The Portland daily press., 1896-09-18

OF western progress has to a certain ex-
t sens been checked. The West, taken as a
whole, is by no means fully populated a.
nor are Its resources completely deyel
oped, but there are no longer the great
undiscovered posi- bilities. Pioneer con
dltlons have passed away, and free lands
easily available for agriculture are to a
large extent utilized. AS a oonseoence
| there is now taking place, as an incident
| perhaps of these hard times, what may
be oRlled reflex aetion-a Sebonnding
| of the westward impulse felt through tia
East and South. The immediate canahil-
tiles of many of the newer parts of The
country have been overeStimated. SEQ
lions have been over-pOpuiated, crowds
| have rushed to localities whore the nat
ural resources were not sufficient to fur-
nish employment to one fourth the num-
Der. Cities have been built where the
agricultural possibilities only demanded
villages. AS result houses for a short
time inhabited, have been abandoned
and the shops once full Of goods are now
used for storage, The question is asked
by all western travellers, What has be-
come of this great population OVERLOOKING
all parts Of the West few years aqop
Some have scattered to the larger oities
Of thu West, while others have returned
East to seek employment in the vicinity
1t must not be supposed that the pub
lie lands as far as area are concerned.
are by any means exhausted. Fully
one-third of the whole area of the United
States belongs to the general government
ana FOR the greater part is open to entry
ana settlement under the homestead ACT
hut this land has been culled over. the
choicest pieces have been picked out, the
waters OF the springs and Of the smaller
rivers, which give value to most of this
rich land, have been laid claim to by the
settlers. As result although the vast
area OF. In round numbers, $50, OOO 600
acres, is still vacant and can be had for
little more than mere settlement, still
the difi oulties of this settlement are
suon IS TO impose considerable price
upon it. These difficulties are manly
due to lack of water. Before the land
can be used an expenditure of from $40
TO $40 per acre or more must be made.
This fact brings into competition With
the public lands millions of acres of land
In the older states, In many respects
equally as good. and which can be pur-
chased for u moderate price. Not only
has the agricultural land of the East
been thus RELIEF ed to certain extent. OF
the unequal competition with the gov
ernment land, but the other resources
such as those of the commoner minerals
and of water power, have been propor-
tionately advanced in value. The pos
sibilities of the West having been to q
certain extent exploited, attention is now
being drawn back again to those of the
older sett led localities. New enterprises
are no longer so strongly attracted
towards the West by its unfathomed DOS
sibilities
There is one respect. however, in which
THE WEST NOW POSSESSES A DE-
CIDED ADVANTAGE
over the older communities of the East
and that is-curiousiy enough-that its
resources are more widely known. The
public In general can obtain very little
definite information concerning the older
states of the union. Few of the older
states have even trustworthy map.
They have of course complied charts and
drawings which show in general way
the principal towns and roads, but these
have been made by piecing together bits
OF highway surveys, of town boundary
measurements, and of railroad recon-
noissances, ths discrepancies being adj
Justed to suit the convenience of the
drRughtsman. No elevations of the
surface as a whole are known except at
isolated points such as railroad stations
or tops of conspicuous hills. In other re-
spects accurate knowledge is lacking.
20 to A large public library for instance,
and sec what yoU can find concerning
the Topography. photography and general
zoology of Maine, and the character of
its natural resources? There is hardly
anything which is less than one or two
generations old; excellent works for
their time but long since outgrown by
the increase Of definite knowledge and
h At,x,u ,rl~.~ II L.
line of industry. Compare Maine with
some of the western states and see the
volumes of literatu re relating to the lat
ter, giving the most minute and detailed
description of the possible resources
locations, attitudes and distances, and of
all the details which are sought for by
prospective investors in new industries
This fact has been illustrated many
times by men who have come from "way
down East" to some far western point to
take mp an enterprise and who, after be-
coming acquainted With. the situation,
have exclaimed "If my own native
town had been as well known and as
thoroughly advertised as this place. it
would have attracted such business with
greater ease.
Advertising bias acquired such hold
on modern methods that it can no longer
be dispensed with, and legitimate adyer-
Using is based on full honest statement
of facts and advantages to be gained. If
THE FUTURE INDUSTRIES OF
MAINE
are to hold their place with those of the
other states every effort should be made
first to know exactly what are the posi-
bilities, natural advantages and limita-
tions, and neither depreoate nor exag-
gerate these. The attitude of many a
we'll meaning son of Maine, is tWe have
nothing here to develop, we must go else
where" A broader knowledge may
show unsupported possibilities. 1t is not
to be inferred from this that Maine has
anything like the Goals and irons of Penn
sylvania, or the precious metals Of Cali
fornia, but these do not necessarily in
olude the range of natural wealth. In
the building stones, rocks, CLAWS, soils
and commoner minerals, as well as ia
the woods and waters, many an industry
finds support, yielding surer returns than
the mines of the West. No Intelligent
man who has travelled through Maine
with his eyes open, can say 1--WE have
nothing here worthy of Development. .
How best can Maine learn accurately
Der own resources and show them clear-
Iryf <.A IN - u.