Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-05-26
DOUBLE COUNTY.
Continued from page ~

between the people of Bath and of
Brunswick have grown so intimate of
late that socially and commercially
they are almost as one city. Bruns-
Wlck'S population is less than four
teenth of that of Cumberland county,
while it would be more than u sixth
of SagadahOc enlarged to the prOpor-
tions outlined in this article. conse-
qu"ntly the political influence of the
town would be vastly increased by
changing her allegiance to correspond
with her interest and affiliations.
Brunswick touches Cumberland county
only on the west, while Sagadahoc ex-
tends along her whole eastern and
northern border, and if Brunswick were
in Sagadahoc, Harpswell would not
touch Cumberland at all.
There could not be better time than
the present for discussing the project
under consideration, for Portland is
making an effort to have Cumberland
county build her Il new million dollar
county building as an ornament and
addition to the park system, and nat
urally Brunswick, which could secure
no benefit from it, is not anxious to
share the expenditure. She can es-
cape it by coming into SagadahOc,
which is free from debt and has a court
house large enough and good enough
to accommodate the business even of
a county double i'm size for many years
to come. a building which has recently
been entirely renovated and put in first
class condition.
If the annexation of the fourteen
towns enumerated to Sagadahoc were
accomplished Sagadahoc would be
gcratly benefited of course. Her pOpu-
latiOn and area would be more than
doubled and her valuation only little
less than doubled, and her influence in
politics and at the State Capital would
be proportionately enhanced. Bath,
as the political as well as the social me-
tropOlis of "A prosperous towns, would
naturally derive great material benefit
and enhancement of prestige.
Should Lincoln be divided, as pro-
posed, between Knox and Sagadahoc,
one of the oldest counties in the State
will cease to exist when the act making
the change goes into effect. York
county embraced the whole of Maine
when Massachusetts came into control
of the territory which now comprises
Jul w ltU. III 1IUU. ! uillDtlluIu
and Lincoln were set off and incorpor-
ated, the latter included the Kennebec
valley and practically all of the terri
tory east of that river. Lincoln in 1889
Parted with part of this territory to
form Hancock and Washington coun-
ties, the latter of which included Pc
nobscOt, AroOstook and part of Piscat-
aquis. Eleven years later Kennebec
county was set off. AndrOscoggin and
SaSadahoc We're formed out of Lin
coin towns in 1854. and when Knox was
incorporated in 1860, it also got a slice
Of Lincoln which has retained since
but a shadow of its former greatness.
If the latter is dissolved. it will there
fore lose its identity in two of the
counties to which it gave birth.
As all of the transfers of property
in SagaGahoc prior to 1854 are record
ed in the court house ut Wiscassct the
removal of those files and records to
this city which would follow the an
ncXation of the majority of the Lin
coin towns would be a great convent
cnce to the Inhabitants of this county
and would constitute by no means the
least advantage which would accrue
to Bath from the deal.
The present is an excellent time to
discuss the important changes thus
proposed in the geography of Maine
since the Legislature convcnes, next
winter, and if the changes or any of
them are desired the Soons can
promptly authorize them or at least
place the question before the towns
concerned for some action by them.