Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-03-09

i,
Wlid' qua me town Of Rowland do. ana
90 unGrudE!ngiy ana without. .-ru,,,,-
ing There the PiScataQui5 river came
into the penobScot riynr NJ It,,,,,r,
1t WAS necessary in order to have tbat
''DilHcly settled. undeVclopod com
munlty developed to have a bridge
there across the Piscatauuis river Ia
the town of Rowland. with u valuation
To-Day OF S3o5,01, ana one then very
much less, about $lJ.oo0 were needed:
and that was a burden for that town
even upon Its present valuation 1t
was oi'2 times as great as il would be-
LOT the cities of Bangor and Brewer
70 pay the whole OF this $4,000 for the
approaches of this bridge. Is that
precedent 10 bind us in this matter?
Does that have any real bearing upon
The question At issue here? 1t must be
plain to senators that it does not, and
( that il cannot. Here IS the valuation
Of Newport. Bangor and Brewer 20
times rs much. $1,000 they put into
( bridges. l2l2 times as much according
! 10 their valuation as it would be for
! Bangor and Brewer to pay this whole
$4,000, ana yet this bill proposes to
/ assess them TO help them to make up
/ one-half of this $2i 900 which Bangor
ana Brewer are 50 abundantly abb"
10 pay ana ought to pay. Take the
! valuation of bradley, Sli7 203 The
! Bangor and Brewer valuation il l2O
! times as much That little town has
put $1,000 into bridges in the past two
years, spending Is times as much. ac-
cording to its valuation, as it would be-
| for Bangor and Brewer To pay this
whole $4,000 themselves, yet you pro-
pose that that little town shall help
make up half of this payment for the
Bangor and Brewer bridge and that is
one Of the five small towns to which
alluded the other day east Of the
| PenobScot which have to drive across
that bridge To go to market: ana Yet a
leading man in that town, an cN-mcnl-
! bcr of the Legislature, wrote To me the
other day that he approved Of the posi-
| ton | took in this matter ana that he
ana his people thought il was an ont
rage to make the towns ANA munich
puliticS of the county. who have To
support of their own bridges in this WAY
contribute the freeing of this bridge in
this rich community: and ] CHANGED to
meet leading man OF another little
town to which my friend from Somcr-
Srt has alluded over east there that
has to use this bridE" 10 come to Ban
gor. was prepared tn have him turn
the cold shoulder upon NE Il little AZ
not approving of what | had been do
ing. He greeted me cordially and said:
guess you are doing about right over
there And hc said nv was willing ~
pay his little toll rather than to have
hiStcNn brought intn this thing to help
contribute toward the freeing of this
bridge. 1t was Il matter of principle
with him as it is a matter of principle
with me.
Now. MI President as t. the prcc"-
dent-cight members of the PcnuusC"t
delegation out Of twenty within -Four
niles Of this bridge ana this C"ntoc az
wealth and population. and nine mem
berS live within five or six miles. II
YOU adopt the principle that ma
jority Of the delegation from amy
county iii this Legislature, Of their
own motion ana volition. without any
instruo ton before they are elected or
at the time of their clcction-Without
any discussion of the proposition III
advance. ana without any hearing. if
Won please. or with any hearnG-lf 4
mere ma jority Of the delegation can
report bill imposing upon county
large debt. compelling county ON
missioncrs to issue bonds for a large
amount for any purpose whatever.
without the matter being referred to
the people. without the people being
given any opportunity to be heard
upon it in any way whatever. You
have established a dangerous prcce-
dent Take that county of PenobSco
with eight members elected rs they
are. they would only have to secure
three more to give them g ma jority Of
| that delegation in favor Of any prnpo-
SitiOn: and, under such precedent az
this. no matter what the proposition
was it might be to pave with grant"
blocks one of the streets from Neazi"
line 20 Embden line, or from EddingtOn
to prrinGton on the other side Of tn"
river If they united upon il ana ST.
cured 4 majority Of the delegation.
under this policy. the Legislature
would have nothing to do but to say.
| let that sctt!" it. and vote The
authority to have this debt of burden
and obligation put upon the county.
ana tho people have nothing to say
about il whatever. This is the prinri-
| ne | am contcnding for: and stand
| upon it here. believing | am right.
| and knowing in my heart and soul
! that | am riGht-&nd if it is to be lis
associated from everything elsc-if
my friend from UP river does not re-
reive this $23. 90" towards this bri lgo
VINO fclt il would be no fair test for
him to oppose the appropriation for
any bridge under any circumstances.
! perhaps the delegation would have
stood upon it.
Then. there is the matter Of these
| petitions ana rcmunstrances. The
IrcopIc u there in his town rernon-
stratod We all know the position o.
ny friend up there in Northern
! Pcnobscot-Wc know he is the Satrap
of that whole community. We kroW
| his influence. He employs men and
| he treats them wen. We know h" is
public spirited in the community. ""
! know he is popular there. We know
! thcv VIII stand by him for anything
right or wrong; and when it became
n question whether my friend was to
he sustained in the position which he
lad taken Of course that community
1p there stood BY him, no matter how
embarrassing it might be to him i'm
/ JiyiJu1llT of course thew took back