The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1899-03-23
The Free High School.

IN the House March 10Th Mr. Sargent of
Sedgwick moved that the bill for the estab-
lishment of free high schools and obliging
towns to support same be indefinitely post
poned This lead to d lively debate and the
motion was finally carried. Two of the Wal
do county representatives spoke IN apposi-
tion, and of Mr.. Dawson Of Monroe d corra-
spondeut says: "He made rafting speech
and was loudly applanded. 1t was one of
the fiery speeches Of the session" We quote
from the report in the Daily kennebec
journal as follows:
Mr. Nickerson of Swanville: | hope the
motion to Indefinitely postpone will prevail
| believe that every town in the State
knows better its requirements 50 far az the
school system IS concerned than the State,
think that this proposed law resem mbles too
much the road commissioner law that we
have Just repealed
Mr.. Dawson of Monroe: | concur entire
ly with the gentleman from Wateryille (Mr.
Philbrook). 1 think myself, as a member
from a rural community, that the three
towns that | represent Will be badly affected
by this law There is no question but that
the farmers of the towns that | represent
don't like to have this Legis stature come
here year after year and tell us what we
must not do. The gentleman from New
Gloucester (Mr. Merrill said that the abolish
ing of the district sy Stem worked we'll. But
| tell him that the farmers of the State Of
Maine are not satisfied with it. Under the
district system we built our schoolhouses
and had our schools, and we had better
schools then than we have ever had since,
and the people Were better satisfied than
they are at the present time.
You also gave us the road commissioner
law that made us sit beside the road, after
we got our haying done, and see somebody
come from some other district and do the
work with their hands and horses that we
ought to have been doing; and now you
come with law that is going to compel us,
whether we want to or not, to have free
High school, to raise money enough. But
am going 80 tell you one thing, representing
the farmers here, that we have not raised our
hand against education in any way, shape,
or manner, but we do say that We should
have the right the small towns of less than
a thousand Inhabitants, to say whether
we shall have d High school or not. 1t af-
fects us and nobody else. | hope that that
bill will not become a law, because if 1t does
it will be as obnoxious to the farmers the
road commissioner law or the abollshing of
the school districts Of the State. Those are
my sentiments, aud | believe they are the
sentiments of the people | represent.
Another thing: We have sat here and
seen you appropriate money for the diff
frent acadmes. We are willing that they
should have the money to teach the poor
boys. We have also allowed you to pass
bills appropriating money for the industrial
schools, etc, without saying a word in op-
position; but when it comes to telling us
that we must do so and so whether we want
to or not, that is not right; you ought not to
force such law as that. (Applause) | am
going to ask you now in all candor and
honesty if it is right to make me do thing
that | don't want to? The constitution OF
the U nited States and the declaration of in
dependence say that we shall not be uolest-
ed in our pursuit of happiness, provided we
don't injure any body else; and it seems tc
me that we have reason to protest against
this law on that ground Uaughter) L am
entirely opposed to a bill that is going to
force me and my town to do thing that is
obnoxious to majority Of the people. ZAP
plause)