Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-20

1t is hard to forecast the turn that the
situation may take during the week.
Everybody in the house is looking for
a house order for investigation, and, of
course, if this is reported, it means an
other fierce fight, with the lobby and
the representatives Of public rights as
the combatants. The house. at any rate,
has demonstrated that it is beyond the
control of the millions that are tied up
In the concern that parades under vari-
| GUS. corporate names and whose alleged
object IS to furnish cheaper and better
gas to the people of the metropolitan
district
Templeton division will no longer
claim the attention of the Massachusetts
legislature The fight for the division of
this historic town, through a bill for the
Incorporation of the town of Baldwin
Vile, which includes the Baldwinville
and Otter river districts of the town of
Templeton, is thing of the past The
truce has been made very quietly and
very effectively.
Templeton is one of the largest towns
in northwestern Worcester county.
| There are four villages in the township
Old Templeton, East Templeton, Bal
dwinville and Otter River. The first
two are in the southern half of the
town, and the other two in the nothern
half Baldwinville and Otter River are
growing villages. Old Templeton, which
is the common, so called, and East
Templeton have seen their best days
| The northern villages are on the main
line of the Fitchburg and are busy
manufacturing centers. Naturally they
have had the lions share of the town
| appropriations and the improvements
have been made within their limits
This provoked a feeling Of jealousy on
the part Of the older villages, and this
feature eliminated in the movement for
the division of the town, by setting off
half, and calling the former by the
name of Baldwinvile. This fight en-
gagged the attention of several legisla-
lures, and the people of Templeton We're
given an opportunity, several of them
in fact, to vote on the division. 1t was
refused on every submission to the peo-
pie although the last vote on the ques-
ton was very close one.
Ex- Senator Blodgett, the leader of the
divisionists and Representative Leland
the champion of the opposition, have APP
peared before the committee on towns
this year, and their scheme for mar
mony and unity has been ratified
The plan for harmony Is composed in
two bills that have taken their final
readings and soon are to become sta
tutes The first Of these bills creates
the Baldwinville and Otter River dis
tricts of the town of Teunpleton. As
soon as the provisions Of this act are
adopted by a two-thirds vote of the
voters of said districts. the districts
have the power to order and construct
sidewalks, the expense of which is to
borne by the districts. The other bill
gives the districts, combined under the
name Of the Baldwinville electric light
district, to establish and maintain an
electric lighting plant and to sell and
distribute electricity for lighting and
power purposes. The expense Of this
| Improvement is to be borne by the dis
| trict.
In this way the modern villages of
| the town have secured the privileges
| for which they have been contending
| for several years past. The south part
of the town has little benefit to derive
from any of these improvements, for it
| Is largely an agricultural district. 1t
may now pursue the even tenor of Its
rural way without the fear that the am
billions of the northern part of the town
will add to the taxes of its farmer resi-
| dents. And the busy centers north Of
the dividing line that the legislature was