Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-26

| believe that, they would never call a
| town meeting, for that purpose: 1 be-
lieve the citizens residing within the
limit of this corporation will never have
| a chance to vote on it. Again it may
| be called at any time. These and other
reasons which the gentleman from Au-
burn (Mr. Wing) suggested yesterday
| render in my judgment this adopted
! amendment entirely 'nugatory; 1t prac-
tically kills the bill Now do you want
to have the town of York back here two
years hence and try again at THIS thing?
Haven't they fought long enough? Isn't
| it about time to divide them?
| AS to the proposed amendment offered
| today / agree with the gentleman from
| Camden that it should be limited to
| those who are. not paupers under
guardianship and who are p years of
age and over. l believe that is right.
| And pray tell me why those who have
built up this place. who now are seek
| ing the improvements and who now can
not get them. should not have chance
| to express themselves upon this qucs-
ton? 1t is for that reason that they
| who desire to see is go forward and see
| it developed now come before YOU ask
|
| the old town stand still. ] think il
| would be well for the State of Maine to
| give one honorable monument to Sir
| Ferdinand Gorges who did so much to
| found the State of Maine | hope the
| amendment offered by the gentleman
| from Augusta, as modified in the line
suggested, may prevail. l see no reason
| why women, who have put large sums of
| money into summer cottages there,
| should not have a right to express them
| selves upon this one question. 1t is not
a question of eecting officers or of tax
alton. it is a purely statutory matter,
| and l submit to any lawyer in this
| House that upon those matters the
| State has a perfect right to prescribe
| conditions. The supreme court of this
| State has so held. Those conditions
seem to me fair. The conditions. pre-
| scribed in the amendment which you
| adopted are eminently unfair. do not
| say that they are knowingly unfair. /
| say they are so absolutely Inadequate
| that the result will be that you cannot
accomplish the purpose which you at
| tempted to accomplish yesterday. T
hope, if either amendment is to be ac-
cepted. the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Augusta will prevail.
lApplause).
Mr.. COUSINS of Standsh: Mr.
Speaker: The gentleman from Port
land (Mr. MarshalD says he hopes il
either amendment prevails that the one
offered by the gentleman from Au
guSta will. | do not think that either
one of them should be considered. |
- -. 49,
be submitted to a referendum | am
satisfied from the information I got
by going through the town of York
a few days last fall and seeing the
conditions that exist there, that there
never could be any more division that
exists at the present time. We tried
to hold an agricultural institute there
but they We're not interested in agr-
culture, they We're interested in York
bridge. There has been q gentleman
round the House for a few days who
had Il plaster on his neck and he in
formed me that he had a boil. That
boil last night came to a head and
broke This bridge was the boil that
has troubled the town of York for a
number of years and it came to a
head and broke: now we want to give
some medicine for it. Uaughter). The
conditions of the town Of York are
such that you cannot harmonic them.
They are growing father apart instead
Of coming nearer together BY divi-
sion you will promote harmony in
stead of discord. ! am informed that
half of the valuation of this proposed
town of GorgeS is owned by non-reSI-
dent taxpayers, and about one-third of
them would be voters ii they We're
residents of the State. Now ] do not
believe in q referendum where only
about half of the people can express
their opinions and desires. If this
Legislature does not separate that
town they will be in two years again.
| do not think that the next Legisla-
ture will be any better qualified to
act on it than we are now and | think
this matter should be settled by this
Legislature and not leave it for those
people to quarrel over for the next
two years because they will not be
satisfied. These people who ask to
be set off are ready and willing and
anxious to assume the responsibilities
of this bridge 1t was built at their
request, it is for their benefit. They
do not want to burden the other part
of the town with any of their trials
and tribulations. They are wealthy
people, they want modern improve
ments and inventions and they are
willing to pay for them. II this was
a small town with q couple of hundred
thousand dollars of valuation it would
be one thing but here is abU1t three
million dollars of property m this
town and it would not be a burden but
it would be a benefit to both parties to
divide it; and | hope that this Legis-
lature will feel it their duty to act on
this matter and act right.
Mr.. PATTANGALL: Mr. Speaker:
There are certain questions in con-
nection with this case which we have
settled. The Legislature has voted
that on some condition or other they
will divide the town of York There
is no need of discussing that. The on
" thing left for us to discuss it seems
to me is in what way the question OF
final decision Of this ease Will be sent
to a portion of the people of YORK.
The gentleman from York yesterday
proposed to submit the case to all the
voters and the Legislature decided that
that world he unfair He then pro-