Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-12-18
The State Assessorship.


Burleigh of Vassalboro was to have op-
position for reelection the coming winter
to the position he now holds upon the
State board Of assessors. When the Leg
islature convcnes In January, Mr. Bur
leigh will have served something less than
half full term. Why, then, should he
be denied the fair usage that the Republi-
can party has always accorded those Of its
members holding public office? Has he
been inefficient in the discharge of his
duties? No. Even his opponents make
no such claim. On the other hand it is
conceded that he has been an exceedingly
faithful official; that he is rare judge
of all kinds of values, and that he has
always maintained a spirit of fairness
towards all classes of property holders in
the State. He is a just man, and the
pcopie HhFc ie'trheu tHhb ne may DC Ut
pended upon to thoroughly consider all
the facts bearing upon point and then
render an impartial decision. He is a
clean man in all the relations of life.
Do the opponents of Mr.. Burleigh,
whom VIC have reason to believe are few
in number, oppose him upon the ground
that his two years and a half of service
upon the board have made him any less
convcrsant with it's important and intri-
cate duties? No, we think they will also
conccde that this service has largely in
creased his usefulness to the State.
What then is the reason assigned for
summarily dropping Mr.. Burleigh from
a place, whose duties, it is admitted, he
has performed with marked efficiency
before he has served half q full term?
So far as we have been able to ascer-
tain, the only one is that the East has no
representative upon the board How long
since? We remember very distinctly that
when the board was first elected large
Republican caucus, representative of
every section of the State, settled this
very point by making the Kenncbcc river
the dividing line between the Eastern and
Western sections of the State. Mr. Bur
dates. He had the practically united
support of the farmers of Maine, who in
sisted that, as farm property constituted
by far the largest item in Safe valua-
tion, it was only just that at least one
member of the board should be practi-
cal farmer. The contest was close, result
ing, after the withdrawal of Mr.. c. f..
Oak of Caribou, in the election of Mr..
Frank Gilman Of Bangor by one major
ity. When Mr.. Gilman died after COM
pleting little more than half his
term of office the timber land owners of
the State brought forward another candi-
date, gentleman of unimpeachablc
character. Governor Burlcgh, however,
upon whom the duty of a temporary
appointment fell, the Legislature not be-
ing in session, promptly discouraged this
move by stating that, in his Judgment,
terests of the State should have upon the
board at least one man whose training
specially qualified him to judge of all
kinds of farm values, and that the nom
inoc, whoever he might be, would be
some man who had been all his life prac-
tical farmer. After careful consideration
he selected Hon. A. w. Gilman, of Fox
croft, one of the best known farmers of
the State for the position. The timber
land owners, however, opposed Mr.. Gil
man most stenuously and succeeded in
defeating his nomination when it came up
for confirmation by the Executive Council.
Mr.. Burleigh was then nominated for the
place and unanimously confirmed. When
the Legislature met, and the duty of
selecting man to fill the remainder of
Mr.. Gilmans unexpired term was taken
up, the timber land owners attempted to
secure the rejection of rhe Governors
temporary appointment by bringing for
ward a candidate of their own. This
time, however, the agricultural interests
of the State were thoroughly organized
and ably led. The result was the election
Of Mr. Brlrleigh by an overwhelming ma
iority. He has now served, as we have
said, less than half full term. 1t is con-
T. 4t.xv,e-