Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-02-21
MAINE LEGISLATURE.


ton of the county commissioners is ap-
pellate.' audisO forth. Now, if a high
way or county way leads from one town
10 another. | want to know what it in
cludes in the meaning of the bill. If that
decision Of the court stands. any road
within n town city that doesn't lead
directly to another town would not be
included in this bill. l find also in a
Maine Report, Volume q, on the 9th page,
in tire syllabus of the case: I'm common
acceptation the term highway means pub
lie way" that is. in the common accep-
t3tion, but when used in statute its
import is restricted to county roads or
county ways unless its connection should
require some different construction"
Now. this bill says that they shall make
an inspection and list of the highway
bridges that are 10 feet or more in length
7 think it is very essential that this
House should know what highway is
whether these bridges that are to be built
by the State, taken out of the hands of
the town. are Only bridges that run from
one town to another or only on county
highways according to the devnitiOn of
the courts of the State. or whether it
means more lllIlk IL Is Il very iIIhlOI
tant matter. We have few highways in
our town. We have great many road
WAYS that do not lead from one town to
another, and a great many places where
bridges are built. l think we ought to
decide what this bill means before we
pass it. dt91Sl
Now. I simply wanted to say this: That
I think this Legislature. by the bills
which have been presented to it, is TAX
ing a long step towards Capitalization and
taking away from the people the right to
attend to their own affairs. If there is
any one thing which has made our gov
crnment strong it is the fact that we have
kept close to the people. Now. every
town in the State Of Maine rs republic
in itself. and has taken care of its own
interests and of its own affairs. And tho
bills that arc in this Legislature, several
of them, are calculated to take out of
the hands of these little republics their
rights to control their own interests and
place them in a central power. in the
State. to do that which the towns here
tofore have done and which in the future
they ought to be able to attend to them
selves
This IS all that I have to say on this
matter 1 am an old-fashioned fellow in
this regard and 1 believe in the rights of
the people and that the closer you keep
to them the better; and 1 would still like
to have my question answered, what this
bill means by a highway.
Tho SPEAKER-The question before
the House is to lay the bill upon the Ia
bic pending its passage to be engrosseC.
That question is not debatable.
Mr.. Tolman of Portland called for the
yeas and nays.
The motion was agreed to.
The SPEAkER-All those in favor OF
LAYING the bill on the table pending its
passage to be engrossed will say yes. as
their names are called; all those opposed
will say no. The clerk will call the roll.
YEA.-Allen of Mt Vernon. Allen Of
Richmond. Barker. Charles. Chase. Clark.
Colcord. Davies, Davis. Dondero. duncan.
Dyer. Edwards. Farnham. Farrar, tlah-
erty. Frost. Gallagher. Giddings Good
win. Gordon. Grinnell. Hadiock. Haskell,
Horigan, Jordan. JOY. Kendall. LaBree,
Langley. Leighton. Loring. McClutchy,
Mckinney. Merriman. Merrill. Merry.
Minahane. Montgomery. Newton, Dram,
Perkins of Alfred. Perkins of Kennebunk-
mort Perry of Fort Fairfield. Putnam
Reynolds, Scates. Skidmore. Skiliin. smith