Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-02-01

dent.
PRAYER by Rev. A. Francis Walsh OF
Augusta.
Journal Of previous session read and
approved.
PAPERS from the House disposed of in
concurrence.
From the House: An Act to amend
Section 20 of Chapter SO of the Revised
Statutes Of 1916, relating to Sunday
hunting and fishing. con motion by
Mr.. Hastings OF Androscoggin. tabled
for printing pending reference to the
committee on inland fisheries and
game. in concurrence)
From the House: H. D. IS, An Act
additional to and amendatory of Chap
ter FOG of, the Private and Special Laws
of 1907, relating to the West Branch
Driving and Reservoir Dam Company.
In the Senate this bill was referred
to the committee on interior waters
and sent to the House Cor concurrence.
| The House referred the bill to the com
mittee on judiciary, in inconvenience.
! Mr.. sGILLfN OF Penobscot: Mr., Pres
iGent, and Senators: / beg your inuul-
gence for few moments while I ask
THAT the Senate insist upon its original
action. I introduced this bin for the
West C:'arch Driving and Reservoir
Dam Company, al the request OF its
representatives. AS 10 the history OF
lit, gentlemen. Will give YOU a birds
| eye vicw OF L; IN 1904 the entire Ban
.or Interests. comprising every single
; mill ::por tlc r:ver. and every land
owne~ in i'enol?scot County, was rep
! resented at that legislature by myself
with other counsel.
! We got together with the Great
Northern Paper Company and had a
commission appointed, the records of
which appear here. That was a public
commission appointed by the legisla
ture of 1901, taking under Amusement
the water powers and all the rights of
the different parties on those waters.
| In 1908, to be brief, those same inter-
csts came to the legislature of Maine
! and could not agree, and both parties
submitted the great questions involved
10 the committee on interior waters. 1t
is no exaggeration to say that the con-
! fict was millions piled up against MIL
lions. In other words, the charter
which you will find in 1908, every line
of it was examined by myself and
agreed to by council for the Great
Northern Paper Company and the
West Branch Driving and Reservoir
Dam Company and the down river in
terests. And the great fight was made
before the committee on interior wat
ers.
/ Now. then, while I presented this
measure by introducing it and putting
7 hi, @l,n<
it should so to is back to the commit
tee on interior waters. because there
will be hearing on this measure. We
have steering committee here-no, I
will call it a committee for the assign
ment of measures, a disinterested COM
mittee. and they sent this measure to
what I believed to be the proper COM
mittee to which it should go.
It may be. CENTER if it undertakes
to take away any public rights which
belong to individuals on that river or
the mill owners. or the industries above
or below, that I may oppose the ulti
mate passage of this bill 1t is mat
ter TO be taken under careful advise
! ment.
Why take this bill from the commit
tee on interior waters and send it to
the judiciary committee? There are, so
far as the legal part of the matter "
concerned. there are lawyers upon the
interior waters committee who stand
equal to any lawyers in the State Of
Maine. With them you have. men of
practical experience who understand
tho situation, men who are graduates
OF the great university of nature. There
is one distinguished gentlemen in this
Senate for ArCostook County, and
from Houlton, where l was born, who
knows all about this matter. I under
stand from the papers that they claim
the West Branch Driving and Reser-
voir Dam Company had the right to
take by the power of eminent domain.
They die not have that right as gen.
orally UNDERSTOOD We agreed to the
charter in the interests of the conflict
ing rights.
Chief Justice Wiswell. Beecher Put
n3m, and the distinguished gentleman
senator Burleigh from Houlton, were
on the committee and they awarded US
$l3c,GC0 for the value of the property
which the West Branch Driving and
Reservoir Dam Company took.
FROM the ince ption Of the conflict
with those intererts, down to this time,
this great question between those great
conflicting interests has always gone
to the committee on interior waters.
whore ] believe it ought to go. And
where we placed it when our rights
were in hazard, and we wanted them
we selected Mr., -Rusleigh for the prac-
ticai experience he would give to the
Chief JC@tice OF the State, and Mr..
Putnam. for 1 knew those services
We're invaluable.
Now, gentlemen. there is not any
reason under feaven why YOU should
take this measure away from the COM
mittee on interior waters and send it
to the judiciary committee, of which I
myself Pm member. I may want to
toppose this very measure in the inter-
ests, of the clients I have represented.
every mill owner, every land owner
on the Penobscot, if there is anything
in it in conflict with public rights on
the great river that flows from one
tenth of the watershed of the state to
the sea. I don't want 1t before nv
committee. do not think our COM
mittee. with all due Difference to them.
is any more competent to consider this
bill than the two excellent LAWYERS IN