The Somerset reporter., 1890-04-10
Kate Fold Interviews Senator Halls

Kate Field Interviews Senator Hale
Kate Field, the famous woman journal
list and lecturer, has interviewed senator
Hale Of Maine. The talk IL printed In
the current number Of that sprightly and
unique paper, Kate Fields Washington,
and runs like this
Talk to you about the State Of Maine
Yes, indeed, | am quite willing 10 talk
about Maine and ought to know some
thing about the State too for | was born
there, and though | am in no hurry about
1t, would rather die there than anywhere
else"
81 don't wonder you have that kind OF
feeling The people of Maine seem all To
share it,"
Senator Hoar once told me that he
thought Maine had the best simon-pure
Anglo Saxon population with the leas,
admixture, OF any State in the Union;
and If you ever go there, as hope you
may, you will see what such a people are
dong for themselves. Pretty nearly ey-
terybody in Maine is at work, and the
state is to-day in brighter and thriller
condition than ever before.
There are good many acres of what
is called land in Maine that nobody would
think Of trying to farm upon; but we
have other products, that give an annual
crop, where no cultivation and no fertl-
izing are needed. Our ice crop. for in
stance, this winter, will bring s., 000, 900
into the State; and next year, II the sea
son is like this, We can easily furnish
double the amount. A great deal Of your
comfort during the coming summer
months will depend upon the ice that will
be brought to you from our State.
Everybody is dependent upon IL in some
way. The languld beauty who sips her
ices and sherbets at Saratoga and Long
Branch will send up praises to the State
of Maine, this summer; and our Southern
friend. when he mixes his juleps, will be
under renewed obligations because the
Union is restored and free trade is re-
established between the states
Jack Frost is trusted friend with US.
Last Wednesday, when the mercury stood
atjseventy in the shade here, | received
dispatch from Ellsworth, asking if the
ice might be cut on Simmons pond,
beautiful lake situated in the grounds
near my house. | answered, Yes, of
course : and il We stay here till August |
am quite likely to be using ice from my
own farm.
"You have other and even more perma-
nent crops, though, than ice"
"Look al the fine colonnade on the
north side of the Treasury building some
day as you are passing along Pennsylya-
MIA avenue those majestic pillars were
cut out of the solid. granite beds on the
coast Of Maine in my old Congressional
district. | have seen a single block of
this best of all stones, from which a mon
al, hi. ,lt 1.4
| ont: and the granite works of Maine to-
day furnish the best building and the best
finishing stone and the best monuments
in use. The crop, as you may guess, is
not likely to give out. When you drive
over the streets of an eastern city that
has substituted pavements Cor mud, you
may thank your stars that the Maine
quarryman and granite cutter are not,
IKE the schoolmaster, abroad, but hard at
work at home.
I'VE are starting up ship-bulding
again in Maine. When President Harri-
son honored our state with visit last
summer, he walked the deck of the
largest wooden merchant ship ever built
in the world, and he saw In the ship yards
at Bath more wooden ships under con-
struction than could be found in any
have just been started there, and In few
years our Bath friends will be able to
build any large iron or steel ship for
either naval or merchant service.
"Does the agricultural element in your
population look kindly, upon such i'm
provements In the condition of the manu-
featuring element
"All these things give prosperity to the
small farmers. They have market at
their own doors. The money for the
produce which they raise is counted out
to them in their own front yards Their
farming would look small to an Iowa or
Kansas man; but 1t is an open question
whether the small farmer in Maine is not
really in better condition Of thrift than
his Western brother who does things on
so much larger scale
THE Maine farmer, with his nfty or
one hundred acres, gets ready money for
everything that he raises. He keeps his
house and outbuildings well painted and
blinded; his rooms inside are filled with
good furniture his daughter has piano
and goes TO the high school. and his son,
whether he goes to college or gets good
practical education otherwise, is begin
ming TO see that, instead OF going West
or South, his lines fall in pleasanter
places If he stays at home good
many young men, like those who have
gone away from Maine heretofore and
turned up As Chief Justices and Senators
and Representatives and Governors from
other states, will hereafter stay in Maine
to be heard from there. We intend to
furnish our share of Presidents. Secre-
taries of State, and Speakers as time
goes on
And what about prohibition
"lf you were about three times as old
and had visited Maine in the days of free
rum, you would see what the prohibition
sentiment, which is at the bottom of tie
prohibitory laws of the State, has doue
for its people. Every country trader
then sold liquors. The signs over the
little stores at corners were. N. +. { W.
|. Goods and Groceries These included
all the liquors from the West Indies and
from New England. The musters and
trainings, the barn-raisings, the dances,
and all frolics and entertainments were
more or less attended with the use OF
liquors. All this has departed. Liquor
Is of course sold in the larger towns aud
cities, and no law will ever entirely pre-
vent this but throughout the length and
breadth of the State, in the small towns
temperance is the rule, the erog shop has
been extirpated and an intoxicated man Is
never seen.
MANY of the entertainments and cele-
brations are conducted under the patron
age of temperance societies, and out of
it has come u sober, intelligent, thrifty
population. | suppose | am not looked
upon at home as an extreme temperance
man, but do not fail to recognize the
almost measureless advantages that have
come to the state from the prohibition
sentiment and the prohibitory laws. But
the best thing you can do, my dear Miss
Field, 10 to come to Maine and see for
yourself; Mrs. hale and l will take care
of you at Ellsworth and show you some
of the finest people that you have ever
seen or met anywhere"
You are very kind to make so liberal
an offer; but 1t is not necessary to go
beyond the boundaries of Washington to
see some of Names finest human pro-
ducts, am sure"
"Your reference Is, of course, to Sec
rotary Blsine and Speaker Reed. In
their names thank"
"Oh, pshaw! Don't be SO modest,
Senator"
"Ahem! The atmosphere is getting
intentionally close. Good bye
"Good-byei'