and injury of the whole city. The city
marshal is paid a small salary and turns his
fees into the city. In ordinary years his fees
amount to nearly, if not quite ~ much
some times in excess, | think, of his salary.
1t is said on the second page of this state
ment of facts that the expenses Of the police
have increased very largely, since our moor
poraion. That is true. The town has grown.
In the first place there was very little need of
police. When the war came on and pros
porous times began, and the town increased
and grew. there became necessity for an in
crease of the force. And of late wears as the
necessity has passed away in a great measure,
the expenses of the force have been reduced.
And for the past two or three years the most
rigid economy has been exercised in that
department as in every other department of the
city government.
The next item that is complained of AS |
understand, is the item OF the fire depart
ment. "Amount expended and into rest, "
again From what time and what amount or
at what rate no man living knows except the
man that gives it. During this time there
were 3ls fires and only three have Iecn in
Ward I. and therefore they claim they have
no interest in the department. That Ward :,
carrying on one branch of the busn, SIS of the
city, the quarrying of the rock, has no inter-
est in the fire department. There was one
wear when all the lime sheds on the Point
burnt up in fire, and business was suspend
cd. The business of those kilns, ach aver
aging about one hundred casks of lime day,
and the business Of digging rock for them,
was suspended for a season almost Had they
no interest in having the fire del artment pre-
tect that property? put it to any man on
the floor, as Il reasonable, human being.
whether such a state of things as that exists !:
Or suppose a fire in the heart of the city to
destroy one or two hundred thousand dollars
worth of property. Have they no interest in
it? Doesn't it affect their prosperity as much
as ours? Take so much out of the taxable
property? This fire department has attended
every fire that has occurred in that Ward. 1t
is true they haven't many fires. There was
one, however, that broke out in the thickly
settled portion Of the ward, and but for the
fire department very serious contlagration
would have resulted. They have one engine
of the department stationed in Ward l. In
1872, on petition of John Bird ct ais. the city
council ordered one Of the fire engines to be
stationed there. The citizens of the Ward,
not having so much use for it as other parts
of the city, promised that they would main
tain it without expense to the city and pro-
vide accommodations, free But the next
the city, at an expense OF some $500, bought
lot and built an engine house for them.
The next year they applied and were added
to the paid fire department, and the expense
OF maintaining that engine and the company
from 1874 to 1873, four ycars-cNclusive of
cost of engine house-was S325S. Il. in that
Ward alone. In May 1871. the pay of that com
pany was reduced to SO, and they were not re.
quircd to attend any fires except those that oc.
cerrcd in that Ward. And after that we heard
for the first time since 1857 that the Ward want
ed to be set Off That is the first time in ~ wear,
that We learned they had any grievances
And so far as We can learn the whole caus,
of the dissatisfaction that has been care
fully famed and increased by interested par
ties until it has resulted in this NOV ement fol
separation. Ever since the pay was reduced
if the company has attended fire in tn,
lower wards. they have been paid for theii
services, and fully paid; paid without ques
ton. And can further say that the amoun
of the appropriations they have received il
that department have far exceeded the take,
they have paid for sustaining it.
In this connection it is also proper I,
speak of the items of reservoirs of water
These reservoirs are large cisterns sunk il
the earth for reserve water in case of fire
the wafer is that of the Rockland Watc
Comnany which il introluccd into tho pit,