Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-01-24

Il LIZ 0IU0A U0o1utSc0 y RtVPo8
- thls South Paris committee, and hil
submissioa = 81, 900. Now here y Z
stumbling block In The way. i under
stand thai the land upon which thee
bulldings stand, Was decided for thu ex.
prcss purpose az Q county seat, and thai
when the county seat u discoutiuued,
the deed says the title shall revert 70 the
| original owners. Nov I understand
that this proposal Of Mr.. Greeuleafl
was based upon the Idea that be should
have tho old county bulldlngs, and
don't know but the rest Of Paris HUI.
Judge wilson-lt doesnt say 20.
Mr.. Swasey-No. Il doesn't cay 90,
but Mr.. Greenleaf says 90. Cro Mr..
Greenleaf) You understood that you
were to have the old county bulldings
Mr.. Greenleaf-Yes, the same - at
Farmington. (Applause.)
Mr.. Swasey-How much difference
does Il maker
Mr.. Greenleaf-It makes difference
OF about $500.
Mr.. Swasey-You see, gentlemen, Il
II really q swap; 10 Is q swap Of what
the county has got now for what Mr..
Greenleaf will give us, and that Ii all
there IL Of Il. Now, II we haven't got
the property to swap, what are we going
to do! / understand from Mr.. Greenleaf
that that estimate was based upon the
understanding that the finishing was to
be Of soft wood, and soft wood for
floors. Cro Mr.. Greenlesf) Am I right
Mr.. Greenleaf-For all soft wood
floors.
Mr.. Swasey-In the court room, and
soft wood finish all around?
Mr.. Greenleaf--I.ike Pennington.
Mr.. Swasey-And that Is flre-proof!
Laughter and applause].
So you zee, gentlemen, when you start
out on this uncertain sea OF propositions
and estimates and get bids from archi-
tects and others without specifications
rs to what you are TO have. what Is the
natural and usual resultf Why, you
have never known OF large contract 10
the world but that the contractor. be-
fore he got through, would claim that
he had done extra work. You never
knew list Of specifications, made by
Coombs or any other man I'm the Wide
world, but that, before the contractor
got through, there would happen
changes In the specifications, and when
you begin on set OF county buildings,
including u jail, at South Paris, want to
say to you, gentlemen, that the exper-
fence OF the county Of Oxford will be
just like that Of every other county that
has undertaken similar work you have
only started the foundations Of your
buildings, to be repaired and added
thereto for every year afterwards. You
may take the Androscoggin County
building, which cost $4,000. Within
two years they have expended 10000
upon Il, to make flre-prOof what they
bought for fire-proof when they started.
When you start out, say, upon this un-
certain sea, with no other purpose than
for the convenience Of somebody, to ac-
commOdate somebody, and to crafty
somebody, and not to answer any urgent
demand or necessity, then | say the PEG.
pie Of this county are putting themselves
under q bondage for the next twenty
i've years unnecessarily, aud without
knowing the full extent Of the bondage
to which they are subjecting themselves.
Now, gentlemen, YOU have the right
to submit this question to popular vote
N you choose to do SO, but, before you
can do so, you are obliged to follow the
provision Of that statute and locate.
What does the statute sayf "They shall
not remove county building In the
shire town, or erect q new one Instead OF
IL more than half mile from the former
location, without first giving notice OF
their Intentions and Of the place where
they propose to locate Il, to the munich
pal officers Of each town In the county,"
In order that they may submit the ques-
ton to q popular vote, which must be
"Yes" and "No" vote, by written ballot.
Now, gentlemen, you have before you
1900 petitioners. You have propositions
as to location; you know where II Is; II
Il In the town Of Paris, and, II II were
not for that section OF the statute which
makes II possible for this Board OF
County Commissioners to locate within
the town Of Paris, no such suggestions
would ever have reached your ears. No
man In the County Of Oxford, unless he
lived In South Paris or Norway, or
Bethel, ever thought until this question
was raised eight years ago, Of locating
this county seat In the same town, at
South Paris village; and I say, II 1t had
not been for that, such an Idea would
never have suggested itself, outside Of
the desire, possibly, Of South Paris and
Norway, TO have the county seat come
down the hill.
Now, supposing you remove 1t; sup
pose you 20 down there and locate IL,
whom are you accommodstings Where
Il the great public sentiment and voice
that Ia rising up here and asking for this
changer Who are they that ask for itS
Where do they liver They live In three
villages. Il would benefit South Paris
aud Norway, and Brother Herrick and
Brother Frye In Bethel. Where Is the
popular sentiment, I ask, that IL rising
up, like tidal wave, In the county OF
Oxford aud crying out for new county
seati Who are theyy Where do they
come fromY Give me their names, out
side OF the S5l who are found, as l say,
In three villages Of this county. Now,
upon this state Of facts and this state OF
affairs, are you gentlemen to say that
you will submit the question to popular
vote In the face and eyes Of that section
which makes It your duty to make the
records safer Are you going to say to
the people Of this county that you are
satisfied from the testimony OF these
architects that these records are In
danger, that they are liable to be burned
at 'sany hour" which l think Is the
usedy Are you going to say,
after this evidence has come before you
that they are unsafe, that you will post
pone the day OF salvation, and then 60
down and locate and let the people vote
and say ave will suspend that section,
and we will locate under section II, and,
II God Ia with US and luck fsvOrs Us, and
fortune don't frown upon US, let the
records stay and perhaps they will be
safe until We can locate at South Paris
and get returns from the popular vote
In March,"
"Gentlemeu, are you going to do that
Suppose you conclude that you ought to
do Ii. Whom are you doing Il forf
What Is the necessity for doing lit
What are you golngtO tell your con-
stitueuts that you did It fors or course
you must have a reason. There must be
4 necessity for Il, or ls Il simply because
you want an expression Of the sentiment
Of the people Of Oxford County upon Il
Now Brother Blsbee, who Il authority
ON some matters and pretty good fell
low on the whole, can sit down In his
Office and dictate to sten0grapher his
Ideas upon the question Of the removal
Of the county bulldings, and can have
his letter read In evidence. Others
might do the same thing. We might
name hundred men and keep reading
letters here all the year round that
,So,,ld have mat aa much weight "A the