Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-06
prohibition. and every friend of prohl.

| bition should vote no. (Applause).
Now. we must recognize the fact that
prohibition is making friends faster in
the State of Maine, today, than at any
time within the last 10 years. The
temperance sentiment is increasing and
county and state officials recognize the
| fact. The enforcement of the prohibi-
! tory law among these towns along the
Kennebec river in Waterville, Augusta
! and Gardiner has increased, and the
police officials so report. We have the
prohibitory law on our statute books.
1t is bound by the constitution. Will
/ the friends of prohibition let it loose
| in order to catch it again? If you have
a ferocious beast bound with chains,
| would you loosen those chains so as to
bind him again? The law is all right
and the enforcement of it is being car
ried out II believe that if today we
turn down this measure by an increas-
ed majority over the vote of two years
ago, we Shall secure the matter for
| wears to come. (Applause).
| Mr.. SWEET of Portland: When
| this resolution was referred to the
| committee on temperance, l stated
| that when the resolve should be re-
ported to the house, l desired to offer
some facts and figures bearing upon
the question. l said that | believed
that the prohibitory liquor law had
| been detriment to the State both ma
terial and moral, and l propose to DEM
! onstrate that proposition. l do not
| intend to make any statement that is
not supported by substantial evidence
and if l fall short thereof l will be
! pleased to have any member of the
House correct and set me right.
In natural advantages for agricul-
| ture, manufactures and commerce,
| Maine surpasses all the states of the
| North Atlantic division, which includes
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connect
| icut, New York, New Jersey, and
Pennsylvania. Her area of 33,o40
square miles just about equals the area
of all the other New England states
| combined. Her area of fertile, cul-
tivable land exceeds that of all of them.
| the county of ArooStook, alone, in this
| respect surpaSSes any one of them.
| The forests of Maine cover an area of
10000 square miles, clothed with pine,
| spruce, hemlOck, oak, maple. poplar,
| cedar and other valuable woods. We
have more than 1900 lakes and ponds,
| covering 2300 square miles, and over
| 5000 rivers and streams, affording more
| than 100000 horse power; more avail
| able water power than any equal area
| of the surface of the earth. not even
| excepting that of which Niagara is the
| center. The sea coast of Maine eX-
tending for 225 miles in an air line
from kittery Point to Quoddy Head is
| broken by the great bays of Casco,
| Nara guagus, Muscongus, Penobscot,
| Frenchman's, PaSsamaquoddy and nu-
merous smaller ones forming a success
| sion of long, rocky peninsulas, separat-
| ed by deep and narrow inletS with
| many safe and commodious land
| locked harbors.
Maine has a longer line of navigable
| sea coast, with more accessible harbors
than all the other states on the North
Atlantic division combined. New
| Hampshire has no seaport accessible
for the largest modern ships. Massa-
chuSetts has but one considerable port
| of entry. Boston: the long, sandy pen
insula of Cape Cod which constitutes
the largest part of her coast line hav-
ing not a single harbor suitable for
maritime commerce. Connecticut and
Rhode Island have not Il single first
class ocean port. Aside from Long
island, which has not an available har-
| Dor, New York has not a mile of sea-
coast outside of New York harbor;
while New Jersey with 100 miles of
ocean front from Sandy Hook to Cape
| May is a waste of sand beach without
a single naVigable harbor. In addi-
ton to her coast line, Maine possesses
an advantage not enjoyed by any other
State upon the Atlantic coast, in two
great navigable rivers, the Penobscot
275 miles long, navigable for 55 miles
to Bangor, and the Kennebec 1875 miles
long, navigable for AZ miles to Au-
gusta, and many other rivers which at
a comparatively small expense might
be made available for MARTINEZ COM
perce.
| In Portland harbor Maine has the
finest seaport on the Atlantic coast,
with great natural advantages of con-
stantly increasing value, by reason of
the steadily increasing draft and ton
mage of sea-going vessels which are
placing an embargo upon Boston, Mon
treal and other less accessible harbors.
With these superior natural advan-
tages, it is no wonder that the eyes of
the early explorers turned to Maine as
if by instinct, and that for go years, or
until the blight of the prohibitory law
fell upon her, she led all her COMPETE
tors of the North Atlantic division in
the ratio of her increase in population
and development. The first census of
the United States in 1870 found Maine
with a population of 96,540. BY the
census of 1900 the population had in
creased to 151, 719, a gain of more than
81 per cent, larger percentage of
gain than New Hampshire, Vermont,
Massachusetts. Rhode Island, Con-
necticut, New York, New Jersey, or
| Pennsylvania.
In 1910 Mainc's population reached
22S,105, gain of over Al per cent, the
| largest gain of all the states of the
| North Atlantic division except New
York. In 1920 she had reached a popu-
lation of 29s,269, gain of over 80 per
cent. and the largest gain of all her
sister states except New York. Maine
was then admitted to the Union, and
with a just pride in her supremacy our
fathers chose for the great seal of the