The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-02-13
TO DIVIDE BooTHBAY.
The Bill Receives Its First Reading
in the Senate,
After an Animated Debate by SEN
ators Freeman, Kendall, HInckiey,
Walton, Libby, Collins and Poor.
Especial to the Press.l

uay IN the SENATE tnlS 10ren00n, and there
was more equal contest than in the House.
Senator Z. Dudley Freeman Of Yarmouth
took the floor ,"The town Of Boothbay," be-
gan Senator Freeman, ''is the type of class
of towns with which we are all familiar.
There is a village with an outlying country
region with other villages. 1t is claimed
that the interests Of this village are different
from the interests Of the rest of the town.
But is this reason why the two should be
divided? Why that is the very life Of local
self-goyernment. that there shall be differ
ence of interests, and my experience in town
affairs is that the country people, while eau
tious and conservative about expenses, are
willing to tax themselves for reasonable i'm
provements." Senator Freeman combatted
the assertion that the town is already practi-
cally divided, and went on to show that the
people Of the whole town were harmonious
in every respect but One,-the water supply
And" said Senator Freeman, "the people
Of the town are willing to give the people Of
the village water supply. To be sure they
have an antiquated notion that the business
proceedings in connection with this i'm
provement should be correct and right; no.
tlon which their opponents do not seem to
be troubled by; but in other respects than
thlo tuC1 dlC pClACCbl1 WAiiluS w uO lLt liSut
thing" Senator Freeman then went on to
give the clearest statement of the town meet
lngS and their results that has vet been made
in debate. He held that the water
committee. and the committee that obtained
the contract, by their conduct justified the
distrust of the selectm en- and the people of
the town. The selectmen did not proceed
factiously or hastily. They consulted emf
nent counsel, and throughout the whole pro-
ceedings acted as honorable and straightfor-
r6 MAJ al.RAf NJ
1T may be small thing to divide town:
but, gentlemen, you and know that there is
no place under Heaven so dear 10 a man,
except his own homestead, as the town of
his birth. The town of Boothbay Is 100
years old. Four generations have lived
there in harmony, and there never was a
thought of division until few weeks ago."
Senator Freeman makes no attempt at the
lofty style Of oratory that so thrives in the
House; but his speech was clear and con-
vincing and held the close attention Of his
colleagues.
Senator Kendall, of Biddeford, replied for
the side OF those who want division, with a
brief speech in which he explained the trials
of the people Of Boothbay village, their losses
by fire, and the hard situation in which they
found themselves because of the adverse
votes In the town meeting
Senator Hinckley, of Georgetown followed
In beginning he said be wished to deny
story which had been going the rounds to
Vic tACNs tnub AC OppOcCu QitAolOu DcCduSt
of personal anmosity against one of the
gentlemen here for Boothbay village. He
opposed the division of the town because
the evidence given by the committee seemed
to show that the town should not be divided.
The testimony on the side of the petitioners
did not seem to him truthful in many
respects. For instance it was testified that
the property burned in the 1886 fire was
worth $4,000. Il wrote" said Senator
Hinckley, ito the assessors of Boothbay to
w n w vail ~
that burned property and found 1t to be
$3.50, and the ground was left at that.
Now gentlemen, had not l as a committee
man reason to look with suspicion upon the
general tenor of the evidence introduced"
Speaking of the plan of division Senator
Hinckley described the situation the town
would be in after division, giving a humor-
GUS description of the contour, whicn he
said would entitle 1t to rank as monstrosty.
Closing Senator Hinckley made a plea for
the integrity Of the old town.
Senator Walton of Skowhegan followed.
The debate had by this time attracted all
the visitors in the Capitol to the Senate
chamber. Senator Walton, who has a reputat
ton won in the House, drew more. He wen
back and reviewed the cases Of town divi-
sion that he had known. He told how Pitts
ton and Randolph and Watervile and Oak
land had hourished since division. He
knew Of but one town that had ever wished
to be reunited after division. Proceeding
to attack the position Of the debaters on the
other side, Mr.. Walton said from the bitter
turn the debate had taken it might be neces-
sary to divide the committee on towns. The
Senator from Sagadahoc had spoken Of one
part of Boothbay's territory as the ''enemy's
country" If there was such feeling as that
the town should be divided. AS to the
alleged generalization Of the property burn
ed in 1886, Mr.. Walton said he did not know
as i mattered whether the properly lost was
the people. The Senator said Boothbay was
happy and fourishing town; but, If the
people were pulling hair and fighting, 1t
would be best to let them separate. IL they
should ever wish to come together again, the
legislature would allow it at any time.
Senator Libby of Cumberland followed.
He said he should not occupy the attention
Of the Senate were 1t not that some wrong
impressions might be created by his silence,
inasmuch as he had some personal knOwl-
edge of the case. He thought the presump-
ticR rested heavily, and very heavily, upon
the petitioners to show that the public inter-
ests demanded the division Of the town. But
they had not been able 10 present such case
as to convince majority of the joint stand
ing committee on towns that the town should
be divided. Speaking Of the merits Of the
plan Of division, Mr.. Libby held that it was
inequitabe, as regards the distribution of
territory and of coast line. He dwelt
eloquently upon the time-honored
concord with which the people of Boothbay
udu uWtlb bOecbuCL lOl l1O CARS, anu dIkutu
that the present quarrel was only Temporal
ry difficulty, upon which the legislature
should put cold water, instead Of heaping on
fuel. 1t Is asserted that one party cannot
cerned. But Mr.. Libby thought if the gem
tlemen of the Senate could read that water
contract they would say that the selectmen
Of the town had done their exact duty in OPP
posing it. As to the power Of the people Of
Boothbay to make improvements the speaker
rQmiudad the SpnafQ that thav had a VillaOa
charter, with broad powers, allowing them
to contract for water supply. Mr.. Libby,
in closing, advocated putting off the division
of the town, perhaps until the next legisla-
ture. This would allow time for the people
to harmonize their differences.
Senator Collins, Of Aro0stook next spoke.
He thought it had been satisfactorily shown
that the people Of B00thbay had
quarrelled sufficiently to demand division.
BE thought they. should be divided. Then,
II they didn't enjoy themselves apart they
could be reunited again.
Senator Poor, of Cumberland. said he had
received more knowledge from the debate
this forenoon than he had received before.
He had also read this morning the opinion of
a legal firm in which he had great confidence
in regard to the water contract He had at
first been inclined to vote for division; but
had been convinced by the arguments that
division was not desirable at present.
Senators Walton and Libby spoke again in
Senator Heath raised the point that the
second contract was all right.
Senator Hinckley spoke briefly again and
then Senator Freeman moved that the ques-
tion be referred to the next legislature.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
Senator Heath asked to be excused from
voting, because the rule of the Senate was
that no Senator having personal interest
in question before the Senatelshould vote.
He was excused.
The yeas and nays were then taken:
Yeas-Anstln, Burgess, Burrell, Freeman,
Frost, Hanes, Harding Hinckley, Holbrook,
Libby Nickels, POor-12.
Nays-Clark Collins Daggett, Hill, Hunt, Ken
dali, LORD of York, Merrill Rand, Ryder Sargent,
Sleeper simpson, Walker, Walton-15.
Absent-Nash, Wright.
Not voting-Lord Of Penobscot and Heath.
The report of the committee was then ac--
cepted in concurrence with the House, and
the bill to divide the town had its first read
ing. -
be suspended and the bill take its second
reading.
Senator Libby objected.
Senator Kendall insisted, but failed 10 get
the twO-thlrds vote necessary. 80 the Dill
will come up for its second reading to-
morrow.