The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-03-09
TO REMODEL THE OLD STATE HOUSE.
The House supports augusta In the
Great Fight Of the Sessions
Some Plain Talk Regarding the Ma
nlpuIatlon of the Measure.
Portland Ably Represented by Messrs.
.Looney, Fogg and Ropie.

AUGUSTA. March 8.-Very soon after the
Lewiston Hospital resolve was disposed of
in the House today. the minority and majoli-
ty reports on the removal of the Capital were
taken up, and the House concurred with the
Senate without division. Then Mr.. Spofford
Of Bucksport called up the majority report
In favor of repairs on the State House and
Mr.. Dame of Eliot moved to substitute for it
the minority report. which favors reference
to the next legislature.
Mr.. Spofford then opened the argument In
favor of repairs. speaking CLEARLY and max
ing an excellent presentation of his side of
the case.
Ex-Governor Robie followed him. Mr.. Ro-
bic said:
"The question of the removal of the Capt.
tai has history which is well for the mem
bers Of the House to consider. In the early
part Of the session the members of the legs-
lature were interviewed, and without any
qualification declared that they were In favor
of removing the Capital from Augusta. From
carefnl tabulation of these printed opin-
ions it appeared that nearly, if not quite,
majority Of this House expressed them
selves decidedly in favor of making the city
of Portland the Capital of the State. The
citizens of Portland and the western portion
Of the State, as we'll as many other localities.
believed in the honor and trusted to the in
tegrity of the strong expressions of the mem-
bers of this House. In virtue Of this ex-
preston and proffered aid it was quite natu-
raj that the citizens of Portland should en-
bark in an enterprise which was sustained by
the strongest evidence of support of
the members of this House, which
appeared upon the printed page unchal-
lenged and undenied. If the responsibility
of this question rests anywhere it must rest
upon the repeated assurance of large and
respectable number of the members of this
legislature that they wanted it 10 go to Port
land. 1t cannot be denied that this repre-
sentation of opinion raised the pride, en-
thusiasm and the hopes of the city of Port
land, which eliminated in a manly and gem
erous effort Of the citizens of Portland to
make the metropolis of Maine, the great
commercial city and distributing point of
not only Maine, but of the British Provinces,
the Capital of the State. 1t seems unneces-
sary at this time to repeat what has been al
ready said SO well in favor of removing the
the Capital to Portland. Both of the inter-
ested parties are sufficiently well acquainted
with the volumin0us and strong argu-
ments which have been so well and
often repeated in this Capitol in favor
OF the city of Portland, we do not desire or
expect any sudden or manifest change. II
however, all this matter could be referred to
the next or some subsequent legislature, the
facts would go before the great public, to
which we should willingly bow when de-
Aic0n fc ~ko
bers Of this House If it is fair and honorable
treatment after such an Individual expression
as you have given, to take so sudden de-
parture, as not only to say to the city of
Portland we have deceived you, but will
forever quiet your honorable efforts to re-
store to that city the possession Of the Capi
tai which it enjoyed for several years. Is it
fair, honorable. and meritori0us BY combina-
tions OF diverse interests which legislative
parties often make, to stamp out and place
the pride and reasonable expectation Of the
most populous and richest city of the State?
Let US not lose sight of the fact that the
city OF Portland pays over one-eighth of the
tax of the State; that Portland alone
would pay nearly S17,0 600 towards the $780,
900 that you propose to raise for repair
ing the Capitol; that Cumberland county
pays one-fifth of our taxes; that York, An
dr0scoggin, Oxford and other localities
which would be much better accommodated
in Portland than elsewhere, pay more than
0ne-half the State tax. Does anybody sup
pose that these localities will be satisfied to
have this question sprung upon them, and
peremptorily and forever settled by combin-
tion and extraordinary efforts, without Civ
ing them and others, the opportunity of two
years to carefully consider the subject.
Mr.. Robbie presented a striking tabulation
of the expenditures of government for the
last five years 1889 and 1890, including the
large resolves now on their passage. As the
AXppngQS incident to the nuhlia daht for in
terests, sinking fund and payment on prin-
cipal, have been extraordinary expense, he
deducted these each year, leaving the or
binary expenses for each year as follows: