The Portland daily press., 1895-01-04

sum of money raised for educational
purposes, our common schools, es-
pecially in the country, are not what
they should be. The common school is
the school of the people, the only school
the great majority of them attend. and
for this reason the fostering care of the
State should be especially devoted to
them. We would not detract from the
value or the Importance of our higher
institutions of learning, but if the
money which the state lavishes on them
was devoted to the common schools the
education of the masses would be en-
HANGED more than it is now. In this
direction lies one of the great merits OF
the proposed constitutional amendment
forbi5ding. the appropriation of State
money to sectarian institutions-a meas
ure which we believe the Governor must
be in sympathy with. though the mes
sage contains nothing upon the subject.
The Governors suggestion of increased
appropriation for the deaf and dumb
school, and that it be charged to the
school fund inasmuch as this school is a
purely educational institution ought to
to be needed.
State institutions educational, penal
and elemosynary are taken up seriatim.
and clear statements made of their con-
dition, which is generally good. The
Governor believes that additional accom-
modations are needed for the insane and
recommends reasonable appropriation
for beginning the work. His remark
that the State Gowns a suitable site III
Bangor" will be regarded by that city as
tantamount to a recommendation that
the new asylum be built in Bangor, and
will make that town wild with delight.
b The savings banks of tine State have
swelled their deposits during the past
year over one million u dollars, not
withstanding the hard times. There is
no allusion in the message to the law
in regard to their Investments which was
passed u t year, SO we are left in doubt
as whether it has worked satisfactorily
or not; though we believe the State as
SCISSORS say that as tax law it has
proved a failure.
The Governor recommends caution in
dealing with insurance companies, re-
minding the legislature that the laws in
regard to them are at present in an mex
tricable tangle, and that so many COM
panies have withdrawn from the State
that the time has come when sufficient
protection against fire cannot be obtained
by our people, in sound insurance COM
panies authorized to do business in this
State"
The disastrous effect of free ship law
upon Maine is pointed out, and praeti-
cally it is recommended to reconstruct
the law in relation to the taxation of
shipping with view to relieving it of
some of it's burden: an increase in the
appropriation for the militia from one
twelfth of mill to one-tenth is favored !;
also an increase Of $4,000 in the appropria-
ton for veteran soldiers; further tinker
ing with the Australian ballot law at the
present time is condemned, the Governor
taking the ground that the law can never
be fairly tested if it is to be changed
every time the legislature meets.
The Governor devotes considerable
space to the State liquor agency and
shows clearly that the law ought
to be changed or the Office abolished al
together, and he recommends that one
or the other be done. Apparently the
State has no control of the agency ex-
cept to appoint the agent, and while
it shares in the profits, it given no guar
| anty either that the liquors shall be pure
or that they shall be sold only for
statute purposes.
There is word of praise for the services
for the board of commissioners to tie
Columbian Exposition, an appreciative
reference to the State flower, an eloquent
psnegyric on the Stare. and word of
timely caution to the legislature to care
fully consider proposed legislation and
prudently appropriate and expend the
taxpayers money.
The address is long, yet it is difficult
to see how it could be condensed into
less space and cover the matters which
the public expect the Governor to treat
in his message. We have picked out
some of the salient points, but a perusal
of the text will disclose much that we
have barely touched upon much that the
public ought to read and ponder.
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