Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1921-04-20


trade Monday evening, the question
of daylight-saying time for Ellsworth
was discussed, and a committee was
appointed to ascertain the sentiment
of the business men regarding it,.
The proposition is, if two-thirds of
the business men favor it, to ask
the city government to pass an ordi-
nance fixing notwithstanding time for
the city from the first Sunday in
May to the first Sunday in Septem-
Der.
The American is opposed to day
liaht-saving time on general princi-
pies, except as a federal law. and
even as a federal law daylghtsay
ing time has its failings. No one
can doubt the benefit the country
derived from the adoption of
standard time system; no one can
deny that Notwithstanding time in
spots destroys, for the summer
months, all that standard time ac-
complished. Standard time is sys
TEN; notwithstanding time in spots
is confusion. Standard time is con-
venience; Notwithstanding time in
spots is nuisance, and the closer
together the spots the greater the
nuisance.
We are opposed to daylight-saving
time for Ellsworth in particular be-
cause of the city's diversified bust
ness and agricultural interests, and
because of the confusion and annoy
ance it would undoubtedly cause the
permanent and summer residents of
neighboring towns with which the
city is so closely linked and upon
which it is so largely dependent in
trade. The agricultural communi-
ties are practically unit against it.
But this is not all. There would
be confusion and inconvenience here
at home. 1t must not be forgotten
that trains would still run on stan
,dard time. This means, if the US
nal summer schedule is observed this
year, that the first morning train
would not reach Ellsworth until at
ter o'clock by Notwithstanding
time, and the morning mail would
not be distributed until $50 or later.
There would of course be CORES
ponding delay in delivery of freight
and express.
If the business men of Ellsworth
want TO open and close their stores
an hour earlier during the summer,
there could be no objection. but
when they propose, on the petition of
two-thirds of them, or all of them,
to ask the city government to set all
clocks of the city ahead an hour, it
appears to us an unwarranted and
arrogant assumption of the right of
a minority to dictate to the entire
city, unmindful of the fact that the
city government represents not Main
street alone, but Ellsworth Falls and
North Ellsworth and West Ellsworth
and Bayside no less. They are plac-
ing upon the city government re-
Sponsibility which it may we'll pause
10 consider They are asking the
city government to pull out of the
fire chestnuts on which they burned
their fingers last year.
Mayor Foster had this broader
view of it when he asked that the
committee report not only those in
favor, but those opposed. He is
right. And the sounding of public
opinion should not be confined to
Main street, either. The city gov
eminent, upon which will rest the
responsibility, must act upon this
daylight-saving question with the
broader view of it's effect and it's de-
STABILITY for the whole city, and we
believe it would be entirely proper
and good business as we'll as courte-
sy, to take into consideration also
the wishes of our neighbor towns
with which we are so closely related
in business way.