The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1901-01-03
Agriculture.

Agriculture.
Agriculture will always be our most i'm
portant industry 1t gives employment and
support to more than half our population,
| and whatever serves to advance its inter
ests and bring greater prosperity to our
farming communities Is benefit TO the
whole State The growth of our cities and
manufacturing centres, and the Increased
Maine every year have created better home
markets for our farm products but the
great resources OF the State are not yet
| fully appreciated. The constant devotion
ment of our magnificent water power
much of which has never been utilized and
| the more general adoption of improved
methods of agriculture. must result In still
greater prosperity In the years to come
The Influence of the Grange has been a
potert factor in the advancement of our
! agricultural interests, and has added great
| ly to the pleasure and profit of farm life
The Board Of Agriculture Is doing work
of inestimabl. value and Importance. The
! large number .h farmers institutes, which
nave been held during the past year, have
everywhere been we'll attended, and great
interest has been manifested In this WORK
/ by the farmers of the State, who have
given II their cordial support. ! am per,
suaded that these meetings and the general
WORK or the board. have done much to Stlm-
ulate and encourage the ambitious and pro
gressiye farmer by bringing to every com
munity knowledge of the best and most
/ productive methods OF moderu agriculture.
|
| tation for her dairy products. There are
! ~ creamerles and IA cheese factories In
the State, utilizing the product of 10000
| cows. and this represents only small part
OF the whole dairy interest
II Is felt by many of our most successfnl
and progressive dairymen, who appreciate
! me great Importance of this Industry ana
| the benefits which would accrue to the
| state by its development, that the work OF
! the Board of Agriculture should De still
/ further br0adened and extended by Inc ere
4 bureau. which
an executive officer whose duty 1t shall be
| to attend closely to educational dairy
| work. and - the enforcement OF the law
against the sale of imitation dairy prod
ucts
You VIII be asked for an appropriation
for this purpose and am confident that
an Interest Will receive your generous con
| sideraton.
The Prohibitory Law,
Intemperance is such fruitful source
of misery, pauperIsm and crime, and Its
multitude of victims Is so great burden
| upon the sober a~d Industrious citizen. that
| II Is the duty of government to control
and restrict the liquor traffic In every le-
Ultimate way BY provision of Its consti-
tuition and by statute laws which With
repeatedly sustained al the polls, the State
of Maine stands opposed to the manufae-
ture and sale of intoxicating liquors The
deliberate adoption OF this policy by PEG
| pie naturally careful and conservative In
their judgments was the inevitable result
OF moral evolution which recognized the
demorallzing and far-reaching evils of in
temperance, and sought to eradicate them
from the community and embodied the
conviction that traffic which took men
from the ranks of productive industry,
robbed them of their sober faculties, de
stroyed their self-respect and made them
burden and menace to those who had the
right to look to them for support and pro
tection-a traffic which filled the poor
houses prisons and asylums with human
wrecks, and imposed its greatest misery
upon the innocent and helpless-was hos
tile to the public interests and wholly con
trary to the spirit and purpose of Chris
tian civilization
Fifty years ago. the so-called Maine
Law" prohibiting the sale OF intoxicating
liquors, was placed upon our statute books,
where II still remains. While II has not
accomplished all that Its advocates and
supporters hoped for, 1t has been a power
full force In the development and promotion
of a healthy temperance sentiment among
the people OF our State. How marked and
gratifying this advance has been Will clear
ly be shown by comparison with the con
dltions existing seventy -hve years ago.
Then, liquor was largely manufactured In
our State, while Its sale was as common
and looked upon in much the same light as
the traffic In dry goods and groceries. Alb
stlnence was the exception rather than the
rule. The drink habit. In varying degrees,
comment and intemperance was more or
less prevalent In every community.
The temptations Of drink were every
where visible, and too often found victims
In the best youths OF our State. Today, in
a large majority of our country towns
there exists practical prohibition. and the
law against the liquor traffic Is as well en-
forced as against other forms of crime
Even In our cities and larger villages
where the liquor interests are most active
and aggressive. and where the law Is most
perslstently violated. 1t has not failed to
exert a restraining and salutary influence
and has been power In stimulating and
promoting that Intelligent and vigorous
public opinion which Is the support Of all
effective law, and without which any legls
latlve enactment must fall far short of Its
purpose.
In a community where the official power
Is delegated from the people public
wants rarely rise superior to public opin-
Ion In their sense OF duty II Is, therefore,
essential that officers charged with the en-
forcement of law aud the protection of so
ciety should be constantly sustained, in the
faithful discharge of their obligations by
an active and healthy public sentiment
Savings Banks.
On the eth day of October, 1900 the
total assets of the 81 Savings Banks Of this
State amounted to $7l,07d,2ll,77. The re
1928, 4O2.92. Add to this the resources
of the SO Loan and Building Associations
amounting to $50 1898, and we have a
way creditable to the progress and enter
prise OF our State.
There were lSO,9l4 deposltors In the
Savings Banks whose balance was less than
two thousand dollars. the total amount OF
this class of deposits being $o3.JJS, 64y.S4
while the number of depositors having
balance of two thousand dollars or over
was 54l3, and the total amount of these
deposits was S13,6Sl SOB %. These figures
clearly show that the money held by our
Savings Banks belongs largely to people
of moderate circumstances
The whole number of depositors in Saw.
ings Banks and Trust Companies, and
shareholders In Loan and Building Associ-
atoms was 2l3,9SO gain of l,12s dur
Ing the past year. If we take from this to
tai the 60l9 demand depositors In the
Trust Companies, 1t will be seen that near.
ly one-third of the entire population of the
State are directly interested in our vari-
Gus savings institutions. The aggregate
amount il their capital, II apportioned
among the people of the State, would give
about $l25 to each person, OF nearly 5000
to each family.
In 1860 the deposits in our Savings
Banks were only 81 .466, i57.56, la 1850
they had increased TO S23,277, 1882, while
at the present time they amount to 81.
240, 439.O7. This Is gain In the last