Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-03-11
REMARKS OF COL. pLummeR
CONTINUED from page 6. ]

new $40. 900 building would be Wnl1e
elephant on the bands Of the state.
Mir. Speaker: With the insane hospitai
bospital at Augusta over crowded as IL is,
s,,,,ros,. the State had two other hospitals
at other points only little more than
half full. do you believe the proposition
would have been seriously made TO TINS
legislature to pull down the main Dulid-
ing Of the present hospital at Augusta
and replace it at great expense WIN
larger and more ornate structure! NO.
everybody would have said, send your
surplus patients to tho other hosp'tals'
and vet the proposition here ana now
made TO pull down and rebuild at farh-
ington is precisely parallel to this PROPOSE
ton.
But Mr. Speaker: Suppose more room
is needed at Pennington to accommodate
the students in excess of $50 who ought
to be distributed to Gorham and Castlne,
it can be secured by putting an additlon
or extension of 80 feet onto the end OF the
present building in the direction III
which the principal extension of the pro-
posed new building would be made rms
can be done, and the whole building
brushed up and put in good condition for
less than $1,000. Such an addition would
meet every possible requirement for more
room and make a saving to the State OF
1924. 900 or S25, 1000. And gentlemen is II
not worth while to save this sum TO the
taxpayers of the State, when it can be
done without sacrificing any real educa-
tional interest, or depriving a single stu
dent of any essential facility for his IN
struction? Are our appropriations Tor or
binary necessary expenses of government
and for charitable and humanitarian in
situations so small, that a trifie OF s24, 600
or S25, 600 saved is of no moment? L re-
fer you to the able timely and patriotic
message of our level headed Governor
which we all heard read the other day
for answer.
Are the people of Maine this year SO
especially prosperous, forehanded and
Qush. Do lumbermen receive such re-
munerativc prices for their lumber; ou1
manufacturers for their goods, and our
farmers for their hay, potatoes, WOOL cat
tic and horses, that the saving to them of
a mere bagatelle of s24, 900 or s25, 600 is
not to be considered?
Mr. Speaker: There is another thing to
be considered. The present main build
ing built in 1864, shown here in this
picture, the entire front part tower and
all, is too good a building to be on any
consideration and under any circum
stances torn down. 1t would be an I'M
warranted and wanton destruction of the
property of the State to tear it down.
There can be no possible justification for
such a proposition. If the new $50, 600
building must be built, in the name of
reason, let it be built on new ground. Do
not pull down and destroy Il substantial,
useful and imposing structure like that,
because it is q LITTLE old fashioned, and
lacks Octagon corners and bay windows
Public buildings like this, of substantial
construction, from indestructible ma
teriaIs stone and brick, are valued by
wise men for their associations when old,
and repaired, renovated and restored, not
torn down, and blotted from the face of
the earth. Who would have been so lack
ing in sentiment and sense as to have pro
posed, a few years ago, to pull down old
Massachusetts hall at Bowdoin College,
with its valued associations of 100 years?
Nobody thought of tearing it down. 1t was
repaired, renovated and preserved, and
made one of the most useful, as it is the
most interesting building on the College
campus.
Gentlemen This main building at
Pennington is not without interesting
ADD valuable associations. 1t was the
first normal school building constructed
in the State and marks a new and wise
departure in school development. There
it has stood for 80 years. Within its walls
for Is years Prof. c. G. Rounds, the ablest
normal school man and one of the fore
most educators the State has produced,
did his faithful and useful work; and
within its walls Prof. burlington, his ac-
oomplished and successful successor, has
spent l | of the best years of his life. Let
the old building stand and be preserved,
and when Mr., burlington 8 useful work at
Pennington shall have been finished, the
recollection of its faithfulness and eflicien
cy as associated with and kept alive by
the old building will be an inspiration to
those who shall come after him; and
hundreds of graduates scattered all over
the State and in other states will ever
hold the old familiar tower III atfcctionate
remembrance, and l am sure would re-
greet its unnecessary destruction. But
gentlemen these are considerations of
sentiment and | do not present them to
you as controlling motives of opinion
and action, although were | a graduate of
the school they would have great weight
with me-
What do present as a paramount con
sideration in this matter is the utter and
inexcusable wastefulness involved in this |
scheme to tear down so good, substantial |
and useful building, which serves its
purpose fairly well now, and which with |
a comparatively small expenditure for re- |
pairs and enlargement, can be made to |
satisfy every legitimate demand of the |
Institution for the next 90 years, and at |
the end of that period even should not be
pulled down. Here is another point |
The pulling down of this building will /
the school for much longer
time than it's enlargement, and impose
upon the State much greater charges for
the rental of buildings while the process
of construction is going on.
Now Mr.. Speaker: ! am not a builder,
but | am the son of builder, and in boy
hood knew what it was to work at the
business, and have ever since maintained
q lively interest in that kind of work, and
| say to you that do not believe single
individual firm or corporation in the