Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-05-16

irrespective costs which impend In the
repairs of the Gardiner and Randolph
bridge next year.
Our highways are In q deploraoie
condition, but this condition 10 nos
confined to the restricted area OF .
quarter of a mile on Water street,
nor can this outside work be more
than superfieially .done%by distribute
ing 5000 loads of gravel and ooVo
gallons of oil.
dustriously circulated that my activi-
ties in this matter are, due to the
fact that am the paid attorney Tor
the Electric Railroad, Let me say
that this lis absolutely false, have
no. financial or professional interest
in this road. = I am not directly or
Indirectly employed in this matter or
any other matter as its attorney.
2. AS to the claim that this refers
endum has held up everything IN
every department Of our CITY except
emergency work and the continuance
of regular salaries" That this is not
SO. the voters have only to look at
the work that has been done on sum
mer street that is being done on
Brunswick avenue and the purchase
of O new road scraper and an auto
mobile for the street commissioner.
The assessors are now doing their
work, it will not be completed Tor
weeks. The collection of taxes Will De
due September LIST, and long before
that time, and Immediately after the
election, If the petitioners and their
friends vote NO, and defeat the APP
preparation Bill, a new Appropriation
Bill can be passed and the city's work
completed without ripple.
3. AS to the justification or the
city government in not submitting
the three questions proposed by the
petitioners and ~anding' out, whether
the citizens desire street lighting, re-
surfacing Water street or the install
lation of a fire alarm. have this to
say; the city government were well
within their rights in refusing the
request Of the petitioners. and relying
or their superior judgment of what
the city needs irrespective of wheth-
er the city can afford the cost or not,
but is it wise to ignore such re-
quest of the citizens Mr.. Goodspeed,
speaking Of the city government, says
in substance that for 900 citizens to
ask that the expenditure of $500 to
Us NY NIC ,CANS SOfVA
to q vote is absurd. Better resort to
town meeting for q decision of
expenditures and abandon the city
charter. Well, the city charter grant,
ed this privilege to the citizens. The
city government, as / understood it,
took an oath to support the city char
ter. Why. are they SO scrupulous in
refusing to put these three simple
questions to the citizens because they
were acting in strict compliance with
the charter. and are so rebellious
against the citizens asking them to
conform to the charter in other re-
spects.
The CITY charter. with its initiative
and referendum, clauses was design
ed to give the voters the privilege Of
having something to say in the con-
duct of the city affairs. 1t was franz
ed so that where a large community
could not get together, as in a town
meeting. the voters might have some
control over the acts Of their SER
wants who made up the city govern
ment. This may have been unwise,
| the election of common man to the
city government may endow him
with superior wisdom but so long as
the right is in the charter, We the
we Uo law yeIc,
and merchants or tenants or poll tax
payers have a right to use that
privilege and the members of the city
government must obey, however irk-
some be the task.
I did state in South Gardiner that
the expenditures of 1924 are likely to
| reach the great total of $241,000. L
repeat it. If the Appropriation Bill
carrying 100000 is passed., and
there is added to that the revenues,
which come from the state and which
| will be in 1924 $4,000, and which the
Mayor has stated were not included
in the Appropriation Bill. then my
statement is likely to.prove true.
Why does not the city government
state specifically that no money will
be appropriated for Water Street H.
Illuminating, is it because the promo
ter of this subject says that there
will be extra illumination and he
has more influence over the city
government than the citizens? Why,
IL the CITY government have a con-
structive plan carefully work out"
of what should be done on Water
Street and how much 1t will cost,
don't they give the names of their
engineer and his estimate of the ex
pense? Why don't the city govern
ment publicly announce how much
they expect to raise the taxes, and
increase the valuation which valua-
ton when once increased Is never
lowered unless there is a destruction
Of property.
AS to the proper method Of re-
shrfacing Water Street, / will admit
my ignorance of the technical work,
but ] will add that the method of
taking the paving blocks up and
building the sewer. having the water
and gas mains put into conduits, or
back of the stores. and then filling
and allowing the frost to act upon
the street for q winter and the next
year to carefully fill it and re-surface
1t was made upon the statement of
the man whom / regarded as an ex-
pert on such work and that was, Ma
jor John w. Berry of Gardiner.
In conclusion let me say my only
desire in undertaking the thankless
task of bringing this subject matter
to. the citizens of Gardiner was to
interest the voters in the public af-
fairs of the city; to arouse their in
terest in their welfare of the city
and not allow them to sleep at the
switch, while the special privilege
train was being run. over the track.
1t has aroused interest. There is no
need of this effort arousing any ami
mostly. 1t Is important to everyone
to know whether taxes and valua-
tions shall increase. It interests
everybody. 1t especially interests the
consumer. 1t is of vital Importance
to the poll tax payer who indirectly
as q consumer has the burden Of
the taxes to bear.
If you wish the Appropriation Bill
to stand, vote Yes; IL you are against