Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-07
Consumption can certainly be cured.
Not al, cases, but very many. Ayers
Cherry PectOral is the medicine. Ss; :ss

| MIR. STCRGIS of Standish: Mr..
| Speaker. this bill has had Il very UNI
! fortunate experience. 1t has been to
| the committee and reported back TO
| the House ought TO pass, and then
| sone members of the House who were
/ opposed TO it asked that il be recon-
mited TO the committee on towns. That
| vas done: and although at least on"
| man who was opposed to it, Il member
of the House, agreed to come before
! The committee on towns and state ms
/ objection. he failed to do 50. The COM
! mittee assigned a day for Il hearing,
and then they made Il reassisnment.
/ and personally went to the gentleman
/ ANA asked him if he would go before
| the committee on that afternoon. He
| said he would. The committee waited
| Tor half an hour beyond the time set
tor the gentleman to appear. but he
did not, and the committee reported
back to the House that the bill ought
TO pass. Z
Now, Mr.. Speaker. this bill is in
tended to promote the better conduct
of municipal affairs. And every town is
not obliged to adopt this laW. The bill!
is permis:ive. II simply allows the
they see fit. | see no very great cbjec-
ton that can be urged against the peo-
pie having the right to say for how long
a time they Will elect their selectmen.
whether they will elect them as under
the present law for term of one year
OF for 4 term of three years, electing
one annually, and giving the people of
he towns chance to select their can
a 80.
SCISSORS ana overseers of the poor with
the understanding that they are to re-
main three years, and that they want
to nominate and elect officers only who
will he efficient. and not nominate, as
is done in many cases, one man who
will he the head of the board and the
practical board, While one or two OF
The other men are nominated for Y Ote
getting purposes, making Il board that
in many cases and in many towns is
rot efficient and really Il one-mai.
board. Now | believe if the people of
AIRY town see fit to adopt the provisions
of this act that they will understand
that the persons who are to be elcc,cd
are to serve the tOWn for three years,
and that it bchooVas them to be Very
particular in their choice Of select
men. assessors and overseers OF the
| poor. The office is an office of much
more Importance than is realized by ..
| great many people. The assessors as
sass the value of the property upon
which the taxes of the town, county
| and State are raised, and in {; large
| measure so far as the expenditure Of
The money raised by the town is con-
| cerned, it is in their hands; and it
seems to me that to run the affairs of
town upon business principles, would
be for its interests. No one will employ
| q man to run his business for him who
| has no experience. and then, AS soon as
/ he becomes of practical value. turn him
| out and under the present system tn"
! political complexion of Very many
1tcN-ns is Very close. People come here
as representatives elected by Il ma
| iority of only one. Nov. any man who
| goes in ana WHO is an efiit lent officer
of Il town. cannot do anything with
things which he thinks would be right
| and be again reelected, because i'll
| towns where it is rs close as that, if he
| t3eads upon any mans COINS they can
very EASILY turn him down by small
oo,nhina zion. The consequence is that
in many ways he has to i'm. He can
not do what is for the best interests Of
| the town. He has become 4 trimmer.
| I:ut # he were elected for three years
he would not have tn trim and he could
do business for the town in Il business
Hike way without being afraid of the
collls Of some of tire people he might
J tread on.
| hop" the motion to indefinitely post
pore will not prevail, and il II does not,
| have an amendment which ! wish to
offer: by addlnS to section |, after the
| last words thereof the following: Pro-
| yided, however, that any town which
| has awaited itself of the provisions
| hereof and elected its selectmen. over
seers Of the poor and assessors for
terms Of one. two and three years. may
at any subsequent annual meeting vote
to elect all of such officers for one year
longer. in which case the terms of any
IF srrh officers heretofore elected.
| whether for one. two OF three years,
shall thereupon cease.
N support of the amendment Will
say that there are very many Of the
members of the House who thought
that the bill was good but that if any
town had once taken advantage of this
! law. it would become an endless chain
and Their. would be no way by which
they could revert: and some people
have been very afraid that they would
still continue 10 get bad men on the
board. ard that once having got them
on they could not turn them down the
next year. So iii order to satisfy those
peopIe who were afraid of that part
of the bill. / offer this amendment and
| I move its passage.
Mr.. CLARK of Prospect: Mr.. speak
or This bill. amended as it is. is not
Of the value that it WAS before. in my
estima ton. Wnen you examine 1t you
Will find that at any election Il town has
| ,he right to vote to abolish this system.
after they are once in. Then what be
cores of the officers? They have an Of
iircr then that is elected for two years
and one for one year who will have 70
be paid any way. Attorneys that j
have consulted tell me that there is =
decision in a similar case. according to
which a man elected for a term OF three
years. whether YOU abolish this act at
any subsequent town meeting or MT.
will have to be paid for his full term of
three years.
7 AZ NOT lil,o tho ide.l of this act nv