Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-03-25

to a degree that is beyond the under
standing or comprehension of people
who have not followed the a matter;
they come into Somerset County.
know, and they have sold a line Of
lightning rods which are absolutely
worthless. No doubt lightning rods at
a proper time and properly installed
are a safeguard against damage by
lightning. They have come into SOM
erset county and into all the other
counties of the State of Maine and
have sold lightning rods which are
nothing more than a tin tube with a
little bit of bronze on it, purporting
to be copper wire, as protection
against lightning. This matter came
before the committee and was care
fully considered, and the comnlittee re-
ported unanimously that this bill
should receive Il passage. There was
a letter introduced before that COM
mittee from one of the leading at
torneys in Somerset county stating
that he had go cases where the light
ming v"d manufacturers had perpe-
trated frauds upon citizens Of that
county. They went in there and sold
these lightning rods, and they had a
certificate which purported to reim-
hurSe the person on whose buildings
these lightning rods were put, if there
was damage by fire to reimburse him
to the extent of the amount which he
had paid for the lightning rods; and in
that guarantee there was a clause
which stated specifically that if any
alteration was made in the guara ntee
a n r1fn o. oh nl,tf ol
void; and those representatives is
sued to those people in Somerset coun-
ty certificate which purported to in
sure them against damage by lightning
to the extent OF $4,000 written into an
agreement in which it was stated that
any alteration in that agreement made
the agreement absolutely null and void.
l believe that there is a sufficient rea-
son why we should pass this bill at
this time, and l hope the motion will
not prevail
Mr.. PLUMMER: Mr. Speaker. I
don't know whether the gentleman re-
fers to me or not. He says he does not
assume to know everything about ey-
erything. and whether he refers to
the other members in general or to me
in particular do not know. I am sure
that do not know everything about
everything. do not even know
whether lightning will go better down
hollow tin tube or down a copper
wire; but ! suppose that a man who
wants to put lightning rod on to his
house should be able to find out what
he wants to put on. l do not feel COM
petent to say what kind Of a lightning
rod he will put on. 1 have got all that
/ can do to decide whether l want one
on my house or not, and what kind
Of a one l will have on, without both
ering the people of Somerset county;
neither do l consider it my business to
dictate whether a man shall have a
hollow TUBE or a copper wire or any
other kind Of a wire; let them do what
they have a mind to do. What bust
ness Is that to us who do not want to
buy lightning rods. AS far as light
ming rods are concerned, ! don't know
whether they are of any use on house
or not l know that in the house in
which live and in which I have lived
for almost thirty years, that house has
not been struck by lightning; and 1
know that before I lived there there
were lightning rods on the house and
1t was struck. I don't say that was
the cause of it, I don't know anything
about it. We are numbering the stat
utes with all kinds of propositions that
relate to a mans private business.
The gentleman from Bingham (Mr.
Dutton) has already. put on the table
here another bill this morning relating