The Portland daily press., 1889-02-20
Portland as the Capita, seat.

urged with much persistence and some
FEASIBILITY is that the atmosphere of great
cities is not conducive to calm and thought
full legislation; that the great masses Of peo-
pie gathered'in such cities are liable to exert
an undue influence ON the lawmakers. Con-
cede for the sake Of argument that there is
some force in this reasoning, concede that
Massachusetts made mistake in selecting
Boston as her capital and is perpetuating
ner mistake today in spite of the teach
ings OF experience; that Rhode Island
made similar mistake when it aban-
doned Newport and retained Proyi-
dence as its capital; that Minnesota in
stead of selecting the magnificent and grow
ing city of ST. Paul should have chosen
some little town In the interior, where the
streets always wear Sunday aspect: con-
ceue tuat IL Is not wise to locate capitals in
such cities as New York and Cincinnati and
Chicago or any other great city, there is
nothing In this argument to initiate against
Portland. Portland is not great city. 1t
Is small city Of only about 10000 popula.
ton, and that population of very conserva-
tive and steady going character. 1t is larger
than Augusta, but Augusta is larger than
Branch Mills in the own of China, which is
thecenter of our population, and the argument
OF size which is used against the removal of
the capital from Augusta to Portland, would,
If followed to its logica, conclusion, transfer
the capital from Augusta to Branch Mills.
As compared with Branch Mills Augusta
is great city. Why not take the capital
away, then, from this great city, where there
is danger that the Legislature will be undulv
influenced by local sentiment, and transfer
Tito Branch Mills, where this danger Is COM
paratively trifing? Carried to its limit. this
argument which the friends of Augusta
make against Portland would consign the
capital to the least populous village of the
least populous section Of the State
But ignoring the question whether it is
good policy to locate capitals in great cities
like New York and Philadelphia and ST.
Louis, which contain large numbers Of peo-
pie not homogeneous with the general popu-
lation Of the State. as irreveant, as it
manifestly is, let us see If there are
not some decided advantages in hay
ing the capital of Maine in Portland
simply because it is larger city than Au-
gusta, without anything on the other side to
Offset them. The friends of Augusta argue
that the Legislature is deliberatye body, |
that its business is to make laws, and the |
picture they paint for this occasion only, is |
that OF Senate and House sOlemnly coming /
together every morning in their respective
chambers, carefully boiling all the doors, SO
that no influence from the outside world
shall affect their deliberations. To the Au-
gusta mind just now the Legislature is a sort |
of petit jury locked up to deliberate in Sc |
fc trua 4ha
alive body, or ought to be, and that its bust
ness is to make laws. But it is to make
laws for the people, and therefore it must
be informed in some way what kind Of laws
the people want; what measures will be for the
interest of the people. How do its members
getlthls information Do they receive instruc-
tions when they are elected how they shall
vote on the thousand and one questions that
come before them? Occasionally members
constituents instruct him on some point-we
heard the other day Of legislator who was |
instructed to vote for bounty on crows-but |
upon the great majority Of questions legisla- |
tors have no instructions at all. Now what |
is the legislatort to do wnen one of these ques- |
tions arises. The Augusta idea-for this oc- |
casion only-seems to be that he should en-
ter into the legislative closet and carefully /
lock the door, and then evolve from his in
ner consciousness the correct way to act |
Luckily for the State the present Augusta
idea has not been received with favor by the
legislator of the past. Instead of locking
himself in closet the legislator has gone
into committee room with the door wide
open, and invited people to come
and tell him about the special
subject under consideration. 1t is of the
highest Importance to the State that he
should get this information, for without it
he cannot legislate intelligently, and the
moie he gets OF 1t the more intelligent will be
his action. Where can he get more OF
it? At Branch Mills or Augusta? at
Augusta or Portland? OF course he can
get the most in tine place where the most in
terests are represented. Perhaps Branch
Mills would be more favorable to some kinds
of Notwithstanding for instance
than Augusta. But that topic would proba-
bly, pretty thoroughly exhaust the resources
of Branch Mills, while at Augusta he could
get information on quite anumber of other
topics, because the interests of Augusta are
more diversified. For the same reason he
could get more information at Portland
than at Augusta.
The work of the legislature nowadays is
largely the work of committees, and the
work OF committees is largely tile consulta-
ton Of authorities-on finance; on the mate
rial resources of the State and the best
means of developing or preserving them; on
the industries and trades and professions
pursued by the people; on education: ON
sanitation; on the thousand and one mat
tiers great and small, which affect the well
being of the State. Obviously where the adj
Vice and instruction needed on these |
subjects can most readily be obtained
Is where the authorities on them exist in |
the greatest abundance, and that is in the |
largest places. There are more of them in |
Portland than in Augusta And this con-
sderation is of so much Importance that it
alone ought to be sufficient to determine the
locating Of the capital at Portland, unless
there be other considerations that offsetit.
Are there any such considerations? The
Augusta gentlemen profess to fear that if
'he Capital comes to Portland the virtue of
the legislators will be put to severe strain
by the lobby which they think will inevitably
them. Now we venture to say that
lobby in Portland will be much less sue /
cessful In capturing legislators than lobby
in Augusta; for this reason, that the opera {
tions of lobby in Portland will be exposed
to the observation of a greater number of
people than in Augusta. Publicity Is the
most effective check on Hobbies, the less ex-
posed to observation the lobby is the more
successful will it be. Is there any other con-
sideration? Yes. The Augusta gentlemen
fear that in case of foreign war State House
IN Bramhall Hill may be bombarded by a
foreign fleet and destroyed. But fire is a
much greater danger than foreign fleet, and
/ State House in Portland will be much bet
er protected against this danger than one
n Augusta can be- Is there any other con-
'ideration? We believe there is one. The
Augusta gentleman who filled the House of
with noise on Mon
lay night seemed to fear that the moving
II the capital to Portland might develop In
me natural seaport Danton or Marst or
hooespierre, and that the legislative archives
might be sacked by mob and the lamp posts
decorated with legislators. This danger is