Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-02-13

ing question: "Of the 20 special road
resolves passed during the 18th Legis-
lature how many towns failed to ac-
cept the money granted to them"
He replied. 4 do not recollect just
how many. but there were less than
hafr dozen. and was due to the
labor problem on account of the war"
! then asked him, DO you think
any OF these resolves which were
passed were unworthy and were not
passed upon their merits alone?'
| He replied most cmphatically that
there were none and also stated that
the money was as iudiciously expend-
ed as any road money in the State.
Gentlemen. so much for the Justice
of special resolves.
In regard to the equalization fund
which the Governor refers to in his
message. l will explain. Gentlemen.
that IS d clause in the mill tax bill
which was passed two years ago. 1t
was at the request of the ways and
bridges committee that redrafted
this bill SO believe that | can right
fully speak upon this bill with some
degree OF KNOWLEDGE
The purpose of the equalization
fund as the committee understood it
and il was inserted at the request of
the Governor-WaS to take care of
such roads as the special road re-
solves now take care of from cases
that might arise during the year 1918.
If this fund proved to be successful
during the year 1913 We might add to
this fund ana eventually take care Of
all special road resolves under this
head.
/ Now. gentlemen. how was this
cqualiza ton fund used during the
past year: Every cent Of this money
was used for the five times clause and
the three town act and not one cent
was used for special cases, although
know Of one concrete instance where
there was an application for some OF
this money and there would have been
many more applications if this fund
had been generally known.
What assurance have we as mem
hers Of the ways and bridges commit
tee that this equalization fund will he
used in the future as we understood it
was to be used when the clause was
inserted i'm the mill tax bill:
Some one asked me a few days ago.
where did the money come from to
pay for the special road resolves
passed two years ago." replied
! that I did not know unless it was
taken from tho money received from
yis,t fir>,,r
asked the chief engineer in the high
way department and he did not know.
Immediately after the committee ON
ways ard bridges was named at the
beginning OF this session we held a
meeting TO organizes and at that time
We discussed the rumor that the Gov
crnor was not in favor of granting
any money for special road resolves.
Gentlemen. we took no stock in ru-
rnors. We wished to know the facts.
The chairman of the committee. Sem
ator Peacock. and myself were select
ed 20 interview the Governor upon
this question. We waited upon the
Governor and explained our purpose.
From him we learned that he was
not in favor Of granting money for
special road resolves and wished to
see the committee as whole. On
the following Wednesday morning he
met the committee and the result Of
that meeting was the same.
Last Wednesday morning the Ways
and Bridges committee was sum-
montd before the Governor. After
certain bills Of Importance. which
~, No
were discussed. the Governor referred
TO tho special road resolves. Senator
Peacock suggested as a solution
that We cXperI one third of a mill
which is in round numbers. s192. 900
and have this sum go before the peo-
pie to be known as the one third mill
special road resolve fund
The Governor refused to do this and
stated frankly that lie would veto any
special resolves that would come TO
him. We stated just as frankly that
W" believed that the interest of the
whole road program WAS ut stake,
tina, if the usual number Of road re-
solves were not passed we might fail
in any other appropriation deemed
essential and therefore we were very
sorry to say that We felt it our duty
TO pass the ordinary amount of spec
t ial road resolves over his veto if pos
sib'c.
The Governor said that il We per-
sisted in our action that we would
destroy his budget. which he said was
really his second message 10 the Leg
islaturc. and I replied that we had no
! desire to harm his budget. that if any
! harm should come to it, it would be
done by himself. I asked him what
was the purpose Of the appropriations
] committee. and he stated that he did
not desire to discuss the question.
!. In closing wish 10 say word for
myself as I was personally mentioned
in this message. challenge any
man to say that ] have not been per-
/ fectly sincere and honest in every act
and deed. both in this Legislature and
in the last. ! believe the passag, Of the
usual number Of special road resolves
! is necessary to deal justly with the
outlying sections which do not have
the direct benefit of our trunk lines
| where the bulk Of the highway money
/ is expended and the people living in
these outlying sections now will have
passed away before the direct bene-
! fit of the trunk lines comes into their
! town, and why should we living in or
near the ccnters and having the ad-
I vantage of the trunk lines say to the
! people on the outskirts we want this