The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-12-27
TWO GOOD SUGGESTIONS.
Remove the State Capital to Port
land and Turn the Present Capitol
Into an Insane Asylum.

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| To the Editor Of the Press:
| The first legislature after Maine became
| State met in Portland May 81, 1920, and
Portland was the State Capital until 1882,
when 1t was removed to Augusta This re-
moval was not effected without severe leg
| islative contest, and tradition says it was
| only consummated by 'log rolling game,
which not only made Augusta the State Cap
| ital, but Alfred the shire town of York
county.
| At the time the act was passed Feb "a,
| 1927 fixing the permanent seat of govern
nent at Augusta, there were neither rail-
| roads nor steamboats, In Maine People then
had to travel by stages, or private convey
ance, on the land, land by sailing vessels on
the water. The only argument that really
had any weight in faver of Augusta was
that twas more central than Portland, and
this argument then applied solely to the
modes of travelling then existing. The es-
| tablishment of railroads in Maine has revo-
lntionized everything. Time and distance,
under old methods of travelling, have been
annihilated. Many old-time territorial land
centres, as such, no longer exist. s1
Augusta, while it has few distinguished
| politicians and capitalists, never had any
| special attractions as a business place to the
outside world; neither have the accommoda-
| tions afforded members of the legislature
been satisfactory to a majority of that body;
| scarcely a single session since they have
been obliged to go there. For this reason,
attempts have been made by members of
| the legislature, year after year, to remove
back to Portland. They have always failed
| and for various reasons: 1. The agitation
| of this question has made Augusta eminent
in one respect 1t has powerful, influen-
| tial ''lobby," which is turned loose ON any
legislature that even suggests the question
of removal All kinds of methods are put
in operation. Members are Toasted, fiattered
and befooled until the lobby can marshall on
their rolls a trained majority.
I 2. The question of expense attending'a re-
moval has always been urged as a reason
against it, and it is amatter that should be
carefully considered. Intimately connected
with this is the question of suitable accom-
modations for the State government, il
moved to Portland. 1t is we'll known that
IA the erection Of our present spacious
county building direct reference was paid to
| this question, and suitable rooms were pro-
| vided for the special accommodation of the
legislature in case of its removal here. But
however liberal Portland might be in this
| regard it would hardly comport with the
dignity of the State to have capital with
out suitable capital buildings.
B. The business men and politicians of
| Portland have never taken hold of this mat
| ter and made It a matter of special interest
sufficient to attract general attention among
the friends Of the measure in other parts of
the State The writer of this article has
very distinct recollection of a session of the
legislature, of which he was member. in
which Gear majority in both branches
were found favorable to removal to Port
land; and It largely failed on account of the
apparent indifference of the members from
that city. do not speak of this by way of
censure, applicable to those members or to
the people of Portland, but as a fact, ind:-
eating general dissatisfaction with Angus
ia as a State capital. And 1t requires no la
bored argument to prove that the same feel
ing among the people exists today.
In hotel accommodations, Augusta / ! CON-
paratiyely speakng, nothing but lone
horse town" Scarcity of good hotels,
enables their keepers to exact and take from
members and their families exorbitant rates
robbery. A member of the last House told
me few days since, that during the session
of 1887, his personal board at one OF the
Augusta hotels. with an ordinary room,
| ueuucllug HIS ndUSeDSeS amounted 10 ABOUT
si1Idollars per day, and that at the end of
the session, his bnard cost him more than
| three hundred dollars, over and above his pay.
And understand the board rates at the
Augusta hotels are to be largely increased,
from what they have ever been before, and
that members of moderate means will be
| compelled TO hunt for boarding places at
private houses, on the back streets and
across lots" wherever they can find them.
| People who have business in the legislature
L M
forced to have their pockets emptied to
satisfy the inordinate greed Of hotel keepers,
or lodge In the streets.
The only remedy for these evils is the re-
moval of the State capital to some place
where the members of the State government
and the people can be accommodated and
have decent treatment: snd that place abore
great commercial, business, railroad centre
OF the State, with good supply of excellent
hotels, where everybody connected With the
legislature could be accommodated at reason
will take the pains to look at railroad
map of Maine will see at once
that Portland is the great State centre to
which all Of these roads converge and point.
The people in one-half the counties of the
State, containing about one-half its popuia-
ton, in travelling, can reach Portland easier
than Augusta, while the remaining counties
better accommodated as to distance at Au
gusta than Portland, can. by an additional
ter instead of the former city. 1t is no fur
Their from Augusta to Portland than 1t Is
from Portland to Augusta.
Take another view of this matter. Our
last State tax was $648, 1854. OF this Cum
berlaDd county paid $14l, 92429, and the city
of Portland $50, 1888 So. From this 1t will be
seen that Cumberland county paid about %
per cent of the whole tax, and the city of
cortland about y per cent of the same.
These facts tell their own story. Again, say
what you will, business has something to do
with the locotion of the State capital Our
legislators on account of their meagre pay,
have always had to work for mere nDmi-
nal compensation. Many of their number
are engaged in business, having a direct or
indirect connection with the merchants of
Portland. To meet them here during leg
islative session, would save them much val
liable time and more or less expense.
The social side of this question demands
passing notice. Portland has population
of about 10000. Her inhabitants in learning,
Intelligence and social standing are sscond
to no other city in the State. 1 make no in
vidi0us distinctions in comparing Augusta
society with that of Portland. Other
things being equal, it requires no argument
to prove that city Of 10000 inhabitants
would present as many attractions and in
ducements to a legislator for a brief stay of
two or three months as would one contain
ing only about one-fifth of that number.
now come to the main point to which l
desire to call the attention Of the people of
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been time during the sixty-eight years of
our existence as State when the way SEEM
ed clear to make determined effort to re-
move the capital from Augusta to Portland
until now. 1t now seems that the "set time
to favor Zion has come"
1.-The old capitol building for years has
been very unsatisfactory to its occupants.
Its ventilation is bad, the Representative
Hall is too small and poorly arranged, its
| committee looms contracted and badly
| lighted, its library room is unworthy of the
name, its books for the want of room by the
cart loads, are packed away, where they
| never can be seen or read. These are only
a few things, among the many that might be
mentioned as to the general unfitness Of the
building for the purposes for which 1t was
| intended.
2-In years past, it has been perplexing
| question what can be done with the old
| capitol in case of removal from Augusta?
Events have brought us round to period
| when that question can be answered. Our
| insane hospital has much larger number
| of patients than it can Accommodate. and it is
| generally conceded, that the wants of human
ity demand an additional hospital. Our best
architects say that no new buildings should
be added to the large pile East of the river.
This state of things clearly fore shadows an
Independent hospital building. Instead of a
| new edfce, convert the State House Into
| hospital and build a new capitol. 1t will
| cost something to change the State House
into hospital, but when 1t is
done. we have a structure that will