[Thanks to Linda Smith for transcribing this chapter]
CHAPTER LVIII.
Marshfield Items.
Temperance has always been the prevailing sentiment in Marshfield for many years. For a quarter of a century or more it has voted "no license," except last year, 1900. And then the license element was defeated by a vote of the town being passed immediately afterwards, to make the license fee one million dollars, and also voted to appropriate $5,000 to enforce the law, but the chief obstacle that prevented the liquor dealers from obtaining a license was that the Board of Selectmen would not grant a license, and hence the town was practically no-license.
A representative to the General Court from this district represents five towns. At present it includes Duxbury, Marshfield, Pembroke, Norwell, and Scituate; the district is called the Second Plymouth Representative District. Republicans are largely in the majority throughout the district, and at present Mr. Charles N. Gardner, of Norwell, represents the district in the Legislature.
Before the South Shore Railroad was built, in early days, Jedediah Little ran a public chaise, a two-wheel vehicle, from Marshfield to Boston, to accommodate the traveling public. He was a man of considerable nerve, and upon one occasion his leg was so badly injured that amputation became necessary. While the surgeons were arranging matters in an adjoining room for the operation, Mr. Little was telling stories to some one by his side, and when the surgeons entered to prepare him for the operation, he looked up and said: "Oh, yes; I had forgotten you," and they proceeded with the amputation without any more words.
A Mr. Hatch followed him in the passenger service. After