The Portland daily press., 1864-02-10
Removal OF the Seat Of Government.


Removal OF the Seat of Government.
AS you have already announced to your
readers, the Resolve providing for the removal
of the Seat of Government from Augusta to
Portland was last Friday deieatedin the House
by vote Of 6S to GO. To those who have
been acquainted with Augusta operations in
past years-when similar Resolves have been
pending-the result was no surprise. Articles
either written or dictated in Augusta since the
Legislature convened have been sent to papers
in other parts of the State-then published,
and then copied into theRAugusta papers-to
deceive the unwary into the belief that they
speak tho sentiments of the people where they
were originally published | can assure the
Bangor Wing and Courier, and other papers,
that when they undertake to write articles
against removal they can never deceive any
body unless they cover up the Augusta "ear
marks little better than they did in one or
two recent articles upon that question. 1t is
the "same old coon travelling down through
Bangor and Ellsworth aud then back TO Au-
gusta.
Since this matter has been seriously agtat-
ed, the Augusta manipuiating process has
!, been tried upon members of the Legislature
IS members have been sent for and appealed to
to vote for Augusta.
Various reasons (all very proper, of course)
: have been given why they should stick to Au-
gusta. Men who few years since were COM
paratiyely poor-but who are now wallowing
in wealth accumulated either directly or indi-
rsctly from the location Of the capital at this
plAce--haye been day after day whining, soft
soldering and threatening, by fits and turns
around the capital-appying just such medi-
cine as they fancied would meet the cases of
those members whom they thought little in
disposed. The Executive whip was cracked
over the heads Of the members of the House
by Peters Of Bangor, and an attempt was made
to bully them with the threat that Gov. CoDy
ian augusta mani would veto the Resolve if
passed. Members were warned in solemn
tones, that If the Legislature went to Portland
. it wodld endanger the election of Abraham
lincoln in Maine-in other words that Au-
gusta patriotism and loyalty were bound up
I in the seat Of government, and that if her peo-
pie could not have their way in this matter
they would go over to treason and copper
headism. sssFr
4 The good faith OF the city of Portland was
arraigned in rendering the use oft City build
ing free of expense to the Stately the rep
resentatiyes of Augusta whose citizens head
$50 ed By Daniel Coney on the Goth day of March,
- lS3l-gave bond to the State in the penal
sum Of fifty thousand dollars "to pay any and
AL sums of money which shall be necessary
beyond the sum Of s25, 900 appropriated by the
Legislature"t to complete and finish the public
buildings and grounds at Augusta, according
to agreements and stipulations in said bond !;
but, who instead of fulfilling and dischargng
their obligations thus solemnly entered into
never hare paid one dollar of said bond-and
the excess over the $4,000. Eleven thousand
four hundred sixty-six dollars and seventy five
cents, had to be taken from the State Treasury
q 10 cancel an obligation, they were in honor
bound to discharge.
The Daily and Tri-weekly Journal, whose
! reporter is paidlby the State to report the de-
bates--reported in full the speeches of those
who spoke against removal, when the remarks
as OF Col. Lynch and others favoring the resolves
IL were tmany of them either accidentally omit
ted or Intentionally suppressed The speech OF
I, Mr.. Peters was in this estate paper" was
most inordinately "puffed,' as the greatest
effort ever made-perhaps the "Webster and
Hsyne' debate excepted The facts and ar
guments contained in the opening speech of
Col. Lynch were not met and answered. for
the reason they could not be refated. Many
of his allegations were admitted. The fact
3 that Augusta this winter contains no adequate
accommodations for those who are compelled
70 come here on business is fact too well
= kno vn to be lied down here or any where
else.
There has not been day for weeks butpers
coming into the place have had to travel over
the ice and slush of the miserable apology for
sidewalks found in this village, from one end
TO the other, before they could get any kind
OF place to lay their heads, while others have
entirely tailed and been obliged TO go to Hal
.aloweli or Manchester to get put up at all, and
that, too, after hard days travel. When
Mr.. Davis of Woodstock, produced the State
s Records to show that the citizens of Augusta
had kept bad faith with the State, in neglect
ing and refusing TO meet their obligations as
Sumcu fu tucu oOuu Vi iooi anu consequently
were in no condition to ask lavors at the
hands Of the State, Mr.. Williams of Augusta
replied, that the State "scorned to take the
money when the facts showed that the State
under the solemnity of Resolve had declared
the Bond forfeited in full and as long ago as
1888 had called upon the obligees to pay the
same aud they refused to this day. to respond
70 the amount Of single dollar. Col Lynch's
brief reply to Mr.. Peters speech was admitted
on all hands to be one of the mos. eloquent
telling speeches ever made In the House, and
yet only few lines of it appears in the State
paper. Allow me to make single suggestion
to the good people Of Bangor. If they desire
the capitr removed to their city let them come
out man fashion, and say so, instead of adopt
ing In their system of tactics the mastery
strategy offlghting back-handed under the Au.
gusta flag. A majority of the people of this
State are in favor Of the removal of the seat of
government TO Portland. Let those who OPP
pose them in the unfair ways taken this win
ter understand that neither the threats of ex-
ecutiye vetoes nor any other threats will deter
hem for a single moment from agitating this
question until the will Of the people becomes
a part ofthe Statute Book. HANCOCK.
n