The Portland daily press., 1897-04-01

iISIC Vi NUiNO lUNlIStflHl oHl0fpFlSe,
If, perchance, to illustrate, an opera
house Is to lie adorned by the brillianc,
of electrical etfecUs, upon whom DO ON
embryo theatrical managers confer their
favorS. DO home manufacturers, vine
ulseHrse their money in the employ mem
Of skilled labor, receive the oousideia
tion which they should obtain, if we
were loyal to our own state and it's in
dustrial interestsf Or, are such valuable
contracts granted almost without the
asking to foreign corporatlons, who dis
bnrse the money contributed By our oT 4
citizens for the builtiing of such much
desired temple OF entertainments, in
other communities than Maine? Lei
those gentlemen who have such matters
IN charge answer the query.
II contracts are awarded to industrial
concerns doing business in uther states,
wh"t encouragement is there for agrees
I've, hard working, professional, and
mechanical geniases TO npbuild and de-
velop such industries i'll Maine? ASK
bfown, the extremely modest manager
or the Belknap Motor Co. which today
lights the world. If he declines to an
sWer ask the managers of our theatrical
| interests VINO ara so ready to turn down
/ nome enterprises and send our money
abroad, needlessly. such action is not
entitled to be characterized as unwiss
conservatism. 1t is unreasona ole dis
loyalty to Maine interest.
| Again, when our unwise Legislators de-
sired the remodeling of the State Capito
| In lieu of the acceptance of Portland IS
| generous offer to contribute the finest
location in the state of Maine for our
legislative halls, where did we go, (after
declining unwisaly the Forest City S
| tenderl for architects, to supervise such
reconstruction of tbs old unsa tisfactory,
yet historic pile at AugustaP Did we
seek a Stevens, or a Fassett, or COON bs
each the peer of any architect in this
broau land or did we pass them all by
| and confer our tavors upon foreigners
| whose errors had to be corrected by the
| men of Maine, thus shamelessly ignored
Why express surprise then when such
| unwise action prevails. because young
men, professional, industrial, mercantile
| and mechanical, seek other fields where
| talent Is appreciated and where loyalty
| toward their own homo interest il the
| law and order of the day. Shame upon
| our officials and representatives, mer-
chants and manufacturers, who so far
forget what tends to the upbuilding of
the community and enrichin8 of the
state, as to ignore our own artisans,
merchants and professions, by seeking
abroad that which can be found at our
| own doors and within our own borders.
! A few years since, the speaker had &C
oasion. with other men who thought that
| wise progI essiveness would contribute to
| the material interest of Maine, to ask the
city of Portland to erect upon its own
property. theD substantially unocoupied,
d building which could be used uiti-
mately for an 2 rmory but which for the
time being, could he used for q grand
industrial exhibition, which should in
clude the prod ucts of the State of Maine
| only.
These men and this enterprise were I'M
tremendously given leave to retire by
our local officials, Notwithstanding the
rank and file of our people had, by an nj
most endless petition, requested that oul
| desires be granted. Sucn aution was sure
| ly An evidence Of unwise conservatism
on the part of Portland's municipal rep
reseutativeS.
| We are pleased to note however, that
broader views have obtained in the past
few years, and we hope they will still
continue with those who now end here
after represent US. The recert coustrnc-
tion of our magnificent armory building
and auditorium, in conjunction with the
| far sighted plans for the expansion of
our park system, all give us encourage
ment that the retrcgressive, unwise con-
servatism of the Dast, is dead and buried.
| In legislative halls as before mentioned
the same lack of wisdom seems to have
predo minated. We accept and perfect
plans for the Eastern Maine Insane
| Asylum, home for the care of the most
| unfortunate members of the community.
| A much needed, ave, absolutely neces-
| sary institution. And then. because of
uHwise conservatism or extrsme selfish
| ness, our legislators refuse for the time
bsing, to continue the grandest work
ever conceived of by man, the alienation
| of suffering and the restitution of lost
mentality to members of our own house
hn1d shnn NAofs
of Maine who. because of fear of condem-
| nation by selfish constituents, or some
| less worthy influences, refuse to succor,
| aid, protect and restore Gods most I'D for
| tunate element of the human family
Unwise conservatism is no name for such
| fallaoious action. But, presto change.
Reverse the picture. Look at the other
side and upon the work of these same
wise Legislators (Henven save the mark. }
When corporations. selfish corporations
who not only claim privileges to which
they have no moral right, but who sap
the life blood of the community which
has given them the right to exist, come
before this same body and ask thai their
monopolistic franchises be psrpetuatea,
and that no competitor be given even
the right to tender his wares to a long
suffering community. these wise men,
these uuwisely conservative men say to
our prospective and much desired re-
levers of the peoples woes, "Get thee
hence and disturb us not" Our cont
stituents are well abls to pay he higher
rates for their water, the highest rates
for their lights, the highest rates for
their (the paople's) transportation. We,
the Representatives Of the peoples utter
ests, have free passes, of course, for our
valuable services, as legislators, state
and municipal because we grant, with
out money and without price to our
fr1ends (these molochs of monopoly all
the favors they ask both positive and
negative. Our predecessors having given
exclusive rights and franchises to these
poor corporations, it is our duty, when
the plain unconsidered people protest
against such action, in the name of JUS
tice and the peoples rights to, in effect
at least as did another famons represen-
tative and protector of monopoly In this
country exclaim, 1.-The public be D..
Let them look out for themselves. :"
When such a challenge to the people Of
Maine is thrown down By these self con-
stituted moaarchs of the public veal, it
behooves the rank and file, merchant and
mechanic, manufacturer and farmer, to
take up the gauntlet and teach these self
constituted destroyers or betrayers of
public rights, that there is a hereafter
and that an aroused and indignant