The Portland daily press., 1871-04-28

The policy Of the State in encouraging i'm
migration has received the support of the
most intelligent people in Maine, but the
State has taken no steps to keep the most
valuable Of all population within our poroeis'
No foreign population however INDUSTRIOUS
and INTELLIGENT can fill the place of the young
men and women that are leaving Maine, for
the West.
If there couId be some policy devised to re-
tain those who have been educated in Maine
those who have not yet to learn our laa.
guage and are already skilled in our indus.
tries--it would accomplish more for the de-
velopment of the State than any system of
immigration, however wise and iudicious.
To-day, Maine wants something more than
population. If immigration does not bring
skilled labor, skilled in manufacturing, immi-
grafton can be hardly more than the second
great want Of the State. The great need of
Maine is capital to build up manufacture ing
interests. There may be considerable capital
within the State that may eventually be in
vested in this direction, but the men who con-
troll it are unacquainted with the details of
the business and very correctly judge that
there is little prospect of success in a
branch of industry that skill and experience
can only make capital moderately remunera-
tive. In the older States there is a large
amount OF capital in the hands OF men that
are acquainted with manufacturing and this
capital is constantly seeking investment. 1t
is slow and cautious but not blind. Its cwn-
ers have to constantly attended to business,
that they are comparatively ignorant of the
best localities for the building up of factories.
Maine needs this capital and the skill of its
masters. How are we to obtain it? We
have found out how to secure immigrants
Will not similar policy of seeking, secure
capital for factories? Be as successful in Sc
curing that which we need tenfold more?
We have the best authority for saying that
manufacturing interests representing capital
are almost daily making inquiries about op.
portunities for investments in Maine. These
enquiries are made of gentlemen who have no
time to attend to the matter if they were able
to give it. The State has no Commissioner
to show lis interest in that very important
matter-no one to speak by official authority
for its people who are interested in this ques-
ton more than in any other.
The report of the "Water Power of Maine'
has turned the attention of hundreds of man
ufacturers to the State, and just at that time
when we might reap the results of that Sur
vey, we have no one to speak for the State, no
one to intelligently answer inquiries On the
other hand the last House of Representatives,
with stupid meapness hardly paralIeled, re-
fused to appropriate $1,000 to carefully distrib-
ute this Report already printed, so as to reach
manufacturers abroad, thus putting the peo-
pie of Maine in false position upon this mat
ter.
There has been no change in the minds OF
OF cur people on this question, aud they will
heartily endorse any judicous system that
will bring capitar to the State, and give en-
ployment to our own men and women now
going West by hundreds.
When manufacturing capital is once turned
to Maine for investment and our system of
common school education made practical and
general, the question of population in Maine
will take care of itself. Her sons and daugh-
tiers will not seek business abroad when better
openings are at their own DOORS