The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-09-17

interesting Paper by Hon. U. E. LIDDy on
Rotations of City to the Countryside
rotary Rich's Report-Delegates Lunch
with Senator Hale.
Ellsworth, September 16.-At the semi
annual meeting of the State Board of
Trade held here today, there were 40 dele
gates present from IL local boards.
q president Henry Lord of Bangor, Secre-
airy M. N. Rich and Treasurer G. n Wey-
mouth were reelected and the president
of the affiliated boards were elected
vice presidents of the State board
The discussion of the question "What
Other One Thing Contributes SO much
to the Material Interests of the State of
Maine as the Tourist Travel" was opened
by Francis Wiggin of Houlton who be-
lieyed that no other thingi contributed SO
much.
"What has the country done and what
should it do for the city " WAS discussed
by fine paper by Hon. Charles F. Lib
by of Portland.
MR.. LIBBY'S ADDRESS.
Mr.. Libby opened the discussion on the
topic, ''What has the Country done and
what should it do for. the City," by say
ing:
l have wondered why this topic has been
assigned to me. 1t can't be from any
special knowledge have of the subject,
but fortunately any deficiency or my part
has been more than made good by the
very full and interesting discussion of
the preceding topic by Mr.. Stetson, who
has told us what the city has done and
should do for the country. Looking at
this question in a broad way Am i'm
pressed by the fact that the interests of
the country. and the cities are identical,
that they are mutually bound up as mem
beers of one body, and in the language of
St. Paul, whether one member suffer
every member suffers with it," A. the
same time, we must also recognize the
fact that the conditions and needs of
rural and CITY, life are quite different, but
these differences are not inconsistent with
the closest mutual dependence and unity
of interests. AS State Board sof Trade
our point of view is that Of the State at
large, and the policy we should urge is
that which promotes the interests of all.
When you ask what the country has done
for the city, answer, it has made the
city possible. 1t has furnished to the
city much of the brain and vigor, the en-
terprise and push on which the prosperity
of the city depends. The marvellous
growth of American cities in this gener-
alton has been largely at the expense of
the country, whose young men leave the
ancestral farms to seek their fortunes in
the larger centres of population. They
bring with them the thrift. prudence and
for labor so essential for success
in Inequalities which too often the city
youth has never acquired. 1t is not sur
prising that in the competition and stress
of life, the country boy often has the ad-
out ahead. This new blood from the
country does much to keep alive the SIM
plicity of life and the ssterling virtues of
our American ancestry, which are too
often forgotten in the whirl and fever OF
city life, where the spirit of luxury and
the mad pursuit of wealth crowd out the
homelier virtues. Generally speaking,
then, would say that the country has
been an essential factor in the growth
and prosperity of our cities. Each has
mi nistered TO the necessities Of the other,
and each is dependent on the prosperity
of the other.
What can the country do for the citiess
To this | answer it can recognize the
common interests of the state which both
subserye and in which both are bound up.
1t can turn a deaf ear to all political
the country and the city in antagonism,
or which would seek to give one an un-
just advantage over the other. Already
the Constitution of our State, adopted at
a time when there were no large cities
within our borders, operates to practically
disfranchise large part of our urban
population, and to give the country dis
proportionate representation in the legfs-
lature; and of late persistent attempts
haVa haan in, tho 1Qnia1atYJra
throw burdens upon the cities which they
ought not to bear, and which if success
full will overturn the foundations Of our
New England system of government. !
refer TO the SO called Increased Mill Tax
Bill, )" by which large part of the bur-
den of maintaining our schools would be
transferred from the towns to the state.
The effect of this law is to tax the larger
towns and cities for the benefit of the
smaller towns. In the case of Portland
1t would call for contribution OF about
SIT ,000. This is movement from local
towards centralized government-trom the
town system of government to the state
system-with all that the change implies.
1t means the ultimate concentration OF
power in state officials, the obliteration
of local control, and the gradual modifi-
cation OF our town system of government
which has been the unit of our civiliza-
tion. 1t is but one movement towards
what is manifesting itself in many ways,
state socialism. A similar law has been
vetoed by Gov Wolcott in Massachusetts,,
who in his veto message uses the follow
ing significant language:
10 what extent and for what purposes
richer communities should be taxed to
contribute to the support of the poorer
communities, and whether the time has
come when the theory of local taxation
for local needs, which has hitherto pre-
vailed in Massachusetts, should give place
to taxation by the state, are grave ques-
tions of political economy upon which
there is much difference Of opinion.
The spirit of such legislation is in direct
conflict with the language of Art. VIII
of the Constitution Of this State, which
provides: 1.-The Legislature are author
ICED, and 1t shall be their duty to require,
the several towns to make suitable pro-
Collie