Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-02-22
A CONTINUED STORY.
Judiciary Committee Hears First
Chapter Of Bar Harbor Auto Story.

"ulIHiHS jlOnS It's clFCnItOuS ROADS
and precipitous drives, appeared Tues
day afternoon before the committee on
judiciary and entertained everybody
except the ant -automobile contingent.
Most Of the testimony for several
hours was set To music, but at times
tre vocaiistS got slightly off the key,
especially during tho -cXamina-
lions.
The Southwest Harbor road was ia
ken care ot by compromise, the peo-
pie of that town agreeing to the Pref
" Marsh road in return for a prom
iso rot to nut upon them the burden
Of q contest
Tho mum proposition. the opening To
automohile travel Of q single ROAD
from the Narrows To within half II
rlile OF tho Ear Iiarhor post office. was
presentno by T.. y. Benson of Bar
Harbor He reviewed the history Of
tho Automobile legislation and de
,lared the referendum &c two Years
aeo was in such form that the peo-
pie were compelled To close all the
roads or leave all roads unguarded
He was of the opinion that such q
referendum with the millionaires put
ting the screws on the people and til"
traders mounted 10 nothing. He said
tie people were tol0 before the law
was adonted that Il il was passed the
island would boom. cottages would
bc built and land sold. He was in
n position 10 show that nothing o.
the sort had taken place. He said
that il vas represented that Mt. Deser'
vas an island. hu, he maintained that
il was ~ more of IN island than Man
haitian or East Eos ton.
lIn denounced tho exclusive act aS
class iegieia ton and said that il led
old peunle To come there, tn" claSi
tina, have become rich by taking :;
few cents out of -our pocket and min"
every tIile we've bought little sugar
a little steel, little piece OF hoef-
steak. n a littl" coal" We're glad
To nave them conc" ne went on, but
for Gods sake don't let them own
us after they get here"
Mr. Benson in closing offered 10
let tic opposition draw up n sub
stitutc biil; to SGT the date when
the bill shall talk effect in October,
and said that George y. porr Of Bos-
tor hoDed 70 build a roae exclusively
for automobile tr,Vol
Mr.. Dorr being called upon said that
he thought one roat should be opened.
He was cross examined by Hon. Lucre
r. Daasv, counsel fer the remon-
strants. who read extracts from soN-
era, letters saving that the writer's
would move away if automobiles were
Admitted. and asked the witness Il he
thought the writers meant what they
said.
William NJ Roberts of Bar Harbor, the
proprietor of the Newport said that the
effect of the auto-eXclusian act was tn
reduce the volume of his business. In
answer to n question from Mr.. Deasey as
to whether or not he had an automobile,
the witness replied that he had, but that
it was If necessity kept 10 miles away.
W. H. sherman of Bar Harbor read q
letter signed by 80 horse-owners' which
contained threat to make Bar llarbor
too hot to hold him if he didn't stop agi-
tating for auto travel. He stated that
the original of the letter was in the
hands of the county attorney and would
receive proper consideration later. He
the opposition as Il lot OF
mllionaires" and made
reference TO an alleged subsidized news
paper
Mr. Benson next punched 13 witnesses
contractors. storckeeperS, proprictors of
boats. liverymen and other tradesmen,
and had them stand in a row. They
stated one after another that the auto
exclusion had injured their business. The
witnesses thus called were Eugene Mar
son. Capt. Kellum. IL. T.. Wakefield Nj.
G Foster Reginald Ingalls,. Fred Small.
II. F. Emery, ". B. Pierce, DR.. Wood,
julius Kerson, Andrew Liscomb. Lester
Garter and Fred Carter.
DR.. George r. Phillips thought. very few
men ever wanted the island thrown open
TO automobiles and there had never been
any sentiment in the town in favor of the
machines mp Ia within two years. Now,
however, thcr" j. decided sentiment
against the LEGISLATURE taking hand
and making regulations for the island.
I'VE will see To it," said DR. Phillips
after quoting from a Phillips speech on
slavery. that We can have AT least one
road in our town where il can be decided
in town meeting whether we can pass
over it in wheclDarrows. dump carts or
automobiles" DIR. Phillips in reply to
Mr. Deasey said he thought the town i'll
self should decide about the use of its
own roads
John Bunker Of Bar Harbor. one OF the
Selectmen OF the town for nine years. was
the next man to testify. He was asked
by Mr.. Benson if his service had been
continuous and he replied that there had
been some interr,lntioDS
Mr.. Bunker thought that the agitation
over automobiles could be settled by open
ing one road and that would be salts
factory to all classes. He believed n
large fund could be raised to build sec
tons of roads to be used in connection
with existing roads SO as not To interfere
with pleasure drives. One open road
would not be an ideal condition but il
would satisfy the growing sentiment in
favor of automobiles. During the past
few years the population has fallen off
and the valuation has not actually in
creased but has been raised by the as
SCISSORS to keep down the tax rate. Cen
eral business does not seem to he gaining
much. Some 90 cottages We're not rented
last season. Predictions that if automo-
biles We're barred there would he an in