Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-12-29

il
mineral wealth is a guaranty to capital
in building its massive works. Save the
marvellous gorge at Ripogenus and the
long canon of the upper Kennebec. the
river peus are accessible and as fixed in
their course and levels as when nature
drew her finger through the surface to
marx out their passage to the sea. The
hardness OF our rocks furnish no oppor-
tunity Tor loss of water by mysterious
rivers that Weird-like disappear in the
ground wnen wanted and reappear when
and where no man needs them. For like
reasons our lakes are water-tight, ready
to give of their abundance when con-
trolled by gate or dam.
AS a rule the rock beds run at right
angles with the river courses lessening
the wear. We cannot boast of soil so
deep that to live upon it is to risk life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness y
The thinness of soil lessons fertility but
rare Is the case where our rivers rock set
and rock bound imperil the plant of the
manufacturer who has "builded his house
upon rock The thief that cometh by
nlght with storm and freshet but rarely
steals the reward of invested capital
Our magnificent forests are the safety
valve for our water power. The area Of
the State is some 5000 square miles. The
forest surface is 21.000 square miles, and
OF this lo.WO square miles are prmeval
woods located at the head of our river
systems Some one has shown that the
Rhode Island could be lost in these
northern forests and beated traveller
need guide and compass to find his way
through the margin of wilderness still
left The pine has gone the spruce is
last disappearing but the time will new
er come when about these headwaters
dense woods will not delight the sports
man and play their part in the economy
or nature. To cut one wood is but to
make room for the growth of another.
var hnh t1,r a.
courageous hard wood growth. AS a mat
ter OF climatic influence, those of us that
revel in the woods of Maine know that as
many leaves as ever, shall reach cut their
arms to contribute their share of work
as in the days of old when the lofty pines
ignored the humber trees beneath its
shade. Trees will grow and trees will
die, CO lury in and century out. genera
tons to come will find in our northern
forests the same spongy. messy growth
beneath the trees conserving as of old the
waters of the earth.
III the forests are the safety valves. the
wonderful lake system of Maine is the fly
wheel that contrc y the output of power
Vast storage has,. they yield readily
to the hand of man. Excluding the pc
culiar lagoon and bayous systems of
Florida, Texas and North Carolina
Maine has more lake surface than any
State in the Union except Minnesota
No district on. the globe of equal area can
are 162G lakes with Il water surfacS of
31io square miles or at out one-tenth of
our total area. Situated largely at the
head of the rivers they stand at the point
OF greatest conservation of force. AS to
their elevation. mark Moosehead mon
arch of them all. 1923 feet above the sea-
and the RangeleyS. 1911 feet above the
ebb and flow of the tide. Mind you. the
Mississippi drops but 1913 feet and from
Lake Superior to the St. Lawrence is
but $50 feet
Such is a hasty review of the natural
conditions that point out. unerrnsly the
future of our State. No: section of the
globe can duplicate these. conditions.
means original. All are drawn. how
ever. from sources of high authority and
are to be relied upon as accurate and not
misleading. Gentlemen of my profession
borrow with lavish hand.
pom our coast we have harbors whore
could ride the navieS of the world Our
scanty soil cannot compete with the rich
exuberance of the West; it can. however
iced at a greater profit the operatives in
market nearer by. Shipbuiding has
bowed its head to the sway of steam
The cutting of spruce must year by year
diminish. We have no coal with which to
harness steam. In the grandeur Of our
water power and its ultimate develop
ment. is the hope of the commerce of
Portland. the diaries of the Kennebec the
orchards of Franklin. and the rolling
farms of fertile Aroostook. 1t is a re
source that can never fail and never
change. The death of one rainfall is the
birth of another. In nature. force is new
er lost The energy of that lifts the va
por from the sea is developed in the click
of the shuttle in the distant mill So
long as katahdin stands with lOrdly mien
to catch soft kisses from the southern
breeze. so long will Maine turn with con-
fdence to future rich in the promise of
a wide diffusion of the comforts of life
The gospel of Maine needs more preach
eTs. 1t is high time to open up the
campneeting and let the eXhorterS hold |
forth 1t is good text. Even the clergy
Time was when Ter people apologized for
Maine. Time was, | said. Today. the
citizen of no State can be more proud of
the standing of his commonwealth. not
alone in pOutiCs. That goes without say
ing. Not alone in civilization. for the civ
ilization of Maine is today the best type
of clean handed, Godfearing American
manhood. Measuring life by the coarser
rules we are today. as a State and as Il
whole. better fed. better clothed and bet
ter housed than the average of any speo-
pie on the globe. "
Since the panic of 93. the arum of pro
gress has ceased to beat We are not
marching. Maine is marking time ready
to take the first step forward when the
music starts. While other states have
suffered keenly. our stability has been re-
marka bic. Some eXtraneOuS causes have
helped US. Thousands have sought the
cooling breeZeS of our coast. the quiet
peace of our inland lakes and the Soli-
tude of our restful woods. An annual in
flow Of ten million of dollars has stead
led" the heartbeat of business and kept
distress from many door What think
YOU of q legislature that wrangled over n
beggarly appropria ton of $2o 600 to foster
this great income? And most Of its
members could read. Yet Maine grows
in spite of the moral cowardice of her
politicians.
Year by year. even in the troublous
times since 80. her railroads have been
expanding. stretching out their iron arms
to the board fields of the AroostoOk. the
picturesque beauties of the Rangeleys
and the home-like villages of the eastern
shore. To every city and to the larger
towns have come superb systems of wa
terworks The electric railroad is binding
communities together and destined to
work out the question of freight trans
portation for many an outlying town. A
net work of telephones annihiates time
and distance.
TO further this DEVELOPMENT. be ready
for the quick coming discoveries when
through the cheap transmission of elec-
tricity our distant water powers will he
utilized along the lines of existing rail-
roads. naught stands in the way, save
only the over cautious conservatism of
the wise and learned men that control our
legislation. We need capital. To get