The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-02-15


tons and frilled shirt front, arose to say that
he appeared to represent the Bangor remon-
strants. No other places appeared: Mr..
Libby then said the committee were ready TO
proceed. and Mr.. Verrill began his opening.
Mr.. verriIl's Speech.
Mr.. yerrill said he would agree to present
Portland's case as briefly as he could. He
said he took It to be obvious that the time
was ripe for change This building had
served Its purpose for two generations and
outliyed its usefulness. The State and peo-
pie OF the State had been long suffering
people and State. But the time had cons
when there was general feeling about the
propriety of further endurance. Now the
people had so far got over the burdens of the
war as to feel that they could build themselves
house, house where you need not breathe
poison, a wholesome place where wholesome
laws could be enacted. Now the the ques-
tion came as to the best place. Augusta was
the Capital only at the:will.of the people and
the peoples representatives, nave the right
at any time to change 1t, so Augustus claims
are no better than the claims OF any other
place. and il is no disparagement to any
other place for me to show that since 1882,
when the Capital was established
here, Portland has grown from "a town
to be the commercial city of Maine, city
four times the size of Augusta. / suppose 1t
is safe to say that there is not another city
in the State when the citizens have title OF
the business connection that they have in
Portland, and when we consider the ques-
tion of a Capital, we should consider the
people who are drawn to the legislative
halls on the various questions that concern
the business interests of the State.
The question of general accessibility is
the first question. Augusta had the Capital
before the days Of railroads and was then
unuuestionably the place, but now the ques-
tion of territorial situations drops substan-
tally out of sight. In the next place In
looking for a place for the Capitol you look
to place where the site will be good,and the
have seen the site which the people of Port
land propose to give, and think can safe
ly say that it is as good a site as can be found
in Maine or the world. Now, upon the ques-
tion Of accessibility, l wish to convey to
railway % % Service Z Of ' Portland I and Augusta. Aug &
Portland has to-day 36 trains going in and SO
going out every day. Augusta has five in
and five out for Portland and three in and
three out for Bangor with five between Au-
gusta and Gardiner. Now take the hotels.
In Portland there are fifteen. There are a
number of steamboat lines and about 800
steamer arrivals were recorded in Portland
last year, not including local lines. There
were 5000 arrivals Of sailing vessels. This
shows Portland's position as the business
centre of Maine.
In connection with the hotels, Mr.. Verrill
called to mind that within radius Of three
miles OF where 1t Is proposed to put the Cap
itOl, there is today a population OF more
than $1,000 people. of course that implies
abundant accommodation. will also, he
onfA nnn 80 20 H. f..rn 80
Portland as compared with Augusta. From
Fryeburg to Portland is SLIGO, from Frye
burg to Augusta, $500, from Bethel to Port
land $780, to Augusta, $4.25; South Paris to
Portland. $1.90, South Paris to Augusta
$685.: Lewiston to Portland, Sl:0o Lewiston
to Augusta, $1.65; Livermore Falls to Port
land, $2.20, Liyermore Falls to Augusta.
$3.50; Bath to Portland, S1.25 Bath to Au-
gusta, S1.35; Rockland to Portland, 50 so,
Rockland to Augusta, $2.65; Houlton to
Portland, $3.50, Houlton to Augusta, $3.50.
ais to Portland Sc. 80, Calais to Augusta, $3.50.
from Ellsworth to Portland $500, from Els
worth to Augusta, $500. Now it Is plain
from what l have said that the people of
Maine can get to Portland cheaper than to
4 call attention to the steamboats, running
regularly from Calais, Eastport, Boothbay
and other points so that people down the
coast may reach Portland at low rates.
At this point, the air of the room had be-
come intoferabie, and the chairman of the
COMMITTEES called on the Messenger to let in
some fresh air through the windows, there
being no other effective mode of ventilation.
MI. Verrill then went on to say that the
committee were waiting for some more sub
stantial considerations: The legislator he
knew was conservative and he liked
that quality. The question Of ways
question Of the greatest importanceMthe
question of cost and how to meet the cost.
On this he had SINE suggestions to make.
land did not ask the State to purchase a site.
They propose to give that, and they propose
to give the State something else. He said
he should try to show that the question Of
cost would be easily solved. BE should
labor to show that State House. such as
would De satisfactory for the State for years
to come could be furnished by taking time at
a cost not exceeding $500, 900 to the State and
probably not exceeding $4,000. This would
be over and above what Portland would
give. The time. occupied in erecting the
State House should be about five or six years.
The expenses If raised by taxation could pe
spread over that time. 1t was reasonably
expected that with a reasonable time, $780,
600 would come from the general govern
ment. In that case, there would be needed
no extra taxation.
Mr.. Verrills plan would be this: That
within two years the lot should be purchased
and the grounds graded, and the work
begun by expending about 100000
All this the people Of Portland would pay
and there would be no cost to Maine. Then,
by small appropriation yearly, raise this
money without feeling it. Mr.. Verrill showed
the total valuation of the State in 1880 to be
S235, ,97S, ZIG. Now for 100000 year, based
on this valuation, the additional taxation
would be less than one-half of one mill. on a
naf mn xUh m on
$4,000, would pay simply dollar year, so
that in the four or five years he would pay
about five dollars. Now, l think that every
one will agree that that is not burdensome
and that we owe it to ourselves to have a
decent house, so that the clerks need not be
compelled to do their work in miserable.
dark cellar. We owe it to the State as a
matter of State pride. Why. / am ashamed
to compare this house with the State House
Of any territory. 1t is miserable disgrace.
But to return TO the cost Suppose, at the
outside figures, that we expend on the Capt.
tol 100000. Portland will pay at least $780,
600, and must pay at least one-eghth of the
other $500000, so that you will have one
sixth and one-eighth or seven twenty-fourths
Of the cost Of your State House paid for by
Portland. But there is an additional consid
Grafton. Mr.. Verrill then named these coun-
ties: Cumberland. York, Oxford, Andros-
coggin, Sagadahoc (partially) Lincoln (par-
tally and Knox, with total valuation of
over l34 millions, considerably over half of
the State valuation. These counties are
those most convenienced by Portland and
they would bear most of the expense They
would bear all but about S150,00 of that
$600000 Mr.. Verrill said his contention
would be that Portland would convenience
the people of the State better than Augusta.
He would state that the Maine Central tickets
sold at Portland exceeded those sold at Ban
gor by about 10000 last year, and he thought
this was a pretty fair understanding of the
position of Portland as a centre of travel.
MIR. Verrill said that by the plan he had
outlined the sState could have new Capitol
at less cost than this old Capitol could be
repaired for. He would prove this by testi-
mOny but it should be remembered that the
State would receive, as gift from Portland,
land worth more than this State House is
worth, and with the land and gift, he thought
the State would be receiving more than this
building originally cost. In conclusion he
Thought he could say that Portland had the
right to claim full and fair consideration,
and we should rest our case upon the logic
of these facts. He then said the committee
would call some architects OF skill and ex-
perience.
Mr.. j. Manchester Haynes here asked a
question about the subscriptions made in
Portland. Mr.. Verrill said that Portland
world not ask this committee TO act until
abundant guarantees were given OF what
she intended to do She was not here to
make any straw bids.
Mr.. Stevens's Plan.
Mr.. John Calvin Stevens, the architect Of
Portland, then appeared. He had large
drawing of proposed State House on the
Ia II. IL