The Portland daily press., 1873-08-30
About the Annexation of Deering and a
PuhIic Park.


Mr.. Editor.-Shall Deering be annexed? or in
other words, when shall Deerng be annexed to
Portland, as all admit it is only aquestion of
time? L know some of our Deering friends OBJ
ject toannexation on the ground that their
taxes will be increased. That may be true, but
for short time only. But will not the advan.
tages they will receive far over-balance the in
crease of taxes? 1t SO seems to me- Deerinc
has neither gas lights nor Sebago water, nor a
can compare with ours. Annexation will bring
all these and many other Improvements and
luxuries not now within reach.
AS for Portland, it is the one grand move and
no time should be lost in taking it, All our in
terests point to immediate annexation. Large
manufacturing projects that are now dormant
will awake to life the moment annexation be-
comes fixed fact The capital that Portland
now owns and can control would no longer be
withheld because the Improvements would go
to an adjoining town. With Deering annexed,
Portland would at once become city of near Y
forty thousand inhabitants, and the annexation
of part of Cape Elizabeth that must imme-
diately follow, would soon make us city of
more than fifty thousand. We should then be
enough within our limits to grow in wealth aud
population for generations to come. With
these facts in view, who will say annexation is
not the most desirable of all things for both
places
Again, Portland has long been talking of
and desiring public park, and many efforts
have been made in that direction without sue
cess. After the great fire an effort was made
to establish one. But of course we must have
it within the city limits, so we took the best
Al,. hrwt,r Il nfp
made little park. We nave spent on it about
one hundred thousand dollars and yet it is al
most useless to the people; it is barren of shade
trees now and must be for long time TO come,
making it impossible for people to remain
there with comfort when the sun shines, and
very few care to go when it does not shine. Yet
we have this park. aud by all means keept
and let it be properly cared for. But what
we want and need is a fine park out of the
city, as now bounded, a place to ride to, to
drive to and on; a place to walk to, and to
walk in. Now there Is in the town of Deering,
about one hundre acres Of land, bounded by
four roads; fifty or sixty acres of it covered
with the original growth of hard and soft wood,
and in every way as perfect a spot for park as
there is on earth. There is room enough for
miles of drives and walks under the most ample
shade trees, with land enough cleared for an
elegant parade ground That land is within
two miles of City Hall, with the horse railroad
on two sides of it and with two railroads run
fine shell road running almost to it. This spot
for a small sum, can be made one of the most
beautiful drives in the country. 1t can be
bought for public park at a fair price or for
about the same amount our little park cost.
Purchase this land and make public park and
it will double the value of every dollars worth
of land within miles of it, and all that is very
near to it will quadruple in value at once. 1t
will make that part of Deering one the most
desirable places to live in that could swell be
lected. What greater inducement could we
offer to the wealthy citizens of other places to
come amongus for delightful home! What
pleasure and delight it will afford the people of
this city as well as Deering! 1t would be to
them what Central Park is to New York, (and
who in New York could be induced to part
with. Central Park) and far superior to what
Boston Common is to Boston. Our most pepu-
lar drive now is the Cemetery. This park
would be directly on the route. Who among us
would not take pride and plasure from the
humbest to the most wealthy in such place.
These delightful drives and walks shaded by
the grand old oaks, NAPLES aud pines, would
be charming and healthy to all and free to all.
Therefore let us move in the matter at once.
Let Deering be annexed and this land secured
before it is too late, to make us at small COST
enc of the finest public parks in this country
q, p. K