Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-20

a vote of practically two to one said VIII
lage decided not to put in system under
ownership. tliat we were pres
emit and took part In said meeting. ana
that the question was discussed at length,
that at said meeting A. o. Robbins, pres
ident of said Fort Kent Electric Compa-
my, stated that ne would have drafted
in the bill pending, in favor of said Fort
Kent Electric COMPANY an amendment
whereby said village corporation could
at any time within 10 years after the
completion of said electsicf system. take
over said system, at a price to be agreed
upon between said village corporation
and said electric company. ana that IL
price could not be agreed upon, three
iarbitrators would be chosen TO deter
mine the price that said village corpor-
alton should pay for same and we wish
to state that the vote of said meeting
was an acceptance of the terms of said
Fort Kent Electric Company, and was
AN expression of tlle wish of the voters
of said corporation that said company,
be given the necessary authority by this
Legislature to Immediately begin the
construction of said system; we wish to
further state that at said meeting the
said president of said company, stated
that he stood ready at any time to sign
a contract or option in favor of said
village corporation whereby said electric
company would obligate itself to sell so
much of said system as was necessary
to give said Fort Kent Village Corpora
ton good and efficient lighting plant
for $4,000, and we wish to state that said
FortAkent Electric Company has COM
piled with said promise and has exc
cuted and delivered to us an option or
agreement TO sell same TO the village
corporation according to the terms and
statements made by the president of said
company at said meeting, and we now
hold said. option. W a
And we earnestly ask the House of
Representatives to accept the report OF
the committed on said bill, and thus car
ry out the wishes of the voters of said
village corporation as expressed in said
meeting so that said Fort Kent village
may Immediately have a system 2of cleo
trio lights in said town.
We wish to further state that at said
meeting there was the largest attendance
of voters and Taxpayers of any meeting
yet held of said village corporation.
= t. A. ST. JOHN,
F. w. MALLETT,
DACITE DAIGLE,
Assessors of the Fort Kent Village Cor
poration.
We might perhaps have followed
our own judgment in this matter. gem
tlemen, and refer it back again to the
village corporation. We left the mat
ter to the people once and we had
their decision in the matter, and I
trust that the recommendation of the
committee will be followed and that
the bill will receive a passage.
Mr.. CROMWELL of Bangor: Mr..
Speaker, / am somewhat acquainted
with the conditions existing in Fort
Kent, and l will say that I believe
most of the people up there are ia
favor of this proposition.
Mr.. CYR. Mr.. Speaker. If the House
will bear with me l will endeaver TO
place the matter in a little clearer
light. know the gentleman from
Portland tMr. Kehoe) had no inten-
ton of misguidins by reading "a state
ment which he claimed was ASSIGNED
by the assessors. | have in my hand
statement of the assessors of the
village corporation who We're in of
| flee prior, to, March 14Lha This renort
is as follows:
To the Legal Affairs Committee of
the Legislature of Maine:
A meeting of the Fort Kent Village
Corporation was held on Friday. the
14th inst. One of the articles con-
tanned in the warrant was the follow
ing tenor: To see if the Fort Kent
Village Corporation will vote to gem
crate, distribute and sell electricity
for light and heating purposes.
One hundred fifty-six persons vot-
ed. and of these IS voted mo" and IS
voted YES"
It is our understanding that the
committee desired vote on this ar
ticle in order that il might ascertain
whether the residents of said Village
Corporation desired to own it's own
electric light and heating system, in
which event the charter asked for by
the Fort Kent Electric Co. was to he
denied in so far as it gave the righs
to do business within the limits of the
Village Corporation.
We say that the vote of the meeting
does not truthfully represent the sem
timent of a majority of the voters of
the Village Corporation, nor of those
paying 70 per cent of its taxes.
For use at this meeting a check list
was prepared. 1t was compiled from
the check list of voters used at town
and State elections, limited only to
those residing within the limits of the
Village Corporation, and showed:
Entitled to vote, go
Those actually voted num-
bered 156
Resnlt;Only 60 per cent. of those en-
titled to vote in meetings of the cor
poration participated in the vote.
This bears out our statement made
before your honorable committee that
many of our residents in the woods.
fair and representative vote could
not be obtained at this season of the
year. In other words 40 per, cent, or
almost half of our voters, were de-
priyed, without fault of their own. of
an opportunity to vote on a matter
vitality affecting the public interest.
The Vote Itself: A check list was
used. The Fort Kent Electric Co.
which organized the opposition to the
passage of the article. made use of