The Portland daily press., 1871-01-21

SATURDAY, JANUARY Fl, 1871.
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Shall Towns be Authorized to Aid WOri1-
ingmen's COroperative Associafiouse
NO MORE TAXATION FOR THE BENEFIT OF
CAPITALISTS.
Yesterday we gave few of the reasons |
which may be urged against the proposed au-
thorization of State or municipal aid to cor |
porations or individuals engaged in manufac- |
turing. We suggested that if anything of the |
kind were to be done the planest principles oi
justice require us to limit sach gratuitics 10 as
sociations of acorking men. IL is simply inlqui-
tous to dream of giving still wider application
to the principles, already too far recognized, OF
according additional advantages to those who
are sufficiently prosperous-of bestowing SUBJ
sides, boupties, exclusive privileges and i'm
munities and special advantages upon ca, ,ital-
lists. Without any legislative enactments the
natural course of events gives the rich man
too many advan .ages over his employee.
Even in so small a matter as buying groceries
the former gets more in quantity and better
quality than the latter, for the same money.
1t is the rich andnot the poor man who is on
the "free list" for everything, whether it is
Tor new book, a ride in the cars or ticket
to the opera. In this State by laws already
in force towns may exempt the capitalists
manufacturing property or his Improvements
from taxation for term of ten years. Towns
have also availed themselves largely OF the
privilege they now enjoy" of raising five per
cent of their valuation to aid in building
railroads, which ultimately fall into the hands
of capitalists. In addition to these methods
by which labor is taxed chiefly for the benefit
OF capital, special laws are frequently passed
giving towns and cities the right to give five
per cent. or more of their valuation for the
purposes which it is now proposed to make
legitimate by general statute.
In Augusta, for instance, a special act was
obtained from the Legislature permitting the
city to give as naked gratuity to the Sprague
millionaires the common property of the peo-
pie to the value of a quarter of million dol
lars. In consequence of this benefaction Au-
gusta will ultimately become much larger
and more wealthy city than at present. Its
streets will be crowded with operatives, and
in time gorgeous stores will rise on Water
street, while State street will rejoice in more
elegant residences. But city is "souess
corporation" as much as railroad company,
and happiness cannot with any more propIi-
ETY. be predicated of one than OF the other.
To determine whether a city in State is
prosperous and happy, it is absurd 10 make an
estimate, in the usual way, of the aggregate
wealth AND population. There is no prosper
ity or happiness but individual prosperity and
happiness, and these are not by any means
always or usually in direct proportion to ag-
gregate wealth or population. We deny that
Augusta is certain to become more "prosper-
Gus" in any just sense of that word because
of the probable large additions to the number
of its laboring class aud the increase in the
wealth of.capitalists, whether residing there or
abroad. We deny that a reasonable certainty
of securing such blessings as these is any JUS
ti6cation for making the Sprague donations
part Off out of the property of those who
will not even indirectly share in the resulting
benefits. 1t this donation had been made to
establish great cooperative association for
carrying on the same business that the
Spragues find SO profitable, then there would
be possibility that the sum of human happi-
ness, virtue and intelligence might be indefi-
nitely increased. Such an appropriation
would come as near as possible, with the pres.
ent organization of society, upon the princi.
pie Of mutual antasonism and exclusive pos
session of property by individuals, to an ap-
preparation for the common good. Now it is
Enthusiastically an appropriation made by the
many for the benefit of few.
The idea of "building up Maine" by such
means as that now suggested, is not new
one. There has always been vague idea
that it was somehow extremely desirable to
have a ''rich State" or "po2ulous State"
without reference to the conditions of the
in1ividuals comprising it. But the fact Is
that so far as the people now living here or
elsewhere are concerned, tbe mere abstract
notion ofa rich or populous Slate of Maine
will not help them at al, and they may just
as well imagine themselves benefited by the
idea of rich New York or London. The
people OF Maine are now probably as happy
and as prosperous Individually as any
in the world, and the movement for increas-
ing population and worth is worse than use
less, if it does not contemplate as its primary
purpose an increase of this individual we'll
being Portland, Augusta and Lewiston in
their present condition with their intelligent
moral, and 'well-to-do" people, are infinitely
to he preferred to Birmingham and Sheffield,
where great capitalists fatten on the tots of
thousands Of loor, ignorant and degraded
working people. The laboring classes are in
large majority, and, nuless the democratic
element in our institutions is to be gradually
eliminated, they must have their interests
considered first. Henceforth all plans for in
creasing the population Of Maine, for the d. |
versifcations of its industry, and the increase
OF its wealth should be regarded as equally |
wicked and absurd if they do not have in view |
the improvement Of the condition of the peo-
pie already here, or these who may come
No matter whether the old estate" is happy
or not, for it can be neither cold nor hungry,
Incorporate nor ignorant, criminal nor un-
fortunate