Year: 1873

five thousand for Norridgewock and consider.


ably less than one thousand for Skowhegan


and 1t was by no means all matter of ex.


pense with them; if it was, why such tearing


work at the elections last fall, when party


lines were ignored and the people went for


TINS one question? They cared not what par


ty candidate belonged to. If a candidate


was ever connected with this matter for Nor


rldgewock he was elected. If he vas against
this matter going 10 the people he was not
eiected, and that 100 in a county where Grant
received about 100 majority last fall. They
TAX about its being party affair, most ridic
uious idea and hardly worth replying to.
There never was and never can be contest
more entirely free from party feeling or &C.
tion that this whole contest. Electing one
senator from one party and one Senator from
the other party, eiecting Judge of Probate
from one party and Register of Deeds from
tne other; and County Commissioner and
county Treasurer from the minority party in
the county. and every one who was elected
was known to be IN favor of referring this
mater to the people, and every one defeated
was elther known TO be against such reference,
OF OF else II was not known which way he was.


Whatever effect it had on party was mere
result, without any design in that direction on
Tie part OF any body, and whatever effect 1t
may have in the future upon political parties
VIII be mere result, without any design in
that particular on the part of any body. This
issue of allowing or not allowing the people
to vote on this matter is uppermost and fore.
most ana consequences as to parties turn up
as result, Just IS they may chance to turn up,


inns IS an old contest and it Is very desir-
able that it should be settled in such manner


as to be effectually settled; go as to leave no


annoying element up there to disturb the peo-


pie OF Somerset and future legislatures for


the next quarter of century as it has for the


last quarter of a century, and as il certainly


will do, unless there is submission 10 the
people. II may be in a different form, know


not whats perhaps division or carving Of


counties But il is very clear that disturbing


elements will continue its workings there.


until the matter which belongs to Somerset.


Is submitted to Somerset; then everything


would be quiet. If Skowhegan prevails be.


fore the people, then they will be content Of


course, and also Norridgewock will, and all Of
US; for We only ask for submission to the
people; the whole matter will be settled, and
settled peaceably, If for Norridgewock, why
the bill itself requires Norrdgewock to REIN.
burse Skowhegsn, so that there be nothing
unsettled to disturb any body; and there win
be left nothing to dispute OF contend about
and all will be quite settled. Is IL anv ebjec.
ton that it is interfering with legislation of
last year? Is it not as much the purpose ard
the business of the legislature to effect
changes in laws of previous legislatures as
business entirely new? How many acts have
been and will be passed this session, but what
change the laws Of some previous legislature?
Why, the very act Of last year upon this sub.
Ject, changed previous legislation to large
extent. Gentlemen, the act of last winter
was night directly to the reverse of the ac.
ton of, and directly in the teeth of no less
than six or more legislatures Of Maine, upon
this very question of shire town, directly up.
on TINS subject: one of which was the legis.
lature Immediately preceding last year.
They did not see any objection then, that il
was reverse ac'ion 20 shat of a preceding
one. But they saw it was a matter of more


importance why sof


The bill upon which you are about to voye
takes care OF expenditures and settles every
thing; it reimburses all expenditures made by
Sk0whegan. Ii we pass the bill it leaves
Skowhegan as we'll off as she was before the
removal from Norridgewock. Let us see how
1t Is about this. call your attention again
to the fact that if we prevail and the people
vote the shire town at Norrdgewock, this bill
provides that Skowhegan shall be made whole
thus call your attention a. this time to com.
pare and see If the act Of last winter dealt
out the same fairness and justice to Norrldge.
wock. Let us see. About sixty wears ago
Norrdgewock was made the shire, by act of
the legislature, on conditions that Norrdge-
wock, then ohly having Sss,0O0 valuation,
should pay $500 towards building court
honse, which was accordingly paid by thst
town, and also loaned at small rates Of inter
est, the balance Of money to complete them
for a long time Now the county has had
that $500 from Noriidgewock and also the
benefit of the interest upon it for fifty years,
which would amount to how much less than
$4,000? Not much if any>less than $780,
600; and there is net so much as whisper
about reimbursing them. About twenty years
ago an attempt was made by Skowhegan, and
soon after still another, TO obtain the shire
town; but failed in both instances. Eight
years ego they made another attempt, and the
whoie matter was referred to the people of
the county, in accordance with the expressed
opinion Of the Hon. J. S. Tenney, Chief Jus.
tice OF the Supreme Court for SO many years,
as the suitable mode of settling such ques-
tons, and now can there be found better
mode: 1t is the only mode that can settle IL
so that II Will not need settling over again.
Ihen again two years ago they tried it, and
were voted down. Not content with that;
but last winter again, at time when all sup
posed 1t was effectuslly settled, and so recent


y referred TO the people and voted down by
such an overwhelming majority, and no body
mlstrusting that any attempt was to be made,
they had selected their men in the fall, put
them In nomination, elected them, and then
presented the issue after the mouths of the
people were closed and sealed upon the
subject; true, they could demonstrate;
but not mistrusting Int what it would
be left to the people if anything was done,
they relied upon again voting it down by an.
other large maj ority; and therefore did not
demonstrate until it was too late to stand any
manner Of fair chance. And the legislature
supposed the people of that county were in
favor of it, as the delegation was almost unan-
imous in favor. But in a few days after the
passage of the act last winter, it began be to un
derstood that that delegation did not represent,
but on the other hand misrepresented the
county, and il was called up on motion to
amend or some way which raised the question
of submitting it TO the people of that county;
and the House went back on what it had done,
and voted almost or quite three to one to sub.
nit it to the people. And the Senate so far
went back on what il had done, as to be a tie
vote, and there the motion to submit 1t died,
leaving the law just as passed a few days be.
fore, and this last vote, too, after Skowhegan
had expended the money they now speak of
under that act Nov, as to Skow hegan's be-
ing central place in the county. Hereto
fore, while the only railroad in Somerset was
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