Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-02-17
The same Senator thereupon moved

the adoption of Senate amendment A.
Mr.. UPPER of Lincoln: Mr.. Presi-
dent: AS 1 understand that there is
| to be some opposition to the adoption
| of this amendm ant, l would like to say
| \ few words to the Senate. The bill
that is introduced is to repeal chapter
| 443 of THEFT reads: Public Laws
but it is private and special laws of
1901. Chapter AS OF the private and
special laws Of 1901 is an act by which
Roothbay Harbor is allowed to hold its
annual town meetings in January.
| This bill that is introduced here, in
section 1 repeats that section is
simply that the act shall take effect
when approved. The amendment that
I offer perhaps I would better read, so
that it may be fully understood. The
amendment proposes to strike out sec
ton . in this BILL AMI insert the fol-
lowing section: AT the annual town
meeting to be held in January. 1906, the
legal voters of the town of Boothbay
Harbor shall be called urOn to give
| their vote upon the acceptance of this
act. The vote shall be taken upon
written or printed ballot, and shall be
an answer to the following questions:
|
of 1905, entitled, An act repeating chap
| ter 443 of the public laws of 1901 rela-
ting to the annual town meeting of
Boothbay HarIor be accepted. Thosa
| in favor of the acceptance will vote
Yes; Those opposed No. So much Of
| this act as authorizes the submission
| of its acceptance to the legal voters of
the town of Boothbay Harbor shall
take effect upon its passage, but it
shall not take further effect unless
accepted by the legal voters of
Boothbay Harbor, by majority vote
given upon the acceptance, as herein
| provided"
BY this amendment, you see, gentle
| men, we simply ask that this matter
| may be referred TO the voters of Booth
| bay Harbor. We are asking nothing
more. This is not an appropriation
1t is nothing that concerns any man
| outside of Boothbay Harbor. If on"
people can have q fair and I'M
partial vote on this question
they will be satisfied. and it VIII
| settle this matter for all time:
but our people VIII never be SATISFIED Il
| this bill is passed, and they DO not
have this chance to vote upon II. ohtll
| four years ago we neld our annual
meeting in March. 1t was not very
| good time for our people to hold
meeting. A large number of our voters
were away.
AS YOU probably know, we are stu
| ated on the coast, and large number
| of our people get their living from the
/ ath nl11a a
time in the winter. The most of the
year they are away. Take, for IN
| stance, our election in September when
| so much work was done by both par
| ties to get out a vote in total. We have
a total number of $50 voters. We were
| able to get out $50. Two hundred and
| fifty voters could not be be reached in
September. What is true in Septem-
| Der is true nearly all the year outside
! of January. These people are at home
| in January. Many people had express
| ed a desire to attend and take some
| part in our annual meeting who were
! not able to be there in March. COM
| mittee from our town came before the
Legislature four years ago and we had
! this bill enacted. 1t came up at our
/
| town of Boothbay Harbor voted, by a
| large vote, to change the annual town
meeting to January, one man only vOt-
| ing against it. The bill that was franz
ed and which was presented to the
| Legislature, provided that the Act
should not take effect unless accepted
| by the voters in 1902. so that in March,
1902, this matter again came up before
| the voters of our town. At that time
we had committee appointed. and
referred this matter to that commit
| tee, to hear all of the evidence for
and against 1t. That committee held
| a meeting. heard all parties interested
and brought in a unanimous report
| that we should accept the Act of the
| Legislature of 1901. The Hon. A. r.
| mittee. l was somewhat surprised,
| this morning, to find the honorable
| gentleman, experimenting the dist.i-
button of circular letter to the mem
| hers of this Senate making light of
the very act which we entered into
with his advice, he being one of the
| moving parties in the matter; and,
gentlemen, l anticipate that hereafter
| lie Will De known by the name, in his
town, by which he signs this circular
letter "(Miss) Booth i. Arbor;" and I
think it is a very pretty name for a
man so tickle minded as that.
| When this matter came I'D in the
town meeting for the report of the
committe, we voted by large vote.
only one man voting against it, to
adopt the report of that committee We
voted to accept the act and to hold our
annual meeting in January. We have
held our annual meeting in January
from that time until the present. This
year it seems that some others took up
this matter and interested themselves
and got up n petition to have the meet
ing changed back. One hundred and
twenty-one voters of Boothbay Harbor
signed that petition. We admit that
there were III voters who could attend
that meeting just as well in January
as in March, and just as we'll in March
as in January. 1t is not for that 121
voters that this law was passed. Those
people went further than this; and had
an article inserted in the town war