The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-12-31

older colleges. Bates and B0wd0ln have
added largely to their funds. The year will be
famous in the annals of Bowdoin on account of
the famous Quaker Rebellion" The dissat-
isfaction that had been for some time felt
among the students with the compulsory mill
itary drill, eliminated in May in the peremp-
tory refusal of the three lower classes to SUBJ
NIT longer to military discipline. The result
was the temporary suspension of those three
classes. But on the 9th of June the students
nearly all answered to the roll call, compro-
mise having been arranged by the terms of
which the drill was made elective. The Bow
doin cohort now consists of three men, the rest
of the undergraduates preferling the severe
guidance of Minerva to the tutelage of Mars
and Bellona. The revolt excited intense inter-
est in all parts of the state, and the faculty
and students respectively had very earnest par
tisans. But the prevailing opinion seemed to
be that though the undergraduates erred
greatly in their method they were mainly right
in their purpose. They look not forward to the
day when
"s Chieftains to the war shall lead
Whole nations with the tempest's speed
To perish in day.
But to the kindlier year,
'ewhen man, by love and mercy taught,
Shall rue the wreck his fury wrought
And lay the sword away!'
For the first time in its history Bates has
been humiliated by rather serious case of
hazing. By the cooperation of faculty and
students, however, measures were promptly
taken which render the repetition of such dis
graceful proceedings extremely improbable.
There are five ladies among the undergradu-
ates at Orono, and the faculty report that none
of the difficulties predicted from the admission
of women have been encountered.
INDUSTRIAL.
There was submitted to the Legislature Of
this year the only volume OF industrial stats
tics ever compiled in Maine. The work was
bulky and expensive, and its many errors hav-
ing greatly shaken public confidence in its
utility, an appropriation for the continuance of
the work was refused.
The year has hardly been prosperous one
for business men. Manufacturers of lumber
and of textile fabrics have greatly reduced
their products either by running on short time
or suspending altogether. The great manu-
facturers of Lewiston, after meeting for con-
sultation, reported that ''the business of TIE
|
ory." There has been reduction IL the
wages of operatives, and the discharge of large
numbers of men in this and other stats has
sent adrft through all the country towrs such
an army of tramps as was neve before
seen.
In June an Industrial Exhibition was held
in Portland which gave a most unexpectedly
favorable impression in regard 20 our local
manufactures which, by the way, seem by
some mysterious means to have escaped the
influence of the panic and the present depres-
sion in business.
This year again the prosperity of the ship
building industry is the most noteworthy fact
in this department. The tonnage built has
risen from 100, 600 last year to 1872 600 this year.
an immense gain of 33 per cent. Surely the
deserted ship-yard" will no lnne~' pe Of use at
Democratic meet;.,. as means OF exciting
horror and dismay.
For the farmers it has been golden year,
Notwithstanding the cold, wet, backward
spring. What a crop of wheat!-the best for
thirty years in some localities The total
oduct is estimated at nearly 100000 bushels
But even at that, Maine must still pay out
about five m illions a year for -four alone. The
hay crop, too. was fine, but fell below the mag
nifcent yield of the year before. 1t is not
within the scope of this review to go through
in detail with the various articles of agricul-
tural production; it is enough to say that the
farms of Maine have yielded, during the year
1874, crops whose estimated value is more than
$5O,OO0, 900 only falling little short in this re-
spect of the champion year 1873 For the
second time in the history of the state the
product of cheese factories swells this aggre-
gate The number of these factories in opera.
ton is now forty, and the product is estimated
at $50, 900 pounds, worth $120,000.
The new secret society, called ''the Sover-
egns of Industry" has made its first appear
ance in the state during the year and is rapidly
growing The society has about five hundred
members in this city and as many more in the
rest of the state. On the 23d inst. a State
Council was organized in this city. The pri-
mary economical purpose of the order appears
to be to obtain the supplies of working men at
wholesale prices.
POLITICAL.
The tidal wave did not reach Maine. Gov.
Dingley was reelected by 10000 majority, and
the aggregate majority on the Congressional
tickets was nearly five hundred more. Messrs.
Burleigh, Frye, Blaine, Hersey and Hale were
re elected to the House of Representatives. But
a sort of forerunner of the political earth
quake of November might, perhaps, have been
found by the political seer in the fact that the
Democrats elected a full third of the members
of the Fifty-fourth Legislature. They thus be-
come, for the first time in many years, an ap-
precable minority, holding the balance of pow
er.
But the important political event is the can
vass for United States Senator in place of Han
nibal Hamlin, whose term expires ON the 4th
of March next The candidates are Josiah H.
Drummond and Israel Washburn Jr. of this
city, Sidney Perham of Paris, Judge Peters of
Bangor and Mr.. Hamlin, who seeks reelec-
ton. The canvass so far shows that Mr.. Ham
lin has much the advantage in organization
and in the length of time he bias had his agents
at work, but his opponents are stronger with
the people and are daily gaining ground.
There were only two or three political meet
ings in Maine prior to the September election,
and all of these, we believe, were in the second
district. But our Maine political orators hav-
ing had little to do at home, were in great de-
mand abroad. Lewis Barker and s. L. Mill
ken went to New York, while NIessrs. Blaine,
Frye and Hall, participated in the Massachu-
setts canvass.
RAILROADS.
The mileage of Maine railroads has not been
greatly increased during the year. Three short
roads have been opened to passenger traffic.
The Lewiston & Auburn road, connecting
Lewiston with the Grand Trunk Railway at
Dapville Junction, was formally opened in Ju
ly The Bangor & Bucksport road is now in
operation, the bridge across the Penobscot hav-
ing been completed. The Somerset road. from
Waterville to Norridgewock, began to carry
passengers early in the year, and arrangements
have recently been made to extend it from
Madison to Solon. A movement is on foot for
making this road part of grand International
| line extending from Point Lewis, opposite
| Quebec, to tide waters at Wscasset. The Mes
alonskee Railroad Company, recently organized
| at Augusta has it in view to build another link
| in this Point Lewis & Kennebec road from Au-
gusta to West Waterville on the west side of
the Kennebec. Thirty miles of the Canadian
| part of the line, from Point Lewis to st. Mary