The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-09-18

value of the meeting of the day. Prosper.
GUS days had come to Portland. Many
fine residences had been built, and many
fine business blocks, among them the
hotel in which they were assem- bled.
(Applause.)
Mr.. Winslow then introduced as pre-
siding officer, Hon. ". W. Thomas, Jr.,
who was received with loud applause.
Mr.. Thomas said:
1 Gentlemen of the Board Of Trade of
| the State of Maine:
In behalf of the Board of Trade of
| Portland it Is my pleasant Office to ex-
tend to you cordial welcome to this
banquet, and to the hospitality OF our
minds and hearts.
The city of Portland deems herself for
tunate in having as her guests many of
the roremost business men OF our State,
ana l am confident, Gentlemen, that
you, on your part consider our city the
most lifting place for your meeting.
FOE prosperous and progressive as the
other cities of our State may be, Port
land Is. after all, the hub Of Maine.
Consider for a moment the spokes of
business that centre in this hub of the
wheel of fortune of our State. There Is
the Grand Trunk Railway running to all
points of Canada and the West, the
| Rochester road, the Maine Central, pene-
srating into almost every nook and cor
| ner of our State, the Mountain Division
the Boston & Maine Railroad, and its
Eastern division; then by the ocean are
our lines of steamships to New York
and Boston the transatlantic lines TO
London, to Bristol, to Liverpool and to
Glasgow, and to complete the circle our
FAST steamers to the British Provinces
and the eastern ports OF Maine, and in
terspersed with these are the shorter
spokes of our electric roads, and our
steamboat routes to neighboring towns.
Over all these lines business and prosper
ity flow into our city, and over the
greater portion Of these lines business
and prosperity are radiated out again
over the greater portion of our State
For SO Intimately bound together are all
interests and all sections of Maine that
you cannot benefit one portion without
benefting all. You cannot settle q
wilderness township in Aroostook with
hardy. Industrious, law-abiding and God
tearing colonists, without increasing the
traffic on our railroads, and the busi ness
IN our cities; and sou cannot increase the
business and population of our cities
you cannot build an additional grain
elevator or establish a United States
naval station in this hub of Maine-
without, at the same time, opening up
larger and quicker market to the farmers
OF our State for their surplus products.
The business development of the State
of Maine, Gentlemen, offers O vast field
Tor your activity and sagacity. Maine
IS State of imperial, but largely un-
developed resources. Develop these
resources and we have an Empire State
Think for moment of some of the
resources lying about us which
are as yet but partially utilized. Our
ocean shores and our vast forests pro-
vide a cool breathing place and summer
playground for the entire nation; our
rivers offer sufficient water power to run
all the factories of the United States
our quarries can furnish ample building
material for the continent, and in orr
spacious rbors the navies of the world
may safely ride at anchor.
And, fellow citizens of Maine, Is there
not something inspiriting In the fact
that these resources are as yet unde-
veloped, since it places on us the inspir-
ing duty of helping to develop them.
1t Is pleasant to look upon such State
as Rhode Island, or such nations as Bel
GUM or England, where population and
Industrial activity seem TO have nearly
or quite, reached the utmost bound of
their ossibilities. But If these States
have SO nearly reached their maximum.
there remains for them but little pro-
gross in the time to come.
1t is the State with undevel eloped re- |
sources for whom the prizes of the good !
time coming lie in waiting. The State |
with wilderness is the State of the |
future. And that glorious future |
awaits the State of Maine, who can
doubt?
State, where a thousand mountains
rear their affairs to the skies; State, |
where thousand woodland lakes reflect |
the stars OF heaven; State, where thou
sand crystal streams rush leaping to
the ocean; State, where thousand is
lands gem the shores; State, where a
thousand headlands repel the onset of the
untamed sea; our own loved State of |
Mainel Where is there son Of Maine
who Is not proud that he ia sprung from
such mother. and who will not gladly
labor OF love for the development, ad-
vancement, prosperity end greatness Of
the common wealth in which a happy
fortune has cast our lot
Mr.. Thomas's q remarks were received
with frequent outbuIsts of applause, and
especially were his references to the
future of Maine applauded. There was
also applause at Mr.. Thomas's references
to Mr.. Bax ter's work for the city.
Mr.. Winslow next read letter of re-
sret from Mayor Baxter, who was unable
20 be present.
Loud applause greeted Hon. Henry
Lord when he was introduced as from
ihe "Queen City of the Penobscot. Z"
Mr.. Lord began by referring to Governor
Jleaves, (who had come in during the
banquet and had been received with ap-
olause) as one of the best governors
Maine had ever had, cloud applause) to
Mr.. Winslow, who had refused to run tor
governor. (applause), to the eloquent
postmaster of the evening, (applause).
md to the well known Portland citizen
who was building an insane asylum in
Bangor. daughter and applause. \
Portland was too far west to be the hub.
Laughter.) The very hotel in which
hey were had been built by Bangor
nan. (applause), and they had got an
ther Bangor man to run 1t. (Applause \
Bangor was really the hub of the state.
DIR. Lord went on to say that he believed
n standing up for Maine. He was glad
. hear the eloquent toastmaster speak