The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-12-16

the burden shall De removed, that the society
shall be permi tied to go on 10 its good work,
and that it shall, like the kindred societies of
Salem, Boston, Philadelphia and other cities,
ever stand monument of the enlightened
liberality OF the citizens Of Portland.
aAv WV
Written for the Press. 050-d,3
Maine-and some things in it.
The glory of State consists not in the fer
tility of its soil, but in the enterprise of Its
people. Some of the richest populations
amongst US are found in regions most sterile,
whilst the poorest are often to be met with in
the inexhaustible bottom lands of the West.
Cape Cod is a barren sand-drift, and yet it is
said no people, as whole, on theSace of the
earth are more Independent, or live better,
than the inhabitants of that part of the moth
er commonwealth; and know county in
the fertile valley of the Arkansas where not
one family in ten has decent shelter, by day
or night, from the winds and rains of heaven.
Where Nature invites men to live without
work, they scili do just that; and where idle.
ness reigns, poverty. ignorance and shame are
apt to be the Inheritance of q people. Give
me Maine, on the whole, as the place for
hardy, industrious, enterprising and, therefore,
an intelligent and independent population
We have here all the elements Of wealth In
eligible combination. Our facilities for Com
merce, Manufactures and Agriculture combin-
ed, are greater than those of any one State in
the Union or out of it. Our sea- coast is more
extensive, and our safe harbors more numer-
Gus, than any other State can boast; our wa
ter-power 10 equal, If not superior, to that Of
Virginia in both slopes of the Allegheny noun
tains; and as for our soil and climate, did it
ever occur to you, Mr.. EDITOR, that all plants
which spring out of the bosom of the earth,
have to be carried from their Southern BIRTH
places to the northernmost limit of their ma
turity, In order. to obtain perfection? 1t is
even SO; by which fact dame Nature init
mates that emigration should 90 northtUdrd,
not southwark, and that size intends to lavish
her fruits in the greatest perfection amongst
those who are content to abide in northern re-
gions. f,ssg asssa oaE .snoa
! am content thus to abide. Our climate is
more healthy than a southern one; our corn,
oats, barley, grass and potatoes are better here
than the same grown further south; this is al
SO true of the lint plants-fax and hemp--and
also of the pulpous fuits--apples, plums,
pears, cherries, and the smaller fruits which
are adapted to full maturity in our climate.
And even as to beautiful scenery and thriving
rural homes, / know of noregion superior to
the valley Of the Kennebec from Richmond to
Bingham, or that of the Sandy river from
Starks to Phillips. Indeed the latter valley is
equal in agricultural resources to any other
part of New England. 5am
heard very careful and intelligent OBJ
server remark, the other day, thus: II do
uusar1oss ovsHsy iu- ssuss
am particularly acquainted all up and down
the valley of the Connecticut river, and de-
liberately give 1t as my opinion that the coun-
try bordering on the Sandy River, embracing
q strip of territory dozen miles wide on Ell
Their side, is fully equal in agricultural capaci-
.ty to the Connecticut Valley, and is peopled
by more enterprising and thrifty popula-
tion."
But it was not my purpose, in the present
communication. to speak of the agricultural
capacity of our State; my design was, rather,
to say q few words to encourage. the manu-
featuring interests. know of no reason why
Maine may not become the greatest manufac-
turing State in the Union. Our water-power
is the most ample, cheap and accessible to
navigation. And our young men and women,
instead Of being obliged to go TO Massachusetts,
or Connecticut for work, or to the Far West
for lands, should be kept at home in our own
State to ply every sort of machinery thai can
meet the market demands Of the country and
the world. / do not care now to commend
those mammoth corporations which build up,
and virtually oon and gouern, your Lowells,
Lawrences, or even your Biddefords and Lew
istons. Where such corporations have been
careful, before locating their works, to secure
all the water and land privileges and even the
| territory around them, and thus to prevent all
competition from other manufacturing inter-
ests, or the settlement of such citizens or
business men as might venture independent
action in matters of election franchise, there
may be danger to the. liberties of people,
Corporations" it is said, shave no souls.n
For people to be governed by soulless
poaoer, is terribly abhorrent to all our demo-
scraic IDEAS But there are, or should be,
manufacturer established all over our State,
that do not monopolize and control everything
and every body where they are located, but
which, on the contrary, are great blessings to,
the community. Such, instance, are the wool
en- manufactures of Dexter, N. Vassalboro',
Readfeld, Wilton, Oxford, and one now in
process of erection in Little River Village,
Lisbon. SUCH too, are the Iron Works of
Pembroke, the smelling furnace of Katahden,
the pogie presses for oil and fsh-guano in East
port; factories. for the canning of meats, fish,
fruits and vegetables in Bluehill and else
where; the lately established factory at Liv-
ermore Falls for condensing milk and cider in
to portable cakes for the use of the army and
navy the paper mills of Mechanic Falls, Gar
diner, Vassalboro', Skowhegan and Hamp-
den: the Thomaston marble manufactures;
the Kennebunk, Hallowell, Boothbay and Sui
livan Granite Quarries; the innumerable Sash
and Blind Factories, Machine Shops, Iron
Foundries; Broom, Tub and Pail Factories;
Boot and Shoe establishments; Shovel and
Hoe Factories scythe and Edge tool factories,
and last, but not least-greater perhaps than
all the rest-the ever busy Saw Mills of the