Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-09-07

tsthe w t"S ""NNo''Su AdTIn, turn tne
WON out fields back to forests and
clear the wood lots out for future
fields There ought to be cleared land,
farms, and houses where children play
about the door and chickens scratch
among the hollyhocks. Gear from
Moosehcad to the Canadian line
II would not have Maine send to
New York or Boston and gef the
cheap scuff from the tenements to
come out and settle on the farms. But
instead send to Germany, Switzerland,
England. Ireland and Scotland and
bring over the hardy peasants right
from the farms who make the back
bone of any land. No matter whether
they can read or write. That doesn't
count. If they are honest and want to
work they will settle on the farms and
make the old state brighten up won
derfuIly. Get people who are used to
country life The New Workers. would
not stay here, and they would do us
no good if they did. They are deca-
dent and love the city. They love to
herd.
Oh you say. But if you bring
over all thcse foreign people what will
become Of the old New England
institution: The meeting house. the
high STANDARD of morality and ed
ucation. of The good old New
England people and the Maine
Prohibition Law They will all
80, | hope. They are all false.
The Maine law is a fmco. The New
England meeting house has been
doomed for long time. 1t is already
gone. In its place is a church as un-
like that of Plymouth as a eat is un-
like dog. There is a little Goldfish
aristocracy that is upheld by the fed
Grated womens clubs and the literary
circles of new women. The high ner-
VOus tension, high spiritual excitement
and insanity of semi-yearly revivals
led by handsomely paid evangelists
are slowly but surely changing all
the sweet Old doctrines of the fathers
and mothers of New England. The
morality OF New England is no higher
than that of New York city. Only in
New England sins are covered up.
In Maine town an old sinner can live
in his wickedness all his life ard be
looked up to and always spoken OF
with pride and respect by his towns
people, though every little boy or
girl upon the street knows who his
mistresses are. II he lived in Chicago.
or in New York. or in Philadelphia the
yellow papers would show him up
now and then. and he would have to
pass for what he really was.
NO, no, Your morality is no higher.
Crime is as frequent in Maine as any
where. There is not as much respect
for law as in New York.
But we turn out smarter men and
women here. said one of the party, a
student from a college in the vicinity.
No, not bit more smart. They
brag more. and your papers have "a
way of singing out and talking about
people who go away from Maine and
make successes. That is why you hear
so much about them. They are no
smarter There are as many crooks in
the big cities who hail from Maine as
there are who boast any other state.
In the streets of New York are hum
dreds of young girls, already on the
path to ruin. who tell you that they
came from Philadelphia or Pittsburs
and who have the Yankee twanS that
is heard nowhere else in the world as
il is along the Kennebec, Penobscot or
the AndroScOgS!n.
What the state needs is greater
population. The standard of morality
be uuashed. Don't b. so selfish. The
old world will roll on If Maine lsn
run by the same party. 1t VIII run
on and people will still be happy II
roads are built of the license money
that now goes into the pockets of the
men who are the fathers of the next
generations aristocracy, instead OF
in the county treasury.
with high license in every city you
would have decent streets. None OF
vour liuuor sellers want high license.
II is cheaper for them to pay fines.
..Do YOU know who Will be the Socie-
~ leaders. the aristocracy. the upper
crust in seventy-five years from now /!
The daughters and Srand-daushters
of those selling liquor against the stale
laws of today.
-Jf YOU don't believe it you just codnt
I'm the aristocratS of your little COZ
fish sets to-day and see how many re-
ceived their money from fathers ana
crandfathers who sold liquor i'll couh-
trv tayerns. Why. some of the leaders
Of the social set in Your Maine cities
TODAY were selling liquor fifteen years
AGO Some secretly do it today. THESE
,ra things YOU can't contridict. They
are so. With double the population on
tho farms there would be more chance
for the young fellows you have beer
educating all these years to turn theif
hands IN some cOnEenial employment
| in the towns. If you had three million
neonle in Maine-and it is capable OF
s,pporting as many, your smartes'
| young men and women would no'
| leave in companies every year fol
| Massachusetts and New York to make
! their fortunes.
There would be something for ar
| ambitious man to do here. Ihert
would he a chance for a girl to get
little money for her honest WORK
Your school teachers are half paid
! They are starving. and no wonder the
| hest positions in Massachusetts are
| 6Iled nv them. Maine has sent ava!
bright people enough in the last twen'
tv years TO make state of double tht
size of Maine bristle with famous IN
| stitutiOnS.
| THE state is naturally rich. All i
| wants is development. 1t must first pe
I