The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-04-20
GOOD DINNER; GOOD TALK.
[coNT1NUED FROM FIRST rAeE.l

great Improvement. IeiudpS some OF
the gentlemen present knew the circum-
stances of his election. He was called to
the Office without any seeking of his
own, and he came to the Office without
any preparation. He hardly knew
whether he was more a citizen Of Deer
ing or Portland. He certainly had great
interest in Portland!s welfare. and he
thought it augured we'll for that welfare
that so many young men were coming
forward to interest themselves in the af-
fairs of the board. The business men of
Portland 10 years hence would be these
young men. The scenery about Port
land came in for an eloquent panegyric,
which called forth the applause Of his
hearers.
Ex-Mayor Chapman
was next called upon. He had heard
with interest the speech of the Mayor of
Deering, and said he thought that if
Deering had been annexed he would have
made good mayor of Portland. Mr..
Chapman said his memory went back to
the last dinner, when they were agitating
Tor new elevators and a new opera house.
/ Applause and laughter Although the
elevators had not arisen, our railroad
connections with Canada, via the splenss
cid Maine Central line, had been extend
ed; and the liberalitv of one of our citi-
zens ID. N. Jose, ESQ.,, had given us a
small but elegant music hall. But the
question might come up, ''How about
our commercial interests? Have they
increased since our last meeting?'' And
MI Chapman said he was forced to be-
heve that our commercial interests were
not gaining, even if they were not declin-
ing. The number of unoccupied stores
on Commercial street, the consolidation
of Old firms, and other signs were not
encouraging. There were several
agencies that combined to hamper
Portland's progress. There was, in
the first place, the interstate commerce
law, which was making smaller Maine
cities and towns billing points for west
ern produce, thus cutting off much traf-
fic that once came to Portland. Second
", there was the system of export re-
bates, and thirdly the tendency of manu-
facturers to deal directly with the con-
sumers. The western miller now offers
flour to the smallest retail dealer in
Maine in lots as small as five and ten
barrels at prices as low as can be obtained
by the Portland wholesaler. These new
conditions are playing havoc with the
Portland wholesale trade, and the affect
is apparent in vacant stores on CONNER
cial street. We also labor under the dis
advantage of having Boston, great mar
ket and distributing point, on the one
side and the meagre population of Maine
on the other.
It is vain and idle to believe that Port
land will continue to grow through trade
and commerce alone. We must look to
other sources. First there is manufac-
lures. Applause Our situation for
such is unrival!ed. Money enough has
gone from this city to western enterprises
to have built up, if kept at home, induss
tries that would have greatly increased
our population. Applause
Again there are the unrival1ed re-
sources of our harbor for transhipments.
This country is becoming the granery of
Europe, and the shipment of grain is to
along the Atlantic coast where merchan-
disc for transhipment can be handled
SO cheaply and readily as here.
There is still another agency: Reel
procity, or commercial union with Cana
da. Applause. This would give us
an enlarged market for manufactured
goods and cheaper raw material. 1t
would also stimulate trade and increase
the value of real estate. Mr.. Chapman
thought the Board of Trade should use
its influence to bring about such a poll
cy.
Ex-Mayor Walker
was called upon. He began with recip-
rocal trade relations with Canada. He
believed that in this policy lay the pros
perity of the city. It was the duty of
the Board of Trade to keep this question
to the front. We had reciprocity for IL
years. Portland never before or since
has seen such prosperity. That prosper
ity extended throughout the state.
Lumber and navigation Industries
prospered. Now we want our politicians
to form some reciprocity with Canada, as
extensive as possible. Our manufac-
tuners can compete. with any in Canada,
and need have no fear from the policy.
/ do not know why our statesmen are so
slow about this. They are going off
down to South America, to the little
states that curse us, to get reciprocity
over which they are Dragging much; but
here is country greater and better than
them ali, right at our door, and we do
not have reciprocity with it. We want
those Provinces of Canada to be bound
closer to us, and some time to become
part of us. Every aspect, physical,
legal, social, moral and religious, points
in this way. Larger bodies always at
tract the smaller. We are a nation of
sixty millions; they little one of five.
They will inevitably drift to us. Give us
reciprocity and Portland will double her
population in short time. We should
be as large as Montreal in few years.
We should bear this in mind; ;
and whip up our functionaries.
We should let them known that
we want reciprocity with some
thing greater than the Dominican gov
ernment-a set of negroes. The sooner
we have closer relations with Canada
the sooner will our prosperity begin.
[Applause.]
Captain H. H. Shaw
was introduced as q manufacturer and
received with applause. He said he did
OF think much should be expected of a
man so overshadowed by mayors and ex-
mayors. There did not seem to be much
left for him to talk on unless he should
devote himself to wind and water. He
said he had been flooded with many cir
culars from places in the West telling
him how much better it would be for
him to locate his property in the West.
Natural gas was their great argument