The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-01-07

There can be no doubt that the fnsncis,
and economical conditious Of the stsss
demand the closest suvutiny Of all aprropst-
stions with view % making them -
small as IL compatible with the proper
discharge Of the duties imposed upon the
soyernment and the copservasSoa Of the
Important interests which are more or
lees under its cara Gov. Powers points
out that only very few states In the
union are taxed ct 40 high q rate a. 10
Maine today. He might have pointed out
also that the valuation has been screwed
up pretty high. Furthermore local taxa
ton at least In the large towns and cities
is we'll up. The state increases bu4
slowly either In wealth or population.
For several years past tho fnFming indus-
try has not been profitable, prices ruling
low with frequent failures Of some of the
staple products like spples The nshina
industry which used 10 be one Of consider
able profit to the coass towns Of the state
has largely disappeared. OF course many
new industries have been introduced into
the state during the past ten years, yet
the times are not booming and the
average citizen has to look pretty care
meet.
Individually the people are having 10
practice economy. Collectively they ought
to do so too. But while the need Of econ
omy is clear, the accomplishment Of H. IL
difficult The 81 lsries We pay our officers
are. as a rule, not large, and for the most
part the appropriations are made for
worthy objects. Nevertheless the fact re-
mains that our expenditures are close up
to what the people can afford, and can
not be increased without imposing
a burden heavier than the people
ought to be called upon TO bear.
But II they are not to be Increased
deaf eur must be turned to appeals for
raising salaries, even when the advance
asked for is not unreasonable. and many
objects must go without an appropriation
or be content with less perhaps than
Judged entirely on their merits they might
be fairly entitled to. II the legislature
only keeps down the salaries that nobody
wants raised, and only reduces appropria-
tions in CAGES where the persons interested
volunteer to accept reduction
every salary will be raised and
no appropriation win be les
sened. The penalty of being economical
is to affront some body and to DO de-
nounosd very likely as stingy and parsi-
monious. 10 be economical the legis-
lature has go: to ignore the appeals
OF many prominent and influential cifi-
sens who will appear before it and claim
that unless several hundred Thousand
dollars are appropriated for the
Eastern Maine hospital the state
will be guilty of inhumanity; that
unless s35, 600 or $40, COO are turned
over to the state college and as much more
to various academies scattered about the
state mortal blow will have been struck
to the cause of education; that unless the
demands Of all our charitable institutions
are met there win be- great suffering and
want; that unless the salaries of our
judges and county attorneys are put up
We shall imperil our chances Of getting
proper men for these offices: and so on
almost ad infinitum. There won't be a
gentleman appear before the legislature
who will suGgest that the particular en-
terprise OF institution In which he Is in
terested can get along with ono cent less
than is asked for. There will be great
many editorials in the newspapers about
the need of economy, and resolutions in
favor Of retrenchment will be unanimously
adopted by many associations and socis-
ties. But none of these will point out
where expenses can be cut down The
Legislature will have to discover that, and
1t won't get much real assistance in the
work. And when 1t has discovered IL the
only thing for it 10 do is to proceed to
cut, without regard to the kicking and
screaming that ensuss. II 1t hasn't the
courage to do that it lacks the first
and most important essential for the
making of an economical record.