Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-01-28

the ygo sections has established the fact for
MANY yesrs that the E1wn Of Boothbay 10 Al
ready divided. IL only remains for the com
mir,ee aud the legislAsnre TO Recognize the
existing fact of division and 10 marx out the
arbitrary Hns ~Iilch shall indicate it on the
face Of the earth.
VIVA; arr the, now The village on one
side, the tosn upOa the oiher side- the whole
of tile inhsbirsut. of all the great northern
district of the town above the red line devoted
to agriculture. small farmers. it appears
from the evidence On both sides, trying to
get an honorable living from the soil. and
conmsnasble for their industry in so doing;
undoubtedly an holorable people; I'M
doabtedly an iueellisen: people undoubtedly
thrifty people. But they are necessarily and
naturally and properly-properly from their
number from the very nature of Il cir in
terests, opposed by instinct, opposed radi-
cally unalterably opposed TO the great march
OF improyemen ut which is essential TO the vii
lage life and community. They have no
chance to profit by seashore visitors, they
have 10 chance to build up great, agrees
i've. thriving village and town which is for
them, and their only interest is to protect
their Little savings, and accumulate them as
such in the savings banks. TO let them lie
there and take the simple interest. They do
not desire To keep the money turning over
and progressively earning It's way with the
natural progress that is implanted in the vii
! Iage life, anu IL fact tou have the secret of
ali the evidence rhat exists in this case. In
that fac you have the secret Of this long
persistent, unslterable. determined resis-
tanee To the very irst step IN the direction of
/ progress, supply Of water, iol have in
I that fact a clue to every ore of the adverse
hat fh.,. ali Nor.
ent town meetings which cannot be eI-
/ planned away. II they had desired water,
/ as they said. q thousand avenues were open,
+ a thousand avenues were at hand. u thousand
remedies might have been suggested. Not
one was ever a;tempte 1, but npon each ar
ticle ii. fast a. it came up 1t was Vote 10
dismiss, rote TO dismtss rote to disnaiss,
without a hearing often refusing even
TO listen to explanation when they
dared not trust the freedom of
discussion in the old-fashioned town
meeting Then they would get some
attorney outside to prepare for them in Sc,
fashion the very votes which they should
pass, and 60 in there, and by their over
whelming majority, led by the gentlemen
who have testified here for the remonstrants
again ''vote to dismiss" And then the coun-
sci and the witnesses come in here in the
face and eyes of the fact that they are be-
fore an intelligent legislature of Maine, ar
intelligent committee of men, and say thai
for two years while they have been thus yot
ing to dismiss every form of proposition thai
could be made for public improvement FIRE
engines, water, hotel, everything, they have
done it while they were really and ardently
DESTROYS of giving to the village all the thing:
they were voting to deny them. In favor OF
water, in favor of public improvements wher
they came before this committee. Gentle
men. you will dstrust these deathbed repent
ances. There is an old proverb, and | use i
t with all respect and simply from it's point
and you remember it we'll:
The devil WAS sick, til. degil II monk would be,
, The devil WAS well, the devil a monk was h."
Why, Mr.. Chairman and gentleman, i
you had been thrown into flood and ha,
been at the very last stage of drowning, an,
. should cry for rescue 10 your friends upoI
} the shore, cry in every accent of despair, sn'
, they should turn persistently again and agail
the deaf ear 10 your entreaty SHOULD
, 'vOte to dismiss your cry, and by some CIR
cumstance you were saved by some friendI,
I plank from the drowning death, and sh ,ul,
4 get forth again safely upon the shore woul'
I you ;-ust those gentlemen when they said Il
t you You just 90 back into the Hood again
Z You have no idea how ANXIOUS we were l.
save you. We were in favor of saving you
/ out we OBJECTED 10, and criticised the man
D ner in winch yoa requested It. We didni
? Ike your way OF CRYING for rescue, and 81
: We were going 10 let You drown; but just tr
e II again and you will see how in favor VI
q. are OF saving you Gentlemen, we rattle
n stay on the shore.
Now, Mr. Chairman, from this diversity o
: interest the inhabitants of the upper sectio
4 of this town are naturally, and not improp
, erly 50 willing 10 let Things go along as the
2 are,a aud reluctant To vote money for improve
n NESTS III the village. All right, we say
+ We do not blame them. They are actin,
n for their own interest; but We must hav
n some privileges and an opportunity to carr
out the pubic spr aud policy VIII oh we be
f leve IN, aud We Will not carry out the pol C
: they believe in. That is al
. there is in ms proposition of the division
, Is It unjds Down at the village they ar
: merchants and manufacturers, their futur
e depending upon getting in new industries AN
2 new people, and they cansot get them with
v out offering in iucements. At one time sue
aid was proposed in warrant for tow
. meeting, but this article was dismissed
I And the counsel says 1t was dismissed becau
@ ii is not legal to exempt from taxation. II i
$ unnecessary for me TO say 10 you tina
I where there is a will there is a way. Their
f has been no difficulty in the great growipl
4 towns of thus State in securing the privilege
n OF these new people and new industries ant
5 thriving capital. Any town can eIemp
' from taxation by fixing nominal sum on tn
= value OF the property ~ long AS the veteTs Ui
$ that town are willing to abide honestly by tn
| arrangement. But If two-thiids OF the voi
, ers, Ms iii Boothbay, would never for one in
slant abide by such an arrangement, thei
r you have got TO divide the town to do it
= Why look at 1t in Augusta, Only five or 81.
r years ago its business was PROSTATE and it
r population decreasing. Certain privileges il
the mater of taxation were given to capital
? AMI whl. vas the result: \ million of dbl
e lars have been invested here and four hun
! bred thousand will shortly follow that, au,
t today the Industries of this city are IN ever,
' respect IN the whirl aud How OF the progres,
D of modern times, and that has been despit,
my brothers lamentation that there is NJ
room Tor growth in the towns of Maine NJ
opportunity under the law to induce people
to come IN oy giving them privileges on tax
alton 1t We had taken counsel of my ga,
, prophet jeremiah, we in this town SHOULD
/, have been 10 day in the very depths of pros
tration and decay. But took counsel o
, che rler god, and we lifted our faces an,
set them toward the rising sun of progress
ami this growth is the result. Shall we den,
To any active, thriving, Industrious town tn,
same privilege that we have had he re, OF
shall We throw wide open To them the ,or
OF POSSIBILITY; Shall say TO these petl
TONERS, g, on and develop: Every yea
that this right is denied the demand wlI
grow stronger, more clamorous, and appea
with deeper effect to your justice and senss
of right.
Now, what has been the history of thi,
town in the past In 'o6 disastrous fire
swept through the village OF Boothbay de
stro, ing thousands and thousands OF dollar,
worth OF property so that one witness " he
testified mere mad swept away s20OuO worth
Aud why; Because the people of this VII
lage had never been able to procure from
the rest of the town that financial aid and
support indispensable TO give them a nrt
protecuon shd water supply and had il
not been that the tide was IN, and steamer
happened 10 be III the otfng at that precise
time, so that II could render assistance by lts
powerful engine. the village OF Booth "a y
might not to-day have the power To come be-
fore Thu. sisia -ure aud pray for anything
But they were saved, after thus vast destruc-
ton OF property. They looked around
among themselves, aghast at the prospects
for the iutare. They said We cannot