Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-03-23

necessity and convenience require that the
shire town shall be Alfred, then we will
acuuiesce in that decision and rejoice in
one part at least, that that disturbing
question has at last been settled. If the
minority shall decide that Biddcford shall
he the shire town. then so be it. If Saco
should be the place Of their choice, Saco
would ey tend hearty and cordial wei
come and comply with the conditions of
the bill by depositing $35, 600 in the treas
,lry of York county to help defray the ex-
pensc of erecting buildings that would be
an honor and credit to the city and to
the county, and they would rejoice also in
the fact that this troublesome question has
at last been settled. You may refuse to
pass this bill, you may seek in this way
to retard and hinder the tide that is seeth-
ing and rolling backward and forward
over York county, but you cannot stop
that tide, you cannot calm these troubled
waters. you cannot settle that disturbance
until it is settled by q popular vote Of the
people of that county. 1t will come to the
ballot box and there is no power in this
Legislature to stop it from coming there.
You may prevent it coming to the ballot
box next September, but it will come to
Ter, and then the voters of York county
will he there-this question will be there.
It will be in the primary caucuses as a
disturbing element, it will be In the town
conventions. When can this question be
best settled, next September when there
is no politics in it, when every voter can
deposit ballot on this question only,
when we shall have had six months to be
l.%~ hfS 10
have an opportunity to decide whether
they wish this change or not--which VIII
be the best time to settle this question:
next September, when there is no other
interest involved, or shall we put it into
our election one year from next Septefn-
Der? We shall have other questions OF
State and national issues to settle then,
and say without hesitation that 1t would
be n burning shame for this Legislature
to turn that question back to go into our
election two years from this time. Let US
settle it where there will be no politics In
it. We don't want it in our election one
year from September. 1t would be DIS
turbing element in every town In our
county. We want it settled by an election
when this only shall be the issue involved.
All we ask is this, turn this question back
to the people of that county and let the
people settle it and let them settle it for
themselves.
Mr.. Keegan of Van Buren, said it
seemed to him that congratulations Were
i'm order. Only five or six weeks ago |
heard my friends Wells of Wells and
Boothby of Saco giving us an account OIL
what they thought of the people OF York
county and the voters thereof have
seen a great many marvellous things and
| have read of the marvellous conversion
of the great Saint Paul, but there is no
conversion more marvellous than that OF
the gentlemen from Wells and Saco-
don't care myself particularly about TINS
matter. but as citizen of the state
must express my hearty satisfaction at the
remarkable growth in good sense, good
conscience, morality and everything that
is good on the part of the voters OF YORK
county. because it did seem that m the
very insignificant matter OF choosing a
petty constable for period OF only one
wear in the cities of Biddeford and saco,
that the people of that county could not
~. trnsted But worse than that-that
t,,ey would invariably choose the wrong
man and a bad man. II since few weeks
400 the average citizen there has become
20 noble, so high-ninded, and such good