Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-03-16
MAINE LEG STATURE.
CONTINUED from page 81

Will be affected Dy II, anu 'hSs w 49,
want to be affected by it. Here Is anoth-
err thing. When the State demands that
the town school should be supported II -
doing wisely. 1t might be said that ~ ~
just as wise to support free hish schoois.
But might answer that II might also "e
well to support a college IN every tow"'
but there must be "A limit somewhere
Are YOU prepared to say at TINS tihie
that the town must support free hish
school where the higher branches are
taught whether they want 10 or ho.'
7 boya In mind n town which will be ar
fac,ed by the provisions of this Dill. IL
;s a largo town in point of area 1t has
a v,,uation nv reason Of its area OF sur
dc;ert size 10 bring it within the pro-
visions of this bill, and within that large
town. gentlemen, there Is not Viiiase
MOVE ,h,p n cross roads where there is
store or two and church. Ihere IS
not n village in that whole town where
Won could say that any considerable pro-
norton of the population is gathered.
If>vou are going to support Tree hlSh
schools in the town, where are going l"
mt II? There are some practicai matters
| in connection with this question, seh'ie-
mo, that our rural friends are thinking
and talking over a good deal ! do not
want In he understood Mr.. Speaker ana
! gentlemen of the House. as impugnins
tho birh motives of the educational COM
m;,tea which Is one of the best commit
tees in the Legislature today. l say that
u;,hout any intention TO fiatter them, be-
cause 7 happen TO know personally me
members of that committee. i know inns
| extreme
investigate matters before Them and
saw do not impugn their motives IN re-
portinr this measure. Their object Is a
worthy one, to raise the standard OF IN
te,lisence in the State of Maine. l will
go with them just as FAR as can. III
his House wishes to go with them ! have
no objection. but do say that II you vote
for this bill, you vote to take out OF the
hands of the towns one more implement
of power which is supposed to be lodged
wholly in the people. You also say 10
them that they must have high schooi.
whether their financial condition Is snch
that they can reasonably afford 1t or not;
and YOU also say that in sparseiy set
tied town of large area so that their Valu-
alton brings them within the province OF
this bill, you say TO them that they must
support a high school. whether 1t can be
conveniently reached or not. / have no
interest in this bill beyond this, that
friends of mine who live in the rural
towns have spoken to me about this mat
ter and have expressed feeling against
the bill at the present time.
With this suggestion l fall in with the
motion of the gentleman from Sedgwick
tMr. SargenD that the time is not right
for this legislation. The motive is worthy
and the intention of the committee Is
good, but the time Is not right and the
conditions are not right for the passage
of this act, and l follow the suggestion
of the gentleman from Sedgwick tMr. SaT-
genU in the indefinite postponement o,
the bill.
Mr.. MERRILL of New Gloucester: l
wish to thank the gentleman from Wa
,erville tMr Philbrook) for extending
that compliment to the educational COM
mttee for l have the honor of being on
that committee myself. But the gentle
man from Waterville cannot talk intelli-
gently upon tins matter for he has never
been obliged to live in the rural districts
of the State. The rural towns of the
State are neglected as to high schools. ]
Watervillc if he can place his finger upon
any part of the statute books where a
compulsory law has peen a disadvantage
to the schools or any hardship to the
taxpayer? The law compelling the dis
trcts to abolish the old school district
system, worked well. 1t was a compul-
sorry law. And now if We compel these
towns that have a sufficient number of
oh 70 ri1r n
high school, it will be eXacting some con-
trbution from the rich man who is able
to send his scholars elsewhere. and the
men that have no scholars, that have not
an interest in the poor children. l hope
that the bill will be come law.
Mr.. MCPHERSON of Swanville:
hope the motion to indefinitely post
pone will prevail. l believe that every
town in the State knows better its re-
uuirements so far as the school system
is concerned than the State. i think
that this proposed law resembles TOO
much the road commissioner law that
we have just repealed.
Mr.. DAWSON Of Monroe: / concur
entirely with the gentleman from Wat
erville (Mr. PhilbroOk). l think myself,
as member from a rural community,
that the three towns that l represent
will be badly affected by this law.
There is no question but that the farm
ers of the towns that l represent don't
like to have this Legislature to come
here year after year and tell us what
we must and must not do. The gentle
man from New Gloucester (Mr. Mer-
RID said that the abolishing of the dis
trict system worked well. But tell him
that the farmers of the State of Maine
are not satisfied with it. Under the
district system we built our school,
| houses 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 commits
sioner 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 a law that is going to compel us,
whether we want to or not, to have
free High school, to raise money
Dat tn FOL