Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-08-11

1t is said that people are buying II
tickets to the merry-go-round. who are
being helped by the town. 1t was ever
thus.
The summer hotels now report even
the spare room" taken.
cherryfieid contemplated bicycle
carnival.
| A Bath topper when inebriated, goes
about town pricing lots and assuming
the airs OF millionaire. It's a pity
that the toper's family instead can't
experience that wealthy feeling.
| Peter Benefits money. what there is
left Of 1t, is still being debated upon by
| the lawyers.
Lewiston Journal: The report from
Washington that there Is no proba-
| bility that Congress will adopt tie
| rural free delivery system at present.
will be a disappointment to many parts
sent out to observe the results Of these
trials have returned to Washington
| and though their formal report will not
be submitted to Congress until Decem-
| Der, its purport Is understood to be un-
| favorable, not from any fault in the
| system itself but from lack of revenue
| to carry on the work. The inspectors
| reports now in for North Deering, Sc
hn- al
Maine and Grand Isle in Vermont. are
| all favorable. The free delivery has
resulted in large increase in the
| amount of mail business. The farmers
take many more daily papers when
they can haye them delivered at their
own doors. and the volume of letters
has increased wonderfully. But all this
takes money. and although thus far the
| carriers have been willing to work for
very slight compensation. it Is not rea-
sonable to expect that this would con-
| tinue when the system was regularly
| established over the whole country.
| The popularity OF the experiment. how
| ever. gives rise to the hope that when
| the postoffice department again begins
| to find a surplus on the right side of
the ledger. and the revenues of the
| government warrant further outlay.
| out of the first improvements will be
| this rural free delivery which probably
| would be more appreciated by people
| in general in rural towns, than another
reduction in postage.
The Bath Independent says Bath
should have a lower valuation let the
| tax rate be what it may. proper
valuation is one that accurately esti-
mates the valuation of property.
Biddeford's city clerk is thinking CT
enforcing the law which requires ali
residents of this State who go out OF
the State to get married to go to the
| town or city clerk of the place they
reside In within seven days after their
return and notify the clerk that thes
have been married and to tell him all
the little details of the event. The OBJ
| ject OF this law is to enable the town
or city clerk to make a complete record
of the marriages of persons belonging
In his town.. The penalty is a ten dol
lar fine and many are the Bddeford
| couples to go to Dover or Portsmouth,
and get married.
Bath says her shoe shop would have
i been bigger and lasted longer if she
had been endowed with such public
| spirited citizen subscribers as is Au-
gusta. We appreciate it here in Au-
gusta too. Some towns may not know
when they have a good thing but this
| is not one of them and we are just
waiting to see this civic enterprise
tackle the railroad question.
The Bangor plan" is working out its
natural results. For some years there
has been systematic disregard for
certain law in our sister city, that has
been defended as in accord with pre-
vailing public opinion. Believers in the
non enforcement Of laws Of any kind
have been quick to observe the Bangor
method. and have taken every means
to recommend it to others, so that off,
cials In other parts Of the State have
been led to believe, or appear to believe
that there Is no need of trying to pre-
vent the breaking of laws II such per-
sons as choose to break them will come
| up to court two or three times year
and pay fine, which course practically
licenses them to continue their law
breaking till the next sitting Of the.
grand jury. It has not been supposed,
one may fairly infer, that this disre-
| gard for certain Jaws would lead to a
disregard for all law. even though it ~
as fixed a fact as any in nature that it
must be So We do not believe that
Bangor authorities or those In other
parts Of the State who have, adopted a
similar plan have thought 1t would re-
suit in general decentralization Of
public sentiment as to the sanctity Of
law. though they cannot plead that
such danger has not been pointed out
! to them. It has 80 resufted in Bangor
| Newspaper correspondents say that q
| reign OF terror Il IN force there, that
the laws protecting property are dis
regarded and no fDnc knows what The
next move may be. Making all allow
ances for the exaggeration that Ii pos.
sible in the statement. there is no guess
! ton but that the influence of the eBan-