The Portland daily press., 1897-01-08
Nar1nNA1 Guard.

|
| composed Of 1wenty-four companies, with
| the usual staff and line officers; also an
| ambulance and signal corps, containing
| In all some 400 officers m no
| stoned officers and privates. These troops
| go into camp once each. year in Augusta:
| The number in camp in 1885 was ll72.
ann abo r that me ISL the num raps n
camp was III You will see there has been
a marked increase in Ssambers. I also
think there has been oe edvaf aains h
| guard has not only increased in numbers,
| but in efficiency, and it Is credit to the
| State.
| All who have visited these annual en-
campments bear witness that the per-
| sonnet and soldierly bearing of both regi-
ments are, considering thelr opportuni-
posed of intelligent, patriotic young men,
| largely dependent upon their own efforts
| for success in life nearly every one of
whom Is engaged in some useful vocation.
| All of them are unswervingly loyal to our
| State and nation, and have deep per-
sonal interest in preserving the public
peace and maintaining our present envi-
| able position as a State. To attain their
present excellent condition in drill and
craftsmanship they have been obliged to
devote without any expectation of re-
| m,nera tion much time which they could
hardly afford to give.
| I think you will concur with me that it
is wise and prudent to retain IN me ne prssena
Guard, and that such sums should be APP
| propriated as are necessary and required
The millennium when swords shall be
beaten into ploughshares seems as yet
| some way on.
I see no special reason that should lead
| to any increase in our present military eS-
| tablishment yet as Maine is a border
State, it seems to me prudent foresight
| would determine that we should have
| small but effective military organization
! to form a nucleus to rally around in case
| any emergency should arise, and GER
| tairly the present commendable activity
| of the national government In building
| a navy and strengthening our coast de-
| fences-the possible complications that
| may at any time arise from the struggle
dependence, are indications, and perhaps,
| the coming shadows of future events,
which we shall not wholly disregard.
| The reports of the adjutant general, and
| other information which he will furnish
you from his Office, will advise you more
| fully as to what the necessities of the ser
| vice demand: and l have no doubt you
will cheerfully grant them.
AGRICULTURE, LUMBER AND MAN
| UFACTURES.
Maine is vitality interested in agricul-
| ture lumber and manufactures: Agrl-
| culture is the basis of the worlds pros
| cations would cease. 1t is emphatlcany
| the leading and most important industry
| in our State today A very large part OF
our people are directly or indirectly inter
ested in it. But am confident that our
agricultural possibilities for improving,
| by better and more judicious farming, are
| not as yet fully understood and apprecl-
| ated, even by our own citizens.
| Our soil yields larger returns per acre
| than most of the land in the great farm
ing States Of the West In sons seftl and
expensive, but this is largely compen-
stated by our nearness to GOOD mark a
| and there are but few sections OF otner
| states where the great majority OF the
| farmers possess as good and substantial
| buildings, are as free from debt, are SO
prosperous and enjoy so many OF tne
| comforts of life as in our own. Yet mucn
more can be accomplished by better eara t ana
| more intelligent methods of cultlvatlon
! and diversification and proper selectloh ol
| crops.
| Our farmers institutes are doing excel
lent work in this direction. They are fur,
nishing much valuable information ana
/ awakening an interest which must pro-
duce beneficial results, that will more
| than compensate for all their costs.
Impurity in seeds, especially grass
seeds brought into the state, nave 19ne
| crops of noxious weeds instead OF grass
or grain.
! should be done to prevent the SAFE IN our
4 markets of any but reasonably clean
seeds. It is not SO easy for the average :.
farmer to discover the impurities until
1t might be well to provide, by appro-
| pirate legislation, that there should pc
/ some proper inspection and branding OIL
| the various grass seeds, mill feeds, etc.,
| Imported here, and that they should be
marked distinctly what they really are, SO
that no one can be deceived as to what ne
is purchasing.
dairy men be protected from fraud along
these lines, I think l give expression 10
the very general wish and desire 81 q
| class of men that are certainly entltled
| to consideration. =.
good roads and reasonable freight rates.
Our highways in some Spcalities Ger
tainly are not what they should be. There
are some towns that are not able to make
them as desired without aid from the
county or State. In some others the
1 money is often injudiciously and i'm
| properly expended.
Under existing laws the burden of main
tanning roads and building bridges often
bears very unequally upon towns and
| townships, and is anything but proper
tionate to the~benefits conferred
Correct these INEQUALITIES and , pIovld os
wisely expended, as prudent man Woulo
conduct his own business affairs, ana you
have taken the first, and very I'M
roads, and responding to demand Whlch
is quite general at present throughout our
State.
A careful study Of our laws for building
and repairing roads will, | think, con,
vince anyone that they need revision ana
some radical changes. ., =,
1t Is, however, Luz you, "
determine, after patient investigation,
what, il anything. shall be done.
our railroad service is excellent, SO Tar
as safety, comfort and convenience of the
travelling public is concerned. Few
states, if any located and settled as ours,
| can boast better accommodations than
we have. and we should indeed be CRATE
full to the men who have the management
of our railroads, for their fidelity and con-
slant care and devotion, to the pub, public lie,
good. Yet 1 am inclined to the opinion
that some of the freight rates are high,
compared with what is paid by our com
petitors in New York and the West,
where they have several trunk lines. the
greater cost of building and operating
| here doubtless, accounts for part Oh
| this. s..
orr farmers out of our immediate mar
kets by flooding them with the products
brought from distant states at much
lower cost than we have been able to OBJ
tain-a condition. alike injurious to the
railroads and our citizens, and which, l
have no doubt, the railroads will effect
ually remedy in the immediate future.
They fully realize that it would be wise,
and, in the end the best paying policy,
to obviate this as far as possible SO that
our manufactures by their increased out
nut. and our farmers, by raising larger
the lower