Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-03-27

| Mace it places n double burden uron
them by not only making them mann
tain n Free High school. but aiso
obliging them to pay tuition TO Inc III
| ting schools of our State if any OF their
children wish 10 attend the those
| schools And it also wcakens the
schools in the small towns by taxing
| from them the talent, which IL IL were
not for this law would stay ut nome
and by so doing would attend sc'o'i
there and by their presence strengthen
the school and place it upon firm pase
so that every scholar i'll the TOWN. -
| benefited by this result.
| We are told that the law as 1t now
stands is in favor Of the poor boys ana
| girls Of our small towns. But such Is
not the tact, as it assists only those
| who are able to attend school away
/ from home, the well-to-do and the rlch'
against the poor boy and girl WHOSE
| parents are not able to send them
| from home, by not only taxing from
| them their schools by forcing Durdch
upon their parents that they are no.
able to bear. 1t is plain to be seen thaI
| if ever the act was intended 10 hc'p
| the noor children-which L DeAeNe 1t
was not, but only to help the acaoe-
| mies-it falls far short Of its purpose
ana should be amended to carry Out tiie
| intent and purpose of the law.
| The golden age of the country towns
we hope is in the future; that OF their
| degredation in the past. We must 10.
take from them the right TO grasp ana
profit by this golden age by dlil2ehce
ana honesty Of purpose. The childrSh
| Of the country towns are dependcht up
on YOU for their future glory ana eda-
cation. Be wise with them ana tiS1t
| them honestly. If you educate thefn
RIGHT end give to them the benefit OF
orr knowledge, they VIII be wiser tli,t'l
We. am pleading that justice be
done to these children and not pleading
for the grown-up men and women OF
our State. We have heard our apleS'
members of this House and they are
,blo men-men who stand high-plead-
ING before cur courts and whose repu-
totfrns have gone beyond the boundar-
les Of our State, plead the cause Of our
| ,.oilro,ds If our insurance companies.
Of our fish and game laws, OF or
hanks. of our wild lands, of our beat
tifuI lakes. of the referendum, OF beau
ltiru1 Portland. situated on CaSco bay, o.
Augusta. the. capital of the state the
county seat Of imperial kcnnebec, Of ing
orav sullirrel, of the deer and oi ne
dog. hut not one word for the 'bcneht
of the children of our country towns.
| And in conclusion let me say nat II
Won deem it necessary and are the
frinnd of every poor boy and girl VINO
attends school in the little red Schooi-
bouse situated in the vale and upon me
hillside from whose window the boy
can soc the trees bud in the spring anu
tho leaves Wither and fall in the IAN;
and TO sec the reflection of the summer
| SIN in our placid lakes and to DC ciiilie-'
NV cold blasts of WintCr-from foIl
Kcnt to historic kittcry, Il you HIT
willing and as ever ready u apITopIi-
ate money for their benefit as YOU Ii''
TO anprop,iate $50 900 for the UnlNcfsi'!
oe Maine. 49,, 600 for BroWntail moths,
So. 900 for propagation of hsh, Hi'''0'
} for the Sisters Of Charity, Lewiston,
s125 OCO for the Eastern Maine Hosl'ltdi
: s11 900 for the Central Maine Hospital
: ana now pending $500 to ascertain IT..
habits OF the wild animals OF Name IL
YOU are ready and deem 1t Wise 10 tP-
nroDriate your money ana my lio'iN'
: and all of ours combined the people ;
} money 70. the purposes, why no.
then, I say appropriate a lump sum ~
; rcct from the treasury OF TINS STATE ~
tbie nnrnose and not try to saddle a
doJbIo burden upon the country to"hS
Of our State.
Ac n native Of our small country TOWN.
and as q citizen of the good olu otdi"
, of Maine which we all reverence, ioNlh9
her institutions and her people. let me
beg Of YOU and beseech you in the name
Of the small towns, in the name OF hu-
manity and rugged honesty in the
name of these neglected children upon
whose neck rests the head OF thelf
stronger and more powerful nelgAbor,
that whatever else may be DONE Sc
to it that the children Of the snaii
towns. my children and the chAdrcn
of nv constituents and OF your cor
stituents, have the same rights ana the
same privileges and the same opPof-
tunities as the children of the larger
towns and Of the cities. L leave th1
children of the country towns III your
hands Deal justly with them.
Mr.. MILLIkEN Of Island Falls: Ir.
Sneaker. | am sure that the members
[ of the committee on education nave
no other desire than to do everything
possible for the interests and welfare
of the school children of the State,
II
! State. In connection with that | might
| say that nearly all the members OIL
| the committee come from small towns.
= The effect of the bill is simply to bring
down the standard which we have es-
tablished as to the grade OF hlgh
? schools. The standard is fixed. The OBJ
{ jcct Of this bill is to break 1t down
! and leave it where we won't have
} much OF any standard to go by. The
effect Of the present law upon town
| which is having a hard struggle to
Q maintain Il high school is to keep 1t
up to the standard grade. If il docs
; not, then the scholars Of that town
, may go to another town and their TIL
$ ton must be paid by the town where
: they live. There is therefore an IN
1 ducement for every small town to en-
, dcavor to maintain its school up I"
the standard. The result is, ii you
take away that standard and that IN
! ducemcnt, to reduce the grade and
l 1uualitV of the average high ScnOOl