The Somerset reporter., 1906-03-22
Mem orinl= Hall.

| idhA IIddg OFVbibBi ~ "oo fOADd " ~
cept the use of the rooms at the Public
brary building as voted by the town
at its annual meeting on March II. A
committee consisting of S. J. Walton.
Edw. Wilson, James p. Thompson,
Chas Smith and Jefferson Savage were
appointed to confer with the trustees of
Bloomfield Academy regarding the mat
ter. The academy trustees met at the
library, Tuesday afternoon, and appoint
ed Isaac Dyer, L. W. Weston, Geo. n.
Page, Z F. Danforth and A. X. Butler
to meet the committee from Russell
Post and the conference between the
two committees will take place at an
early date.
The article in the town warrant of
March 1889 and the vote ON same, under
which Russell Post bases its claim to
the use of these rooms, are as follows:
To see what measures the town will take,
If any, to procure in the Library building to
be erected the present year by the trustees Of
Bloomfield Academy room IN memory of the
soldiers and sailors OF the war of the Rebel
lion and raise or h re a sum Of money there
fore to be paid by installments OF otherwise
as the town may direct.
Voted to raise the sum Of $1,000 to build a
Memorial Hall in the new Library building
and voted that the seleetmen be committee
to act with the trustees OF Bloomfield AGA /
envy from year to year
The original amount beqneathed TO
a., A
a public library for the town of Skowhe-
was 930, 900 The trustees found this
sum insufficient to build the building
and leave a fund that provided for its
maintenance, even on a most economical
basis. 1t was therefore proposed that
the town should make an appropriation
and 5000 was raised as indicated by the
above records. The trustees built the
building at an expense of something
over $4,000 They included in it's arch
itecture memorial figures in the win
dows, the name, Memorial Halr as a
part of the decorative work ON the front
of the building and caus- d a tablet to be
set in one of the lower rooma recording
the names of $50 residents of Skowhe
gan who enlisted in the armies of the
North, with the following inscriptions:
"IN HONOR OF TIE MEN OF SHOW
IIEGAN, who served their country on land
and sea, in the war which preserved the
union, destroyed slavery, and maintained the
constitution, to whose memory the greatful
town, erects this tablet and dedicates this
room in its public library
The Academy Trustees have held that
the dedication of this room, the inscrip-
tions on the tablet and the other me
mortal features of the library building
comply with the intention of the town
AZ expressed by vote of the meeting of
March 4, 1889, and that they were not
warranted in extending to Russell Post
any privileges in the use of the building
other than those enjoyed by all citizens
of the town of Skowhegan.
1t is now maintained by many of our
citizens that the vote of the town above
referred to did not reserve to the town a
control of the building sufficient to
make effective the vote, passed at the
recent town meeting, authorizing Rus
sell Post to take possession of the men,
orial room or other rooms in the library
building. This view is upon the sup
position that the town voted the $4,000
for Memorial Hall, that the hall has
been provided, and that sole control of
the library building is vested in the
trustees of Bloomfield Academy.
The claim of Russell Post is that the
town intended, when it made the five
Thousand dollar appropriation, that the
Memorial Hall should be for the use of
the surviving soldiers and sailors of the
war of 81 TO IS, that the vote of the
town on March II last was simply to
direct that its original intention should
be carried out, and that the town has
authority to make such a vote effective.
AS this is a matter which pertains to
our public library it becomes of great
general interest. The revenue derived
from renting the rooms on the second
floor of the library building has amount
ed to something like $3.50 annually
which has applied toward the mainten-
ance fund These rooms also fill a
place in the social life of the town that
could hardly be duplicated as they arc
admirably adapted for the meetings of
the various literary clubs and similar
gatherings If the contention of Rus
sell Port is sustained the rental of the
library parlors for the purposes mention
ed would be interfered with, perhaps
rendered entirely impracticable, and the
revenue therefrom largely reduced or
altogether wiped out.
The board of trustees of Bloomfield
academy is made mp of men in whose
judgment the town may safely confie
They may be counted upon to render a
decision which will be just to Russell
Post and hich will properly safeguard
the interests of the town.
Somerset Town Meetings.
CONCORD, March I9-Moderator, Elwin
Berry; clerk, E. q. Nittum seectmen, F. O.
Vittum, {. N. Robinson, 5. G. Ellis; treasur
I u A