The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1910-08-25

The savage attacks of Obadiah Gard
ner on the new common school-fund law
are believed to be due in part, at least,
to the fact that Mr.. Pattangall, the
author of his political undoing, was one
of the members of the committee on tax
alton which framed the bill and one of
its advocates on the floor of the House.
Mr.. Gardner was an advocate of the So
called Grange bill, which proposed
merely half mill tax assessed on all the
property and distributed according to
school population, and he claimed then, as
in his stump speeches today, that the
effect of the committee bill would be to
favor the wealthy towns at the expense
of the smaller and poorer towns Mr.
Pattangall disproved this, stating that
the committee bill gives to every poor
town in this State more money than the
amended bill would give it, and takes
from every town that loses under the
bill less money than the amended bill.
He gave numerous illustrations and cal
culations to prove this, and they are sus-
tanned by the actual operation of the law
Yet Mr.. Gardner keeps right on repeat
ing statements that have been disprov-
ed, willing to mislead the people if he
can annoy his arch enemy, the ubiquitous
and irrepressible Pattangall
In 1900, under the business-like admin
istration of Mayor Clarence O. Poor, a
new wooden bridge was built to replace
the old lower bridge at cost of 81, 095. :
90; or, with such incidentals added as fer
rying, tending lights, etc., total of ST.
504. SO. Under our present one-man city
government a contract was made this
year to recover this bridge and make
any needed repairs for the sum of 3d.
$50. Among the disbursements of the
city la st year, under the head of high
ways, appears this item: "Babbidge, H.
A., labor at bridge, 1928. 50.'i} Add to
the amount of this years contract and
we have total of 6,175. 50-only
S917.50 less than the entire cost Of the
bridge built by Mayor Poor. 1t should
also be taken into consideration that in
widening the drawer ten feet last year
the bridge requiring repairs and cover
ing was made that much shorter One
clause in this years contract reads:
"When the bridge is stripped any piling
or caps unsuitable shall be replaced by
Babbidge at the actual cost of labor and
material to be paid for by the city"
The amount of such extras, if any, is not
known outside of the parties interested.
Another clause in the contract reads:
''Mr. Babbidge agrees to furnish all
labor and materials, ETC." We are in
formed that he had made arrangements
to buy the hard pine through Belfast
man, but as he was not one of the mayors
followers the hard pine was bought else
where by city official. The contract
called for the completion of the work
ION or before July 10, $780," hut provid-
ed no penalty for delay; and, in fact, the
bridge was not publicly opened until
August Attn. Under Mayor Poor COM
petent engineer, Hon. Parker Spofford
Of Bucksport, was employed, the work
was carriedson under the supervision of
the proper committees and officials, and
there was not even suspicion of graft.
The bridge has stood for ten years true
to its original lines, and in making the
repairs this year not single new pile
was driven. A comparison of the cost
of the work ten years ago and today is
suggestive.