The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-01-14
Auburn.


A Prosperous Cify-Sfate of Manufne-
tures-A skeleton In the Closet. l-f
ta'ni-.r' 'aiIf7 AUBURN, Jan. 4, 1875
To the Editor OF the Press: ft1 1i a 'H
The traveller who has not visited Auburn for
the last ten years and who happens to enter IL
by the new L.. & A. railroad, will have some
difficulty In recognizing the place. To be sure
the old Academy, perched upon huge em-
bankment of EARTH may suggest to his mind
faint idea that he has seen it somewhere be-
fore; but the many changes hat have occurred,
the new Barker Mill with the thriving village
behind it, where five years ago not a building
stood, speedily assure him that if it be Au-
burn, it surely is not the same one he left ten
years before. ~ <i'i'f u ti1r..tl 1-'tF
Let him walk through the streets and he
will soon observe that strong flavor of shoe
leather pervades the whole city. He will per-
ceive, on all sides, immense buildings devoted
to the manufacture of boots and shoes of all
kinds. He will meet numerous teams, some
loaded with rolls of leather just arriving, others
piled high with cases of finished shoes on the
way TO market. If he chance to pass two cti-
zeDs In earnest conversation on the street, nine
times in ten, he will catch the words "Galiahue
patent, 'sspring trade, or "westerh erdersPa
The people sometimes talk, it is true, about
Hamlin and the senatorial question, but it is
generally with an eye to its effect upon the
leather trade. Even the farmer, as he comes
to market, piles his farm produce in the front
of his pung, while in the back he brings din
gy box, containing shoes which be and his boys
have bottomed during the intervals of labor on
the farm. A ride into the rural portion of the
city, over almost any part of its 12j miles of
road, shows how extensively leather pervades
the country as well as the city. At West and
North Auburn are large manufactures and up
on many of the farms are shops in which the
owner works, portion of the time, upon job
work for the large manufacturers. The people
here seem to take great pride in their msnufac-
tories. Boston points nth pride to her Gem
mon, Portland to her new Post Office and Gus
tom House, but ask the citizen of Auburn
what he considers the especial boast of his city
and he W II, without hesitation, point to Cush-
mans Shoe Factory. . .r,-, ..r- .,..tt o..
About one third of the entire population as
sist, in some manner, in the manufacture of
boots and shoes. The annual production
amounts to about $4,000, 900. A large portion
of these goods is sent to the South aud West
although few firms make specially of sup
plying the home trade. The manufacturers
send statesmen to Boston to meet their GUS
toners and it is there that nearly all their
product is sold, although some large buyers
are in the habit of coming here to purchase.
Auburn was incorporated as city in 1869,
since which time its municipal affairs have
moved on with tolerabe quiet and regularity;
yet there is a skeleton in the closet and once
year at the municipal election it is brought
out for an airing. This skeleton Is heavy taxa
tion and the annual airing in March next
promises to be lively affair. During the
past year the city has expended large sums
of money for the construction of the Lewiston
and Auburn railroad, for the new bridge across
the Androscoggin near Barker Mill and for
school houses. More than this, last year the
trustees of the Edward Little Institute decided
their building and grounds to the city on eer-
tain conditions; one of which was that tho
city should grade the grounds and lay them
out for park for the use of the public. This
has been partially done, in such a manner that
it will involve the erection of new building
for the use of High School, which at present.
occupies the old building. Connected with
the city is a large rural population which. as is
generally the case, looks with jealous eyes
upon these expenditures of the public money
and with them that public officer is the most
popular who is the most parsimonious. Con-
sequently, the next municipal election will
probably turn upon this local question and not
upon strictly party grounds. B lne
Many of the leading citizens here have, of
late, been moving in the matter of public edu-
cation. A fine grammar school house contain
ine ten rooms and hall, is one of the first
fruits of this interest and throughout the city
there seems 20 be an increased efficiency in the
schools of all grades. Still there are many
people here who believe that the good old way
is the best and it is not an unusual thing TO
hear one of these conservative citizens holding
forth, on street corner, to small. but inter.
ested circle of brother conservatives, something
after this manner: 81 tell, You, gentlemen, we
are all going to ruin just as fast as We can be-
1t beats ali how extravagant the city govern
ment is getting. Only think of $4,000 for
school house. 1 went to school in one that
didn't cost $500 and what was good enough for
me is good enough for my children" ti 1i
But il is not worth while TO quote farther.
The story is about the same every where,
whether it be in Portland or Auburn; but ey-
ery such harangue will find listeners and has
its effect. .e rt.rfL ft
Auburn is one of the few places in the state
where the liquor law is strictly enforced, and
no honest man, who remains in the city twenty
four hours. will deny that the law is success
here. There are doubtless places even here
where Intoxicating liquors can be obtainedby
tbe initiated but there are no open bars lying
in wait for the young man. But perhaps you
will ask how it is that the law is made so eff
failure in many other places. 1t is simply and
solely because public sentiment is oyerwhelnl-
inely in favor of enforcing it, Here the officer
who wonld not enforce the law would be decid-
edly unpopular, while in other places it is too
frequently the faithful officer who becomes
unpopular and losses his position in conse-
quence of his faithfulness. Let one half OF tho
population of a city believe that 1t is no par
ticular harm to steal and it would be difficult
TO enforce the law against larceny. Before the
1ionor law can be enforced completely, the peo-
ple must be made to believe that it is as much
a crime to ruin man by selling him liquid poi
son as by stealing his property. l. G, T.
1t is reported from Madrid that several bands
of Carlsts have been bodily defeated ly the ma
tioual troops in Barcelona.
The female operators at Fall River have
;assed a resolution denouncng n reducti n OF