Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-03-30

teen thousand dollars in many local
| tiles there. That is one reason. gentle
men, why certain interests in Rum
| ford want to kill this proposition. In
the whole town Of Rumford you can
not buy a reasonable lot for less than
| five to fifteen thousand dollars. Across
| the river, if this is opened up, the
| workmen Of that vicinity can make
| their homes, where many of them are
| now making their homes and paying
| from six to thirty or forty dollars
year for passage across this bridge. We
ask them not for $77O0-and say to
| you if their valuation was up to the
| town Of Mexico's valuation, they would
pay seven times under the act, yes,
they would pay more than Is times
what the town of Mexico would pay.
But we are not asking that We are
| asking for $4,000; and what Will that
leave for the little bit of a town of
Mexico to pay? $3.50, Of $3.50 more than
Rumford pays; or under the ACT, gem
tlemen. if you were working under
that and the present valuations were
considered. we are paying $4750 more
than we ought to pay in the town OF
Mexico. The town of Rumford is pay
| ing under its present valuation s27oO
less than it ought to pay. The county
Of Oxford is paying $3.50 less than it
ought to pay, and the State of Maine
under this act, $500 less than 1t ought
| to pay Now have we been fair there
in assuming this burden? Do you want
us, gentlemen, besides paying $1400 in
counsel fees to get the price establish
| ed, to go to work and have another
| fight over this and pay out some more
money? A good many Of us have not
got a dollar left to pay out, and we
| do not want to do it and l do not be-
lieve, gentlemen, that you want us to
do it.
| Now is it burden? If so, where is
the burden coming? We are willing to
assume that $3.50 or any part OF it,
and we do not want to have a special
town meeting to ask the voters about
| it either, because l know that my con-
stituents will vote for it, and l know
1t would benefit the people.
| Well, now, what about toll bridges in
general? Do you like them? When you
drive along to one and get held up, 1t
isn't much but it is nuisance ana II
is a disgrace to our present clVlilza-
ton; and l believe, gentlemen, that this
committee has worked hard and long
and has worked wisely and we'll Ihey
have considered it, gentlemen, lar
more than any voter will consider 1t III
the future and 1 say to them, and I
| say to this House, that I am perfectly
satisfied with their result and | trust
the amendment will not be adopted.
Now. gentlemen, l know that a lot
| of YOU have seen the town OF Rum-
ford and been in it. You know Its
beautiful buildings, know its good
streets and know that they have every
thing that they need without great
burden; and, gentlemen, if they were
burdened with taxes, they would ASK
these mills to pay a larger tax. 1heE
would ask the Power Company that
my brother represents and is manager
of to pay at least one-third OF what
they are worth, and they are not dong
it now. Why they have BOND issue
there of 100000, gentlemen-the
Rumford Falls Power Col am not
talking about the oxford Paper COM
pany now. The Rumford Falls Power
Comnany has a bond issue Of S2.00O,000,
and do YOU suppose they have got the
property to cover it? They have and
double that and they tax them $604'26o
Now is it going to be any burden II you
pass this without that referendum? IL
YOU think it is, put it on: but II you
think that the town of Mexico has stood
enough burden, and under this bill 1t
you think it fair that the town OF
Rumford should stand their part. then
put it to them straight and let them
take their medicine and pay for this
bridge and free it, 1 say to you. gen.
tlemen that / do not believe 1t would
cause blind man any eye strain to
see that the town of Rumford is not
burdened by paying $4,000 to free TINS
bridge and they are getting advantages
from it, gentlemen, because the town
of Mexico pays them their omney. The
town of Mexico uses their bank, the
town of Mexico gets all its heat, light
and power from the town of Rumford,
and the town OF Mexico after struggle
of 10 years and after burden of 23
wears comes to YOU and asks you to
stand with US and vote that this meas
ure shall go through without any fur
Their trouble and without any further
referendum or vote of the people. CAP
plause.)
Mr.. EATON of Rumford: NJ. Speak
err in order to correct statement made
by the gentleman from Mexico. Mr..
Hutchins, I desire to state that L do
not represent the Rumford Falls Power
Company in this House. / am repre-
sentative of the voters of Rumford.
elected by them and l am voicing their
sentiments when l ask that this amend
ment be adopted.
Mr. BARNES of Houlton: Mr..
Speaker, fortunately, there are always
at least two sides to any question. Now
the House will pardon me for speaking
for oxford County because ! lived in
oxford County from 1892 to 1911.
was county attorney for four years and
I took my job seriously SO l travelled
through a great part of oxford County
in many of it's devious ways. Occasion
ally l had business in Rumford, and II
we could not catch the rascal in Rum
ford we chased him across the toll
bridge and got him in Mexico; so l
know about the toll bridge.
Now, a toll bridge gentlemen, to a
certain extent is nuisance: but toll
bridge is a splendid thing compared
with a ferry. And do you know the
Androscoggin River? Do you know 1T
is wide big river and that it is crossed
at many, many places on ferry: 1t
! is only q few wears ago/that this bridge