The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1819-07-20

IS MADE oil course, the land then Is sold to
individuals /; the proceeds of the sale put
upon interest, which with the tuition mo-
ney, from two 10 Ave dollars quarter, paid
BY the Students, makes the compensation
ior the precePtor.
The board Of The students is at our acade
mics from two to three dollars a week-be-
side ihe tuition and board, are other necessa-
| ry expenses making, on an average, about 80
dollars quarter, expense Tor lad at one OF
our academies Now l ask what common
farmer, mechanic, trader, or professional man
in Maine can afford 10 educate his children at
this.rale ? Not certainly one ;:a ssycnty. Our
wild lands, then, which have been given
away, township after township TO the value
OF hundreds of thousands OF dollars have not
benefited the above classes OF people one cent.
| Ii, instead Of this, our Legislature had pursu
ed the course, which has been adopted by
soHe OF the States, the result to the common
and lower classes OF people would have been
different indeed. Had the Legislature sold
the lands (Which they might as well have
done, as the individuals, trustees of academies,
10 whom they were granled) and vessd The
proceeds in a fund, to be called School
fund, the interest of which should be annual
" distributed among the several towns in
Maine for the support of6well educated school
masters, then indeed, would the common and
lower classes of people have been benefited !;
then, these people might indeed have been
relieved OF part, at least, Of these taxes. A
mode similar TO this was adopted by the stale
of Connecticut and New York, and from
which, very great good has been derived 10
poor people.
Instead OF such Encouragement, as to our
lands, 10 case OF separation, Il is believed our
Legislature would pursue very different
course one similar to that, adopted by the
aforesaid states. If we should wish to accu
mulate state fund for public utility, how can
i; be accomplished, but by sale OF the pub
lie lands-these have made the public wealth
of the state of New York and Pennsy lvania
Indeed know not of any other public prop
erty, but that, created by taxes upon the peo-
pie, except public lands. It's well known,
that dollar, or sixty seven cents per acre, is
the usual price, for which the trustees of our
academies sell their grants OF land--Our Leg
islature may surely get as much for it, as in
diyiduals can. Admitting our half 10 be only
millions, Git must be much more) at only
SO cents per acre we have fund of mil
lions of dollars, the interest of which is
l6O, 900 dollars to be sure, the land cannot
all be sold at once, but they will, even at first,
sell Tor more than % cents per acre, and the
price will be continually increasing. might
here rest, as having fully made out my second
point viz. that Maine is sufficiently sceaidsa
10 maintain government Of her own
But Mr.. Printer, would go step furth-
er. In your last paper an opposition
wilter has called names--peimlt nae In
respectful manner, 10 call a name, and
very respectable one too. mean that O.!
Gov. Brooks. After the Governors re-
turn from his eastern tour last summer az
inlimaie friend asked him wss' ne 'housh'
Of the District of Maine. HIS Exceiiehcy
replied, tf Sir, have been much deceived
respecting that section OF our State. 1
don't say, it has been done designediy )
but at any rate, ] have been Oery nlHcD
deceived." How Sir, asked his friend
|" We have been told replied his Exceilen'
cy" Their hoSerty, their frozen eounsry'
their state q starvation &c yet, adds
he, have travelled in most OF the N En-
gland states /; have been much IN the
state Of NewYork and other OF the Onited
States but have never travelled the same
distance oUer contiguous trace q country IN
any STATE, which gave greater evidence oil
all the necessaries, and many OF the COM
forts and conyeniences of life, than that part
of the District of Maine, which have lale-
ly visited in short MIR. NJ" says the Gov
ernor," | have NOT words to express my
agreeable disappointment, and sensations
on this subject. The District OF Maine Is
destined, in very short time, to be the
back bone Of New England, the ireland OF
America" need not add, that Ireland has
not more territory, than the District OF
Maine that the land there is generally, in
state Of nature, far inferiour to the laad
in Maine; yet Ireland contains more, than
five millions cf lnhadifGnts.
Further listen to an extrsc, from the
report of the Separation committee on this
subject, tho, ofour resources. This repors
is from the pen OF gentleman OF that
CON mil,se belonging to Old Massachusetts.
and who, TO say the least, has no pertisiities
in our favour. Maine exceeds In terri
tory most Of the States her population is
probably three hundred thousand. In
wealth and commercial Importance she s9ossd
nov hold an h0noura6le rank. There is >
great extent OF sea coast with cohaciosss Bays
and large naviga6le riUers. More than one
a 80, - he tnnane nf The IInifsd Sfaits