Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-08
TOWN MEETINGS.
Worcester County Towns Hold
Annual BusinessSessions,
SOME LICENSE CHANGES.
Discussion at Leicester Over
Academy Affairs.
Uxbridge and Grafton Hold Meetings
Which Are Productive of Considerable
Excitement-Many Adiournments.

Excitement-M Many Adjournments,
Thirty-six county towns held their
annual meetings Monday, and in many
cases the largest vote for many years
was cast. There was unusual interest
in the towns of Leicester, Clinton. Tx
bridge and Grafton. AT Leicester the
old board Of selectmen was reelected
by good majorities, and the opposition
took their medicine gracefully. In this
town there was a discussion regarding
the advisability of the town having
anything further to do with Leicester
Academy, which was taken part in by
the local clergy and other citizens. The
Academy has for the past 81 years been
used by the town in the higher educa-
ton of its pupils, and when vote was
taken yesterday it was decided for the
present to keep up the old custom. Sew.
eral advocated that the school was a
sectarian one, and wits therefore ille-
gal.
In Clinton the democrats got about
everything, the republicans being fairly
ousted. The town went license again
by a substantial majority.
In Grafton the old board was re-elect-
ed, and the supporters of the new cleo
tric road scheme feel that they have
won a victory.
On the license question, Athol, Hard
wick = I'd Petersham reversed the vote
of last year.
LEICESTER.
Leicester, March THE election to-
day resulted in the reelection of the
ol5 Ioayd of
Under article 4 it was voted that the
compensation of town officers should be
the same as last year.
Article S, which related to the accept
ance of the reports of town officers,
created more discussion than anything
else and kept up Leicester's reputation
for having warm election days On mo-
ton of H. o. Smith, vote was taken
that the selectmen take no action during
the coming year in regard to the portion
of the report relating to the repairs on
the town hall.
H o. Smith set the ball rolling by
asking A. E. Smith if the town had set
tied with the state for the second sec
tion of stale road.
The chairman Of the selectmen rose
and made a lengthy speech. Mr.. Smith
mentioned some of the things for which
the present board was held responsible,
including many Improvements which the
town voted for and the seleetmen got
Kicked" for. Since the present board
of selectmen have been in office they are
living under a new dispensation, and
no matter what the town votes to do,
the selectmen seem to be charged with
it. Mr.. Smith said he had made one
mistake, which was in building the
state road, instead of leaving the road
in its first muddy condition.
The other gentleman of the same
name then rose and made a lengthy
speech. He said:
THE gentleman admits having made
a mistake. 1 am glad to hear it."
In order to find out the mistakes Of
the board, Henry o. Smith made mo-
ton that a committee of three be ap-
pointed to investigate the doings of the
selectmen in their relation with the
state highway commission and to au-
thorize them to employ counsel to pro-
seeute the state highway commission for
any money illegally obtained from the
town. Mr.. Smith made the point that
the state road was supposed at first to
be built wholly at the expense of the
state, and that the town had paid $500
on the second mile, which was Illegal
Richard Olney Of Cherry Valley Sec
onded the motion, and told of the 'Kion-
dixie" he thought the selectmen had.
All this talk did not please doc"
much, and he coony got up and told the
voters that if this vote was passed, it
would make void the agreement of the
highway commission, and they would
lose the last grant of state road. By
actual count, the motion was defeated
The reports of the selectmen, over
seers of the poor, superintendent of
streets, park commission, inspector of
animals. janitor Of town hall, fire de-
partment, tax collector and treasurer
were accepted, as printed in the town
report. A vote was unanimously passed
regretting that the i'll health of J. c.
Watson had prevented him from serving
as town treasurer, and speaking of the
pleasant regard the voters felt for him
Rev. Samuel May made an amend
ment to the report of the school COM
mittee, that, in tine opinion of the town
the connection Of the high school with
Leicester Academy should be continued
as had been maintained for the last 80
years. He said that the conditions as
prescribed by the school committee, un-
der which the arrangement was main
tanned, practically forced the trustees
to step out, and that they would be
liable to the state, under their charter
if they complied with the conditions
Rev. John r Redican read letter
from c.. G. Stearns. in behalf of the
trustees or the academy, Which in
formed him that the executive commit
mittee could not comply with the con-
ditions of the school committee under
the terms of their charter. The trus-
tees stated that they were ready to re-
ceive high school pupils in cooperation
with the school committee, and that
they were willing to consider a union
between the high school and academy
under the charter.
Rev. John f. Redican, chairman of
the school committee, then read the re-
ply to the trustees. In this letter the
committee stated that they regretted
exceedingly if it is impossible to effect
an arrangement whereby the high school
pupils cannot be still furnished with
instruction. The trustees were asked to
submit a proposition favorable to an
agreement Both sides are expected to
make concessions. but the committee
would still guard the rights of the
town. If the trustees will not allow
the committee to have some control
over the high school pupils, it would be
to make an arrangement for
furtherance of agreement.
Rev. Samuel May said that in the 80
years in which the connection had ex
listed between the town and Leicester
this is the first time this
question had interviewed. He said that
other towns in the state had the same
with private schools, and
trusted that after some concessions had
been made on both sides the report