The Portland daily press., 1896-10-29

ouo fuauB are BOOu -
majority agree that we are not seettlng
SO cents on dollar of the road money
expended. the remaining AZ per cene ~
worse than wasted. Is it asking zoo
much to ask that less than per cent u
tnat AZ per cent be used in paying Iol
Highway Com mission that snail en-
ueavor to teach us how 10 save tne 40
naming 10 l-2 per cent which Is WaseoIs
ihey agree that something musu pe
done, but-"They are opposed to the
creation of new Offices, Was there ever
progress made Ewithout the creation OF
new 0fnces? Why, we should be paying
taxes TO England today on tea II tnere
mad not been few new offices createa.
And that brings us to the psint OF IL All.
Ihe State Of Maine Assessors have
deemed 1t proper to tax wheels. we
it should be levied, but-this NATION
owes it's birth to the principle oonseorat-
ed in blood from Bunker Hill to York
town
"NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRE-
sENTATION,"
and We now in behalf Of the 10, 600
wheelmen of Maine, ask as simple act
of justice that $40. 600 of the taxes levied
on bicycles be applied to the ssupport Of
a Highway Commission.
The Revised Statutes of the State Of
Maine. Title II, Section SO, reads:
Highways, town ways and streets.
legally established, shall be opened and
kept in repair SO as to be safe and con-
venient for horses, beams and carriages.
In default thereof, those liable may be
| indicted, convicted, and reasonable
fine imposed therefOr.''
By serious stretching Of the truth
the highways may have been considered
| as SAFE and convenient" before the
day Of the bicycle, but they certainly
cannot be now. The courts have decided
| that bicyclers come under the head Of
horses, teams and carriages and the
highways are neither Hsate' nor "cOn-
venient" for bicyCler
| We have claimed andH proven In Emany
different places-and have never failed
in single attempt-that we can afford
| to have good roads.
| For four hundred and four years we
| have been trying to make roads and
| have ingloriouGly failed, Q, 200 pounds is
allsourstwo horse teams bring ito the hay
scales In Portland on the average. In
France 6, 600 pounds ls frsquent load.
Can tha farmers afford to lose such a
dividend?
For our fifteen yeRIs' work We point
with pride to the roads of Canandiagua
| County. New York, which have increased
| thenvalue of adjacent farms over $50. 90
| an.aore; to the MncAdam roads Of Union
County. New Jersey, which have trans
| formed 1t from country of abandoned
farms to one of the wealthiest farming
communities on earth; to the grand sys-
tenn of highways in Massnchusettssswhich
have no heartier advocates than she
farmers of that progressive Common
| wealth, and to dozens of other cases with
never Q failure.
For four hundred and four years the
| old.ways have given us bad ways. Our
| ways have always given good ways, and
we now ask you as an sact Of Justice to
use your influence with the members Of
the legislature to give us the Highway
Commission which has been asked for.
We do not ask for your support Of a
Bicycle bill" We ask for your sup
principles which were incorporated in
the last bill proposed, and which was
drawn by the Hon. Josiah H. Drum
mond from suggestions made by COM
mittee of four from the Maine State
Board Of Trade, and one lonesome repre-
sentative OF the L. A. W. We ask your
support Of bill which is approved by
such men as our worthy Governo
Cleaves, Genearl Manager Payson ruok-
placed the Maine Central railroad
among the best of tho good roads OF this
country, and has the hearty support Of
the Hon. Henry Lord, Presidents Of the
Maine State Board Of Trade, together
with tho individual and united support
of the mem bers of that organization.
Again we ask you to use your influ-
| ence, by petition and all honorable means
with your representatives in the Iegisla-
fnr9 for fha of the Maipn
Board OF Trade bill which will call for the
creation of the Higwhay Commission
which is in line with that plank of the
Republican State platform adopted al
Bangor, June I'd, and which reads al
follows:
I'm State affairs we are
PLEDGED TO IMPROVED HIGH
WAYS,
movements for which has been inaueu.
rated by our
STATE BOARD Oh TRADE.
Good roads mean improved facilities
enlarged intercourse, increased revenue
and Ebetter soitizepship. We earnestly
recommend such careful consideration
in the passage of such laws as the i'm.
portance of this matter demands"
And we ask that for the yearly ex.
penses of such commission, $40, 600 OF
the sum assessed against wheels be ap.
propriated.
We earnestly nsk that the wheeImen OF
the State send to Sec. Treas, z. G.
Scully, OF the Portland Wheel Club, for
copies of a petition asking for such a
commission. Names from every town in
the State should be on the petition when
presented to the legislature.
Yours for good roaGs