Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-05-06
Referendum Not Needed.
Bangor Commercially

The Commercial has just learned
that a petition for referendum on the
act passed by the last legislature to
permit the legal voters OF Mt. Desert
island to pass on the matter of exclud-
ing automobiles from the island. has
been started at Bar Harbor and petit
tons are being sent out to automobile
owners of the state for signatures.
This move is made agreeable to the
provisions Of the so-called initiative
and referendum law submitted as an
amendment to the constitution by the
legislature of 1907 and ratified by the
people at the September election in
1908.
The desire to invoke the referendum
on this Mt Desert measure would
seem under the circumstances to be
uncalled for as the law itself provides
for a referendum of the matter of ex-
clusion to the people Of the island, a
matter that affects them very
materially as was set forth deliberately
during the legislatures consideration
Of the bill.
There probably never has been law
enacted by the Maine legislature where
the arguments for and against the
matter were so fully brought out at the
hearings as was the case on this mat
ter before the judiciary committee last
February. Owners of automobiles
were induced to send in petitions
against the passage of the law but
many wrote afterwards that they were
not opposed to the exclusion from the
island provided the question was left
to the legalized voters of the island to
decide. which was one of the main
provisions OF the law The automobile
owners of the state were represented
by able legal talent and the matter
thoroughly gone over. All auto
mobilists and many attending the
hearings as well as members of the
legislature generally were opposed to
the enactment of any law that would
restrict automobiles from any through
highway of the state but where as at
Mt. Desert it was acknowledged that
it would be but the dead end of any
route to be arranged, different condi-
tiOns obtained.
1t will also be recalled that when the
matter was pending that petition Ut
500 of the legal voters of Eden (Bar
Harbor) was presented as favoring the
law while only 200 were among the
remonstrants and Notwithstanding that
the latter were so ably represented and
their contentious SO fully discussed the
committee by unanimous vote recon-
mended the enactment of the law
which was finally passed without a
dissenting vote in either house or
senate.
1t was made clear to committee and
legislature generally that there was
not room for both automobiles and
horses at the same time on the roads
of the island and until a large amount
Of improvement to the highways can
be made it would be absolutely danger
Gus to life and limb if common use Of
the highways there We're permitted.
1t is fact that most of the high
ways on the island of Mt. Desert are
narrow, hilly, circuitous, many of them
along precipices and turning around
overhanging cliffs at sharp angles Il
is generally admitted by automobilists
that motoring on such highways would
be dangerous for themselves as we'll
as for occupants of carriages drawn by
horses.
These being the conditions it would
seem that it is not for the interests of
the automobile owners of the state to
interfere in the matter and put the
state to the expense of a referendum in
view of the fact that the whole mat
ter is so small one. No general ques-