Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-25

doubt in the mind of any senator in this
chamber that the old company did rails,
their rates, and afterwards take then
back?
| read to You from their circular Of
| April 49, 1901, the last time this question
was debated, showing that the old colnpa
ny raised their rates. | read from The
company's circular of June 7th where they
| Withdrew tier rates after they round tht
new company had come into the city an li
| individuals of the city in order to NEE
| the requests of the citizens; and since
that time something which L did not have
| at the time of the discussion, | have here
in the Waterville Mail of Saturday, june
%. 1861. The company raised their rates
| on April 20, 1901, two months before this
| explanation was offered by the manager
| of the old company, and two months af-
ter Mr.. Eaton and Mr.. Wyman had come
into the city and made their contracts
to light the city for period of five years
| Fear in mind the order of it. The old
company raised their rates April 20, by
that circular. Eaton and his company
| came in and made the contracts; then on
| June 18th, this is what the manager OF
the old company says in regard to his po-
| sition. The article is headed Electricity
Supplied" Superintendent Patterson OF
the w. & r. Co., talks for publicatio Il:
| tins article the superintendent OF the old
| company says: ION April 18th last, a cir
i cular letter (Which is this one which ]
hold in my nanO was sent to customers
Of the Fairfield and Waterville Union Gas
and Electric Company which was intended
| from the statement on the first page, for
| the purpose of placing rates and placing
| business on basis which shall be just
| to small or large contractors for electric
ity, power etc. Such being the declared
| intention of the companies one is very
| much surprised to find that the rates pro-
posed would have accomplished exactly
| the opposite results. The superintendent
| of the old company who made the rates
states in his explanation that one is very
| much surprised that those new. rates
! which their company had established
would have accomplished exactly the OPP
! posite result-that is. would have raised
| them much higher than they would have
expected. The only explanation which can
pies, etc. they didn't fully understand
| how to carry out their expressed inten-
lions. We therefore dhe old company
say that we feel that we owe our patrons
and the public generally an explanation
and apology for the mistake that was thus
made" The old company stands up Ia
public and says, after MI. Eaton and NJ.
Wyman had come into the city and made
arrangements to invest their 10000 or 49,
600, that therefore they feel that we owe
our patrons and the public generally an
explanation and apology for the mistake
that was thus unwisely made"
Mr.. WING of AndroscoSsin: Who is
that from?
Mr.. GoOnWIN: Mr Paterson.
Mr.. WING: Does he sign it?
Mr.. GOODWIN: 1t is not signed. 1t is
simply in quotation marks.
Now the old company have reduced Its
rates by circular on April 2Jih and EATON
and Wyman have come Into tie. oi.y AID
invested this capitalize old company
goes to work on June 18th and by another
then. makes the statement l have read in
Il public newspaper. Action similar to that |
provided for in this bill has been taken in |
relation to other interests during this |
session of the Legislature, so that it is not
without parallel. | ask you. in all fair
ness, to leave this to the people of Wa |
terville. If there are those in this cham
Der who feel that a two-thirds vote is too
small, L stand here deliberately and say
we will make it three-quarters vote If
you ask tor it. If all the people of Water |
Vile demanded this, would you still turn
them down? If you say a nine-tenths vote
We will take it, Are we to stand against
we get to that point, we have absolutely
taken from the people the right of govern
ment and invested 1t in an oligarchy. the
liberty OF the country i itse @ Is at stake
local matter. The leading Republican pa
per west of Lewiston says of it: 1T is to
be hoped that the Maine Senate will yield
to the stand which the House has taken in
the Waterville electric matter" The peo
pie of Portland felt it keenly enough when
the law prevented a new electric light
company from entering the city; and the
Senate is refusing sanction to service
that already mas the approval of the State. |
Wherever this matter has been discussed
in the papers it has been universally de-
manded that the Senate should yield to the
request of the people of Waterville, and
notstand by. what We all know. If we are
true to ourselves, is the influence of the
most powerful corporation in the State of
Maine-the Maine Central Railroad. Now,
| want also to present this other amend
ment which, if you insist upon it, / will
offer l am going to put the Senate upon
record, if possible, III refusing one of the
f&irest propositions | can conceive of. The
bill provides that the MesSalonSkec Com
pany may sell, distribute and supply cleo
tricity in the city of Waterville, the town
of Oakland. Fairfield, Benton and Wins
low Fairfield, in my own county, has
been here with its representative citizens,
asking Tor the passage of this Act. Every
voter in that town interested in order tn
they can build their electric road-but |
will strike out of this bill the towns of
Benton. Fairfield and Winslow, and will
offer this second amendment, which
strikes out those towns from the BILL so
that the charter of the new company Will
not allow them to go into my own county,
though my. own people are praying for it
not go into the big town of Benton, and
Winslow-but will reserve that territory
exclusively for the old company-and then.
senators. what will be the effect of your
Act? Simply to give to the Messalonskee
Company the right to do business where
they are already doing it in the city of
Watervile and in the village of Oakland.
Is there any fairer proposition we can
make? And, / say to the senators and to
the president, that when you vote to re
cede and concur l shall immediately-ifl
mediately offer this amendment. There is
nothing of trickery about this. You can
vote to indefinitely postpone the bill at any
time; and [ will ask now the unanimous
consent to call up the bill and propose
these amendments. and j ask unanimous
consent to take from the table the bill w.
ing there and offer these amendments to
The same.
Mr.. WING of Androscoggin: Mr.. Pres
ident / object.
Mr.. GOODWIN. There is objection. MI.
President; but if we will vote to reccdc
and concur, / still will offer these amend
ments, leaving to two-thirds of the people
to say il they shall have this charter. and
striking out the towns of Benton. Fair
neid and Winslow. You can gag us on
the amendments, but you will never gag
the people of those three towns so hui
what they will express their opinion some
time and somehow, in the future or tn
present. ~ -
Mr.. WING Of Androscoggin: Mr.. Presi
Gent mad supposed this matter had bee
carefully considered and gone over thor.
ousnly-perhaps not fairly for the ole
company. 50 called but enough so that tn.
senate understood the situation; but /,
seems TO be necessary to carefully pfepara
'Eeeches to be delivered with great earn
estness and force and great ability in or
Ter TO again bring this matter which ha.
peen decided twice adversely, to our con-
slueraIlon realize that the time of ia =
is not favorable for listening. 1t Is a time
When Who a ra h.tV