The Portland daily press., 1897-06-08
ESPECIAL TO THE PREss.l

IoShClAA IL THE FhESS.l
South Windham, June 7-Tf the pro-
posed Westbrook, sWindham and Harrison
electric street railway is built this year,
it will have to get along without any
pecuniary assistance from the town of
Windham.
The momentous question of whether
the town would loan it's credits to the ex-
tent of $4,000 by issuing twenty year
four per cent. bonds, and receiving in ex-
change an equal amount of income bonds
of the railroad company, to bear interest
at five per cent, was again under lengthy
discussion at an adjourned town meeting
today, and by close margin the opposit-
ion won.
In picturesque features and spicy dia-
logue today's meeting wasn't circum-
stance compared with that Of Saturday.
The Saturday meeting was filibuster-
ing session, while today's was filed with
speeches that were to the point, and with
balloting that upset the elaborate plans
of the railroad projectors.
The arrangement made Saturday,
whereby today's meeting was to begin
early in the forenoon and the polls re-
main open till the middle Of the afternoon
had the effect of keeping the public pulse
nearer normal than would have been the
case if the meeting had been crowded
into few hours, but it did not lessen
the crush AROUND the moderator desk in
the little brick town house, when the
session was called to order. The citizens
were packed in between the four walls,
just as thick as they could stick and there
was hardly room on the platform for the
moderator to swing his hand in welding
the wooden mallet that served as a gavel.
Not only were the voters Of Windham's
scattered villages there in full force, but
Westbrook, Casco, Naples, Raymond,
Harrison, Gray and other places that are
keeping a close watch on this new trolley
project sent large delegation of citizens
to counsel and witness the proceedings of
this important assemblage
Neither faction had failed to improve
the interim between the two meetings
Livery teams from Westbrook and Port
land were making the circuit of the viii
lagos, yesterday sowing seeds of encourage
ment for today's reaping. Over in the
east section of the town, where many of
the opponents of the railroad live neigh
borhood calls were in order throughout
the Sabbath.
| The leaders of the faction favorable to
the road changed their tactics little.
| They had no lawyers to plead their cause,
but the argument in support of their side
was furnished by the best local orators
| that could be enlisted in the contest. The
other faction, however, increased it's legal
counsel, Portland's city solicitor, Mr..
Carroll W. Morrill,, who so eloquently
pleaded for conservation in Saturdays
meeting, being assisted today by Judge
Elder, recently of the Deering municipal
court.
Moderator Peter Stuart, who after Sat
urday's stormy battle decided that he
would rather be down ON the floor than
the elevated target for so many pointed
CALCULATIONS of his fellow citizens, had re-
considered his declination. and was on
hand at the appointed time today, ready
! W ouooitalh llou1oAS eAu oeUol0 WoISAuJ
parliamentary problems. Both sides were
willing to admit after the meeting was
over, that he did as we'll as any man could
have done in the unenviable position.
At the request of the assembled throng,
Town Clerk Hawkes. read the third article
in the warrant, over which there was
such wrangle at the former meeting.
| The article was as follows:
To see if the town of Windham will loan
! its credit to said Westbrook, Windham
& Harrison Railway company to an
amount equal to 8 1-2 per cent. of its last
regular valuation, and to enable it so to
do, that the selectmen and treasurer be
authorized and directed to prepare and
execute the bonds of said town, aggregat-