Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-02-18
MAINE LEGISLATURE.
GCentinued from 1st page.1

give them . chance to vote on it, he ans
wered. well. you must think we are
fools to do it, We will wait till the char
ter passes and then il you want to, we will
take them in That was the answer.
They tried to smooth it over and
soften it down, but they could not
do it. This charter of 1889 provides for
the incorporation of apart of Poland and .
part Of Minot for certain municipal par
poses. a portion Of two towns lying on
adjacent banks of river. Looking back
over the history Of this State, can you locate
q corporation such as 10 asked for by the
charter Of 1889? Can you find it in the
cities Of Lewiston and Auburn, Biddeford
and Ssco, Dover and Foxcroft, Bangor
and Brewer IA corporation such a. this
asked for in the charter Of 1889 il an
abnormal. unheard Of thing in the history of
this State, and have no wonder that they
put into this proposed charter vote limit
Of five times, because they had q
charter that was so unholy. they proposed
union that was so repugnsnt, that they
could not carry it by one vote. The gen.
ileman says, and the remonstrants say, that
the Minot side represents about 800, 900
more of taxable property than the
Poland side. As a matter of fact.
il you embrace thss portion of
the district that they shoe-siring
out, Poland has today taxable prop.
erty representing within q thousand OF
two dollars as much ~ exists on the Minot
side-the Poland Pulp Company. . dozen
fine houses. the saw mill with its valuable
property, matching dollar for dollar the
valuation and taxable property of the Minot
side. With nearly an equal amount OF
taxable property they propose a
union that shall give TO the
portion lying on the Minot side OF
the river So out Of every - for internal
improvement. I can show to YOU on the
map the line at Elm street third of mile
on the Poland side from the bridge, the dis
tinct line on the Minot side mile nearly
from the bridge, running out over tha.
immense territory. How many mora
miles Of sidewalk will they want on
the Minot side than on the Poland
side, how many more hydrants. how many
more lights? They have q wet soil there
that is difficult to manage, to trench and
keep dry, while the Poland side hss 9 dry,
light soil, and comparatively easy Of man.
agement. Is it any wonder that tn ese Mi
Any man will stand up and vote both
hands and both feet for proposition that's
going to put money into his pocket. You
must bear in mind that these are two
towns. Poland 10 Poland and Minot il
Minot. An old maid and an old bachelor,
that's about the size Of it. There is no
proposed union Of Poland and Miuot here.
They might as we'll come up and ask for q
union Of the two towns - 70 cut out and
dissecs the hearts of those two right out Of
the two towns and incorporate a third
municipal government. Bnt jus. as soon
% this union il consumsted by act Of the
Legislature the Minot side will want Side-
walks. sewers, trenches to drain their
soil and msks it fruitful, lights and
hydrants. and for this 81 on,
Of ~ comes out Of the Poland aide of the
river, ard what becomes of it? II goes
into the treasury of the town Of Minot,
doesn't it? Doesn't the money Of the tss
payers Of Poland, for which they have
worked and gruhbed, go owe, to enhance
the territory of the Minot side
Of the town. A great point they
raised in the committee was their fraternal,
social. religious and charitable relations.
The same thing exists between the cities OF
Lewiston and Auburn, ard with all due re
spect to my brother We have sometimes
thought that the city Of Auburn was good
niaht-cap for Lewiston They inter.
ch ,nge in social and business relations,
but you touch them on theii
municipal government. voc let any princi-
psi of that sort stick ito head up and then
see where the fraternity and morality and
the peace and the harmony are. They will
vanish away like fog in q hot morning.
They propose the same thing over there,
don't they? Poland says, Let
Us incorporate by ourselves II We waot
bydrants. sewers, lights. schools, We are
willing to be taxed for it and will pay for
IT." But Miuot does not want {, do this
She says, I'VE want some of your money
to help US. We are little isxy, or some
thing is the trouble" BIT you can't make
. union like that. You might ~ well Try
to unite . dwarf with . fairy, Poly.
phemus with Venus, love with hatred, or
light With darkness ~ to unite towns that
are bound by natural boundary, that 90
away from each ether instead Of toward
each other lovingly. and whose every inter.
est outside Of fraternity 10 distinct. Poland
says, You 60 to work and incorporate for
Nuuf PutpVsS anu VIC VIII tnGBkpOfdtt tOf
our purpose and then We will unite, if we
can, for school purposes
Would they acceptit? No. Then smother
proposition wss made. tha. il they would
ALLOW these % families with thsie 81
voters that they bad oe-stringed out,
to vote on this question as they had right
to, they would abandon this charter and
ask nothing 81 the hands Of this Legislature.
They would not saree to thsf. Poland pro
poses for her rev charter TO take Ia all OF
that school district embracing these % fam
lies. She proposes 20 hxve all the improve
merits sbe wants, and to pay for them. in
good faith ard gentlemen, / believe that you
will let her 1--we peaceshly as a good and
viftuous old maid on her own side Of the
river ouaht to live.
MI-~Savsse Of Auburn-I had hoped not
rs take any part in this debate and would
not weary ycu 1T the present time we're il
NOT for the fact thu: have had scne per-
sonal acquaintance With the previous ssrug
gles vhich hare been made pro ard con in
regard to II corporation. This trouble be.
tween the two factions at Mechanic Falls,
probably grew out Of the fact that some
years ago the town OF Pol.nd abolished the
school district system. There vas . union
district existing II Mechanic Falls which
hsd existed there in peace Ard
harmony far many. years. The result
Of the vote 10 abolish the school district
sYstem in Polsrd vas to disrupt that unisn
district- And then. certain citizens Of
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