Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1899-03-22
TRENONT'S TOWN MEETING.
News and Comment Political and
Otherwise.
Special Report by "stylu.".l

The roar and smoke incident to the town
meeting battle being over, it behooves the
war correspondent to cast his eagle eye
over the wreck and ruin of one line of
battle and the triumph of the other line.
In the first place it is to be observed
with some amazement that though this
town is, on State and national elections,
republican by large majority, yet every
officer but two elected at the town meet
ing of March is a dyed the-wool
democrat. The explanation of this Is
two fold. First, the voters of this town
on town elections act on personal prefer
ences and not on party loyalty. Second,
the work of the republican caucus of the
Saturday before was such that many re-
publicans bottled the nominations on cleo
ton day. Packing caucuses is a very COM
mon political method in most places. 1t
means getting a lot OF voters IN to the
caucuses at your solicitation and expense
by hiring teams, and getting nomina-
ton But the voters OF this town don't
want any of that sort of business. 1t
may work for while; but it will soon be
found out that man is wire pulling for
office above ground and below, and then
that mans political goose will be cooked
to the bones.
Gentlemen, we all want office, that our
name may be honored among men and
our glory go down to our posterity, and
for the pure, unadulterated good we can
do, and incidentally for any stray dollars
that may be picked up, but we had best
be rather modest in our claims.
The men elected to Office for this year
are all good men, and most Of them ought
to turn republican on the score of graft
tude. The men who did not get office
because failing of election are all eating
three good meals day, and have probab
mentally vowed never again to touch the
hot poker of local politics, so help them!
The appropriation Of $500 for new
public school buildings is one good thing.
The only question with most Of the voters
was, can we afford to build two in one
year? Yes, and half a dozen il they are
needed for the best influence and training
of our children! We all know boy feels
more respect for himself teacher, books
and his native place, studying in neat,
attractive schoolroom, than in a den hard
ly fit to keep good Jersey COW.
Another feature of town meeting day
was the retirement from office of First Sc
lectman p. w. Richardson, who declined
nomination. Mr.. Richardson has been
selectman for something over fifteen years,
and being man of good judgment and
of wide knowledge of civil affairs, has
been of solid use to the town.
The shortening of the town meeting to
one day instead of two was an innovation
very generally approved. The only obiec-
ton to this as a precedence is that there
may come up questions that need to be
thoroughly ventilated ere acted upon, and
when town meeting is confined to one day
for any number of years, people get to
/ feeling that business must all be accom-
plished in that time, and so unduly hasten
things. But the change was on the whole
a wise one.
The republicans could not find a man to
run for treasurer against the democratic
candidate, who is so solid with everybody
that no one available in the republican
party in this town cared to run the chance
of certain defeat. But after all this is a
rather cowardly attitude to take. True
citizenship demands of man some meas
ure of self sacrifice, both of time and
pride. 1t is heroic in man to lead for
lorn hope anywhere.
The newly elected selectmen have esta b.
lished an office in the Odd Fellows block,
where any day in the year some one of the
| three may be found or heard from. AS
all three live near one another there ought
to be more working together than has
/ been found possible in the past.