The Portland daily press., 1868-12-03

Portland is full of "carpet-bacoers" from
Kennebec and from all parts of the ST.; te of
Maine: the business OF the city is to no incon.
siderable extent dependent upon the prosperi-
ty of towns in the interior: il follows both
from the personal feelings of our citizens and
from wise regard for their own interests that
they look upon industrial, commercial or man
ufacturing enterprises anywhere with II he
limits of the State with sympathy and appro-
val that are SO sincere that they not unfre-
quently take the form of pecuniary invest
meuts.
Nearly two years ago the city of Augusta
purchased and presented TO the Messrs A. &
W. Spraguc of Providence, r. l., real estate
on the Kennebec worth quarter of million
dollars, besides granting that firm certain
extraordinary privileges in the way of exemp
tion from taxation. We know from an init
mate personal association with the people of
Augusta at the time of the grant to the
Spragues that the expectation was that the
work of improving the property would begin
at once, though no guarantees were exacted of
the purchasers. There were few unreas-
enable people who had the temerity to sug-
gest that it would not be inappropriate to en-
cumber the grant with some sort of condition,
bit they were promptly put down by the very
decisive language of Senator Sprague when
the matter was mentioned to him and by the
hea1loDg zeal of the projectors of the enter
prise. So the title to the property passed with
out the assumption on the part of the lucky
capitalists of the slightest obligation 10 do any
thing but enjoy its income. The progress that
has since been made in developing and utliz-
wa at A hoe boa
at all satisfactory to the people of that place.
as all the world knows. We recorded the fact
the other day, as matter of public interest
and as thing that all Maine regretted, even
people who live sixty miles" from the capital
The remarks of the Press had one good eff
feet at east,-they developed in the Kennebec
Journal evidences of vitality that are credita-
BILE to that management of that paper under
its new proprietors. For the first time it
vouchsafes little information on local topics
1t appears that the Spragues expended $50 600
the first year, have erected one large new build
ting four stories in height, 1.-THE emphasis is the
Journals) are preparing the foundations for a !
factory five stories high which will cost $780,
600, and "the sale of the property to the Rhode
Island capitalists and the evidences they have.
gwen of their business intentions by substan-
tia facts have increased the property of the
city thousands more than the whole sum voted
by the city and this effect on real estate is be-
ing recognised by the coolest and most saga
cious capitalists and property holders in Au-
gusta."
Well done, Mr.. journal! If everything is |
satisfactory, no one reioices more sincerely |
than we. Would that other citizens of Au- |
gu,ta thought, as you do, that all will be right |
I'm sixty days" But when you talk of "jeal- |
ousy" and "enmity" you talk nonsense that i'll |
becomes your venerable years. It is not in
the nature Of things that Portland and Angus
ia should be rivals. that one should be zeal
Gus OF the other. Their interests are identi-
cal