The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-02-19
the Capital went it should q, East
He was briefly questioned by Mr.. Verrill.
Judge Whitehouse's Speech.

the Capital went it should q, East
He was briefly questioned by Mr.. Verrill.
Judge Whitehouse's Speech.
Judge Whitehouse next spoke. He sait
the work Of the committee was wrong. Il
intended to reverse the policy of almost al
| States, and to have the business Of the
State removed to the business centre OF
the State The gentlemen Of Portland were
magnanimous and just gentlemen and loyal
and if it should ever happen that in the fal
distant future the Capital should be removed
to some other place, the bright orihame Of
| Kennebec would be found in the front on
the path of public duty. Judge Whitehouse
| said competent architect would snow that
capital would cost at least million dol.
lars. Why then this movement to change
the seat OF government.
The speaker reviewed the history Of the
| selection OF Augusta as the seat of govern,
ment. Portland, he said, had never been
anything but the temporary seat of govern
ment. Then reviewing the recommends.
tions of the committee that selected Atgus-
ia In case the State should wish to settle in
Of the reference Of the question from legisla-
ture to legislature until in 1927, 1t was finally
settled. He quoted from the debates of 1927
to show the "wise and statesmanlike" view
OF the legislators of that day. He commend
ed their example to the legislators of the
present day when the present revolutions
ry measure" should come before them.
Speaking of the site selected in Augusta,
Judge Whitehouse described the sensations
OF Massachusetts man who, having climb
ed into the dome of the State House de-
sscribed the view he saw as equal to any in
New England. Bramhall Hill could hardly
surpass 1t and Judge Whitehouse also
Thought Augusta better in case Of foreign
war than Portland. Passing to another
branch of the subject, he said the increase
OF population since 1927 had been much
larger in the Northeastern than South
western part of the State. In the days when
the Capital was placed at Augusta the old
Statesman thought the centre of popula-
ton was about at HallowelI As matter
of TACT It was Just over in Pittston. Since
then it has moved gradually Northeast at
the rate of mile and half decade until
now 1t was at Branch Mills In the town of
China. At that rate 1t would reach Ban gor
in about five hundred years. Loud laugh
teri
Judge Whitehouse went on to say that the
financial scheme outlined by the gentlemen
from Portland was fallacious as they would
show by the Boston architect who built the
extension to the Massachusetts, state house.
Ihat architect from the city Of culture would
show that capital built after the Portland
plans would cost 100000. This "scare" sum
the speaker divided into lots of smaller
scare sums which he apportioned among
the counties. AS to the direct tax he didn't
think that the prospect looked very
we did get it, it should be
expended for ar. insane asylum In Ban
got and hospital in Lewiston and not for a
palatial capitol. The people of Maine were
plain people and did not want to put out
s ne %sHsS Ssss s new S tie SsOS s E5 Sd iSIs Ss
conducted in those walls well and purely.
We quote the testimony of several authori-
ties Of the last generation to show what a
beautiful building this State House really Is.
Il is due to Junge Whitehouse's power. of
self control to say that he didn't snicker
when he said this. He even went ON to
flight of eloquence and few men in Maine
can be more eloquent than can Judge White
house, over the scenes that the old House
had seen describing. it as those simple but
massive walls" Judge Whitehouse made
a most able and eloquent speech and did the
best he could with poor cause.
Captain MlehaelIs's Speech.
Captain Michaelis, of the United States
Arsenal, was introduced next, to explain
how you find the centre of population and
how it is up at Branch Mills, in China. As
it Is at the centre of supplies for board and
rooms, and decent accommodations that the
legislature wants to get, and not at the cens
tire of population, Capt. Michaelis's testimo-
ny was in the nature of strategic operation
to fool the enemy. But even West Point
tactics conldn't fool the Maine Legislature,
or the solid men who had come up from the
people. About this time one man had
to be, led out in fainting condition, and
the chairman of the committee was forced
to order the windows to be opened.
The Boston Architect.
Mr.. Spofford of Brigham and Spofford,
architects of Boston, was next called At
torney General Baker got his ear end for
four or five minutes filed him up with
points. Mr.. Spofford is a blonde and parts
his hair in the middle. He said he was an
architect. the fact being drawn by question
by Mr.. Baker. In reply to Mr.. Baker he
said he had been at work on the general ex-
tension of the Massachusetts, Capitol at Bos-
ton. I'VE don't propose to build new
State House but departmental building
costing about 81 100000, 240X180 in size, of
brick. four stories high" said Mr.. Spofford.
ut is to be fairly ornamental building
to to 9 compare n with the old CID" Mr. Spofford
presented few evenings ago and computed
the cost of exactly that building. He had
made as careful an examination as time
would permit. He said in figuring on costs
they were in the habit of taking the cost of
other buildings and estimating from that.
He found the extreme length of Mr.. Fassett's
plan to be $50 feet, the extreme width, 152
feet and the average area 81, ,450 square feet.
The height is 226 feet and to the roof 98 feet.
He had estimated it differently from what
difference in the size of the Fassett building
and the Boston building and that would
cost 81, 100000. On Mr.. Fassett's building
he gave benefit Of SIS per foot and 1t
would then figure over million dollars. In
regard to the addition that was to cost
$685. 900, he had estimated it and found that
the expense per foot would be $2l.07 and it
was 4032 feet in area. He estimated that to
be fair on Mr.. Fassett's building and esti-
mating at the same rate of a plain build
ing it would cost about $4,000.
Question by Mr.. Chadbourne, of the COM
built?"
A.-"None."
Q.-"How old are you?"
A.-"Thirtyfour."
youl estimates of the Boston State House?"
Al could not tell. l worked some time"
Q.-"How long have you been looking this
plan over?"
A day."
Mr.. Baker-"Now to resume the direct ex-
animation. Much laughter].
Mr.. Baker drew from Mr.. Spofford that
Mr.. Fassetts building, In its plainest form,
would be $725.S61, and for proper addition
for ornamentation, $S70,S96, and at the rate
used in beginning the proposed addition in
Boston it would be 81, 1,540,409. Mr.. Spofford
ssid he had investigated the cost of a fitting
State House for this State, and in his judg-
ment modern State House, such as would
be wanted, would cost S1,5OOOOO Mr.. Spof-
ford said the Name representatives had
much better chance than Massachusetts rep
resentatives, they had no desks. There were
241 members in the Massachusetts House
He said he had sketched plans for an extern
sion to the present State House, with the
State offices below aud legislative accommc-
dations above. BE had the sketches, but
from his description it was hard to get an
idea of the extension. He hadn't sketched
out the committee rooms.
Mr.. Spofford of Boston. who has spent
day here and has never built State House,
but nevertheless was enabled, under Orville
d. Bakers gentle reminders to be acomplete
cyclop@dia of the expense of State Houses,
and Of the needs of the people of Maine as
well, in this respect, was here allowed to
cease pouring out wisdom directly. Then
Byron d.. Verrill. Esq, began to draw out
what he didn't know. Mr.. Verrill's work
was amoly repaid Soma things that the