Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-30
A Communication,
Editors Kennebec Journal:


read with much interest Mr.. Man
leys communication in Mondays
Journal. He thinks we had better
wait. He believes that two years from
now the legislature will give those of
us who are then living better terms
than we have got now. What assur-
ance he has of this. l don't know. 7
thought we had a fairly strong team
looking after the city's interests at
this session. They did the best they
could and I believe that they got all
the concessions from the Legislature
that any one could. Possibly others
could have got more. The meeting
was an open one. There was nothing
to prevent them from making the eff
fort il they had really desired to. We
got more from the Legislature than ]
expected we would. In fact ! think
we We're used pretty fairly and pretty
generously.
l dent think Mr.. Manley has fully
| considered the danger to life and limb
on this crossing. If he had I doubt
if he would have been as anxious to
| delay the work of getting rid Of it.
| have ridden more or less on the
electric cars for the past Is years.
never happened to sec Mr.. Manley on
one OF them I have ridden up and
down this hill in electric cars many
| times. I doubt if he has ever done
| SO once 1t is not surprising, there
| fore, that he should view the matter
a little more patiently than l can
Some day, il this crossing is contin-
ued, there will be an awful accident
| there Men and women and little chill
dren will be dragged from under the
wreckage, mangled, dead and dying
may be one of them, so may my Wift
Or one of my sons or daughters. Nc
one Of them. however will be Mr.. Man
ley. He won't be there. 1t is not sur
prisirg therefore that the danger at
this crossing is not the nightmare tc
him that it is to me. l think thOst
| who are fortunate enough to own ther
own teams and automobiles. should
not entirely overlook the welfare o.
| those who are not so well situated.
THE ELECTRIC CAR Is THE
| POOR MANS CARRIAGE. 1t is the
| means of transportation that must
| necessarily. be used by the poor man
and :he man OF moderate means. 1t Is
used bv the wives and children of those
VINO cannot afford to keep conveyarces
| of their own. When the inevitable
disaster comes they and theirs Will be
the victims of it.
In the face of these facts is it sur
prising that the plain people of the
city of Augusta are almost a unit II
their desire to do away with tins
crossing that daily and hourly threat
els the lives of those who ride in thu
electric cars-and that they want il
done at once. wait" in effect says
MIR. Marley. "Two years from now.
maybc. perhaps, possibly. we may be
able to get from the Legislature some
thing more, and something better"
say no. 7 believe we have got from
TIL, Legislature right now all we can
ever expect to get from 1t. n bl1fl ~
tic hand is worth a whole flock in the
bush. We would have been glad to
have got more: but We have got much
and half loaf at any time is vastly
better than no bread.
am aware that I shall personally
nav very little Of this comparatively
small sum In a city of nearly l4.ooo
inhabitants an expenditure of $4,000
means only a few dollars to the largest
taxpaver. To the great majority 1t rs
hut a matter Of few cents. And yet
the. man who will never be called upon
to pay more than the price of few
car fares for this great Improvement
NAV have an even greater interest In
doing away with this crossing than
the heaviest taxpayer. The poor man
ard man of moderate means, when ne
rides at ALL must use the electric car
So must the members of his family.
The heaviest taxpayer is able to
have his own private team or automo-
bile and thus he and the members OF
his family escape the danger entirely.
Fortunately one mans vote Is as
bio rs qnother's. and when the time
comes tire people who furnish seven
Fights of the patronage of the electric
cars will be in the great majority at
the polls.