Evening star., 1932-05-25
TAX TROUBLES '|RK
CAPE COD VILLAGE
Mashpee owes $4,000
Loans and Seeks Annexa-
tion as Solution.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Arithmetic and politics have turned
eskew the future Of this venerable In
dian town on the Cape until no one
now knows what will become OF it. 1t
is an embarrassment to the common
wealth, tribulation to itself, and, un-
kindest of all, unwanted by Its rlch
neighbors
In the old Town Hall recently Ed
mund A. Amos, town clerk, rose from
his place ON one of the hard-pine
benches and walked to the front OF the
room. He leaned against the platform
and looked at the three gentlemen
from Boston-the district attorney, the
State secretary and the State auditor,
who are the commission studying the
towns intricate affairs.
II know YOU gentlemen think" he
said, that there is no one here capable
of governing the town"
Most of Mashpee's 36l voters were
before them. They were zealously try
ing to save the isolated, woody. bleak
little town that has been the home OF
their ancestors since Richard Bourr<
a missionary. persuaded the Plymouth
COLONY in 1860 to set aside tract OF
land on the South Sea- for the Pray
ing Indians.
Voters Fill Benches.
The voters filed the bare benches,
clustered around the stove In the rear
and leaned against the green walls OF
corrugated tin. A crowd OF sonber
Young men rested against the rail OF
the small gallery and watched the Keen
featured Amos plead for them.
Frederic w. Cook, secretary OF State;
impressive in a cutaway coat, remlnoeo
his audience tactfully that 1t was the
To
tect Mashpee
we can't tell from the figures. ne
said how deep the ruts are from Whlch
YOU win have to pull yourselves. Or
whether you have strength enough:
In reply to an optimistic speech from
Howard Frye, chairman OF Selectmen'
Theodore N. Waddell, State auoltor,
gently called general attention 10 tne
fact that Mashpee owes more than
500 ono in tax loans; that 1t mas no
annarent means of meeting the obllga-
lions: that it collected only 40 per cent
Of IFS taxes last year, and tnat us
trouble seems to be largely IN us IN
ability to force the collection OF IaAes.
Furthermore, the outstanding teili.
porary loans exceed the taxes 10 ue
collected, and its series OF loans la. uar
almost weekly until August !. A iornhei
srnas,'rer auie of the town is under tndict-
nent Two bonding companies nave
heen sued. And back taxes yet 10 Dc
collected aggregate a large sum.
At a town meeting the other Gay
Yarmouth decided that it would be pet
fer for Mashpee to retain us I~lulVIuu- ~
oIitv Rarnstable is of the same opln-
ION Sandwich is willing to assume a
small contiguous portion.
Guards Individuality.
Most of Mashpee, however. is Taololy
anxious not to let even tnat snnau poi
ton leave its ancient boroeIs. ~, W, ~
is conscious Of its indiViouaHtN. any n 20
f1ercelv anxious to keep 1t. Msre lnall
ono of it's citizens hint that there mas
heen nolitical corruption enough to sug-
eest a Seabury investigation.
This is a small town Cyrus Ed,
wards. former tax collector, said ana
we're all related. SO there are an sotts
of oIlarrels and jealousies. It's family
affair ;o. =. ;s
cnt off from the rest of the Cape ny
long stretches of woods. 1tS natlVeS
are intensely proud of their tradltlohs.
Many still bear characterStlcs Oh tile
Indian. Tradition tells OF later settle-
mentS of discharged Hesslan sololels
In Mashpee Village itself life centers
around the entry Of Mrs. Flora Amos
house, which is the post once; the
Baptist Chapel across the way, the yel-
low schoolhouse, and at the foot OF the
main road Irving Oakley's general store.
Mr.. Oaklev is the nephew OF the late
Sol Attaquin, who owned the hotel OF
that name. Oakley was guide to the
famous Mashpee streams and Wooos III
the old DAYS, when President Cleveland,
Joe jefferson, the actor, and Gov. Rus-
sell went there.
He remembers, he says. when Coy.
Russell sat by the fire in the Attaquln
Hotel and lit his pipe with SlO DILL
President Cleveland, he remarked Was
not a good conversat1onallst.
When he was chatting in his store
before the town hearing boy came IN
and said that he wanted five gallons OF
gasoline for his car. Oakley told MN
to take the pump handle from the front
porch and help himself. The boy re-
turned and said that he wanted quart
Of oil. He was told to take what ne
wanted.
Recalls Champagne Days.
The storekeeper is not interested par
t!cularly in politics. He likes most 10
think about the old times, when people
came down from the city with baskets
full of champagne bottles, and business
was not so pressing that 1t prevented
them from enjoying themselves. In
those days the wealthy and great peo-
pie we're more common and ordinary.
II was born on feather bed during
the last year of the Civil War he said
"and it was in the merry month OF
June. Since then I've been guide 10
presidents, governors, judges. lawyers,
ladies and thieves. And my religion IN
all those years has been to trust people
if they trust me. If I see that they
don't trust me, then they'd better watch
out. I'll gladly I'M them.
Mrs. Lowell, The mother OF MI
Lowell who's president of Harvard, gave
me dime once. She was driving up to
her gate. and l ran to open 1t. Ihree
other kids were with me. Mrs. Lowell
called me over and gave me the dime:
and told me to give cents to each OF
the little boys with me. keep cents
for myself and give her the cents
change
The Loweus were a very wealthy
class even when I was a boy. They
were nice and common and ordinary
like.
so were the Coolidges. They used
to dive by in their carriages and throw
handful Of coins at us.
"Oh, YOU can't imagine what the old
DAYS were like! When people used to
come down frcm the city in tally-hos
for the week end they used to bring
enough champagne with them TO last a
month
(Copyrieht 1882. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance, Inc