Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-11-24
Names Greatest Need.
Bangor News.)


On the whole we think it pays to be
fair and to speak the whole truth regard
ing any topic which may be under dis
cussion. In this issue we have referred
to the debt which Maine owes to Repre-
sentative Edwin c. Burleigh, for saving
to us a member of the national
house for ten years longer. Beyond
doubt, if Mr.. Burleigh had not worked
hard and used much persuasion there
would have been three representatives
from Maine to-day instead of the four
we now have. But do we ever stop to
think how the relief which was thus af-
forded was only temporary? DO we fully
understand the fact that after 1910 Maine
will have no more than three representa-
tives and no more than five electoral
votes, unless our people and boards of
trade make extraordinary efforts to in
crease our population by building up
new and profitable industries which shall
call people hither and cause them to
abide among US as permanent residents?
While the population of Maine has been
growing steadily with every decade, the
west has grown so much faster that our
strength in the lower house of congress
has been decreasing from decade to
decade until we are now nearly down to
the vanishing point. Had it not been
for the fertile lands and the wide awake
population of Aroostook County Maine
would have fallen behind in the two last
decades. We are almost at the parting
of the ways. Men who are not yet in
their dotage can remember when Maine
had six and then five members of the
lower house. And now we must thank
God and Mr.. Burleigh that we have
four.
1t was with no desire to make any
sensation that we opposed the idea OF
representing Maine at tue worlds fair
with log cabin. Hunters and summer
visitors are all we'll in their way, but
Maine wants more than causal callers.
Our great and crying need is for larger
permanent population, for a population
which shall reside in Maine and work in
Maine, pay taxes in Maine and make
money in Maine. The need is apparent
to every citizen and it becomes more ap'
parent every year. One of the big rail,
roads states in its advertisement that
Maine is the playground of the coun
try" This advertisement is in nearly
all the magazines and in many of the
newspapers, and we are sorry to say
there is more truth in it than is whole
some for our welfare. We had one mar
who was paid by the state to advertise
our abandoned farms, as if they were an
asset of which we should feel proud
Following out the same line of thought
we have worlds fair commissioners who
are paid to advertise Maine as place
where log camps are our highest types
of architecture and where nearly all the
residents gain living by boarding sum
mer visitors and taking hunters into thu
woods to shoot big game.
Candidly, we think this style of "show
| ing off, our state has gone far enough
Instead of promoting the abandoned
farm industry, we should encourage
Aroostook potatoes, and Penobsco
diaries and Waldo apples and try and lie
the outside world know that we ar
striving to work and live like other PEG
pie. Instead of advertising Maine as
playground of the country" we shoult
strive and strive hard to make it place
of industrial activity, state which il
clearing up the wilderness and utilizing
the water power now running to waste
and in opening up new factories and new
mills and building new cities and vii
lagos. We may be old fashioned and in
clined to get cranky, but so long as W
have SO many natural advantages whicl
are unimproved we still believe there !
a chance for Maine. Meantime it is YER.
certain that unless we do wake up to tn
condition into which some of our woult
be promoters are leading us, our in
fluence in the nation will be lost and W
shall see the other states 60 past, in tn
race for supremacy, while we remain
playground" until our comparative i'm
portance shall have dwindled so mucl
that we can hardly be classed as a terri
tory. Massachusetts with one-third on
area, with similar climate and with no
half of our natural advantages, is ad
vancing year by year and in spite o
keen competition. And what Massachu
sets has done and is doing, Maine cal
do better and more rapidly. Our chanc
to make choice is still open, though tn
time for decision is brief-which shall
Maine become, greater Massachusett
or a smaller Alaska?