Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-16
The Quick or the Dead.
Editors Kennebec Journal:

|
From my boyhood days, I have
known something of the lights and
shades, the ups and downs, the ms and
outs, the manners and customs gener-
ally of the people Of Augusta.
| From the gallery,-nor a coveted
position, more activity being preferable
as a pastime, 1 often draw COMPARE
sons. The people of this city in point of
intellect, character and general infor-
nation. rank as high as any similar
number gathered anywhere under like
| conditions. If there are brighter
| scholars in the school of politics mer-
chants whose perceptive faculties are
keener where dollars are in circulation,
| professional men of better standing or
ability, working men and women Of
higher standard of excellence, I have
yet to learn where such can be found.
Uninfluenced by motives of selfish
| ness, 1 cherish warm hearted fond
| ness for my beloved home, where, tc
meet my fellow citizens singly or col
lectively is ever a pleasure. For the
public good, where different opinions
must necessarily exist, there are times
when more or less ventilation of mat
tiers of public concern is as much of
benefit as housekeeping is to the
housekeeper. The season of exhausted
appropriations and retrospective
chances is as fitting time as any, and
while may not echo the sentiment OF
the entire population, it is my right and
privilege to give full expression to my
sentiments in plain English, on any or
all matters pertaining to the best in
IterestS of our city.
Some years ago a careful, calculating,
conscientious citizen of wealth and
position told me it was source OF
great satisfaction to him, that his IN
herited estate largely unimproved, I'M
der his long stewardship, had under
gone but little if any change, that ne
should go to his long home leaving his
barren fields as they came to him, un-
disturbed In that thought he took
pride. My opinion is, that, had we
many such calculatorS scattered
around, we would in course of time, find
ourselves as a people, not unlike the
tenantry of the old countries, where the
entailment of landed estates has be-
come a serious problem and hindrance
advanced age. and gives an added
impetus to the tide Of Emigration to
America where great opportunities are
open to all classes alike. During a
period of fifty years of hopes and
| doubts and disappoinitments, the for
| tunes of Augusta We're at times in the
| balance, again at fever heat then in the
| tHinkling of an eye swept by fire and
| GOOD. The present age knows but little
except through history, of the terrible
| trials Of olden times. yet our people
bore them with Christian fortitude and
! strained every nerve to recover their
| losses with more or less success. Dur
| ing this time with it's varying gains and
| losses, nineteen hundred the census
| shows n gain of three thousand four
hundred and fifty-eight. Now if this is
our horoscope for time to come, 1 have
| nothing to say. Such a legacy tells its
own story. / am told that the census
includes the insane at the State Hos
pital If the world stood still there are
numbers who would find contentment in
and abundance of this worlds goods and
give but little thought to matters of
this kind. My sympathy is with those
| WIN dClClIu "llpIty upolI tiilo Wy Ioi
their daily bread. The man of fortune
looks through different glasses from the
man who is striving to get ahead in life
his way beset by pitfalls ait every turn.
Like most of the small capitals of ou,
country it is said that we have an over
supply of politics to the injury of bust
ness. BE that as it may, in one sense
we make our own atmosphere. That
we are tax burdened people a serious
obstacle to our growth and prosperity
none will deny. Here, we have fine
stores, a handsome business street
polite young men with persuasive argu-
mentS for the inexperienced buyer
young women whose very presence i'm
presses us with admiration for estimable
qualities of character and business
qualifications. For these we have nc
occasion to look elsewhere. Our shop
ping district shows unmistakab BILE evil
denoe of marked improvement, the re.
' suit Of spasmodic, though highly com.
mendable, home enterprise, fully appre.
lated by a discouraging public, con-
vincing argument that further com
munication by trolley with large sec
tiOns Of country, would restore to us
the greater part of our long lost trade
on which we banked and Of which we
were robbed. This wave Of prosperity
so pleasing to us all, is but an index tC
what would follow in the wake of enter
prise pushed to it's utmost. The people
in these sections, are as anxious tc
bring their trade to us, as we are tc
. have them. Mourning over mistakes OF
the past. does not repair damages
though Augustus last experience
should enter an honest appeal to sound
judgment. Other agencies, that take
no vacation, that do not allow oppor-
tunities to slip are liable to be heard
from again. We never know when we
are safe. 1t pays to plough deep while
others sleep" To lapse into feeling
of security is to give the scalp hunters
the very chance they want and watch
for. 1t is said that our market is more
or less faulty that there is not produce
enough raised in this vicinity to supply
the urban population, and that a very
considerable portion of that comes to
us after paying two freights and a mid
die man, by way of Boston. I have in
mind a nearby farmer, who offered a
quantity of produce at a given Drica to