The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1899-02-02
For the Reporter:
Will the Town of SkOwhegan
Accept a City Charter or Es~
tabiish "a Town Council?

| w Ill knO kO"h VA oAO' Nv -
Accept "A City Charter or Es~
! tablish IA Town Council?
notice la the REPORTER of Jan. 12th,
that the Board OF Trade had held meet
ing relative to change ip the form of
town government. There were about a
doz.n present, so that it appears that
only a few, very few, of the inhab
itants of the village were present. fwo
meetings were appointed previous TO
this last one and not enough present to
do any business. We waited long time
and heard nothing till Jan. II We sup
posed the project to change the town
government WAS dead and buried beyond
q resurrection, but no, lew OF the
faithful have brought the subject to life
again. IL seems on motion OF Mr. An
derson that S. W. Gould aud A. X. Bui-
Ter were added To the committee who
reported the bill, and they were instruct
ed to take measures to circulate petitions
among our citizens for its enactment by
the legislature, alter making such
changes as they think proper.
Am sorry TO see such men as ). W.
| NrOul1, Il. W. NtStOil, IL H.
and +. b. Curtis engaged in this project
of changing the town government INTO
the Bachelor style of government |
do MT believe that the legal voters OF
the town of SkoA hogan will ever vote TO
accept the "Bacheller Biz or any part
of il. The idea of u council doing all
the business as laid down in the BACH
eler Bill" is preposterous, without pay.
/ 1tAfO hut DgF
must want 1t hadly. Look, if you
please at section 20 and you will see the
power this council will have and | think
il will surprise you. 1t reminds me of
Joel Priest of the town Of Clinton, who
was chosen highway surveyor more than
fifty years ago, who WAS telling the men
under his charge the power he had,
said he had power to move stumps, trees,
stone walls, boiling springs. and almost
power to take a mans life. Now ii you
read the "Bacheller Bill over carefully
you will see this council has great power.
The talk, last fall, WAS to have gen
eral meeting so that all the voters In
town could meet and give their views in
relation to Town Council, which the
Board of Trade has been talking about
for the last six months. No such meet
ing has been appointed. 1t looks TO me
the most honorable course to take in
this matter, is to call a meeting Of the
legal voters of the town and let them
decide whether we have any change in
the town government or not. In my
opinion The town would bury the project
now agitated, beyond a resurrt ction.
When hear man say, or fe" men IN
town, you have got To come 10 1t, there
will be some voting aud kicking in the
NATTER II this, or any other town,
elects IA Town Council AZ expressed in
the "Bacheller Bill" it approaches mon
archy, and concentrating power leads TO
monarchy. " hen this town can do all
their business in one day Ii is well
enough, and think the people are quite
well satisfied.
True, within the last thirty years the
town has expended nearly, or quite.
800, 900 10 building school houses,
sewers, and making and repairing
streets, etc. It must be evident TO every
candid man in town, that the town will
not be called upon to raise large sums of
money for quite number OF years. We
have school rooms to let, and nothing
new TO build. 1t has been sad, boom
the village and it will benefit the outside
farmer, and is such the fact? No. On
the contrary taxes in the rural portion
of the town have nearly doubled within
the last thirty years, and products OF
The farm have been growing lower for
years. 1t Is all a common farmer can do
and has been for years, to make the two
ends of the year meet, and many have
abandoned their farms and are trying To
get living some other way and let
farming rest.
II the town is too large and the busi-
ness cannot be done properly at our an
nua town meeting, divide the town and
let the south side take its original name,
Bloomfield. They will have the shoe
factory, wooden mill and OiclOth factory,
and the property on the island should be
divided between the two towns. III
there are any men in town who feel they
have outgrown the town and wish TO
live In city, let them move out and
give place for those who would like TO
live in town. Everybody knows that a
city is a very unhealthy place to live,
especially in hot weather
Every town which has been incorpor-
ated into city and governed by city
laws. will tell you that outside of the
city proper, their taxes have increased
very much. Ask the farming portion of
the cities of Waterville and Augusta, or
any other town who have been incor-
porated into cities, and they will tell you
their taxes have increased since The
| REPORTER stated a few weeks ago that
the "Bacheller Bill" was "A good thing
to be let alone, and probably nine .tenths
of the people in town think so.
A. RICHARDSON.