Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-08-30
City Parks.

land" that VIII De reaQ With ii'eie'e
all over Maine. Every municipality
should be plentifully supplied with
parks, and the same considerations that
have appealed so strongly to Mayor
Baxter will apply with greater or less
force to all the cities of Maine. Mayor
Baxter states an important truth, and
one which progressive cities cannot
afford to lose sight Of when he says:
| That parks and Fairgrounds are now
| considered necessities in ali cities. large
or small, is generally conceded. Boston
has expended on her public grounds
s19. 600, 900. and has already received n
substantial benefit in an increase Of
| taxable property, and many other cities
are expanding sums prOrortionate to
| their size. While Portland has many
natural beauties she mast not depend
too much upon them. but endeavOr TO
enhance them as much as possible
The money so expended will soon be re-
turned. but if it were not. the invest
ment would be a wise one. for she must
rely to a large extent Upon her summer
| visitors, and to attract them she must
make herself attractive. This cannot
be done without cos--, and the public
should no more grudge the money for
| this purpose than an individual should
grudge the expenditure which he makes
| in the adornment of his private
grounds.
The city Of Augusta has been deplor-
ably backward in this matter of secur-
ing permanent public parks while they
are yet available on reasonable terms.
Every consideration o. civic progress is
a protest against this time serving and
short-sighted policy. Members of the
City Council owe it TO themselves and
to the constituents they serve to con-
| slider not merely the Augusta of today
but also the Augusta Of the future.
They should be broad enough to look
beyond the sunset. Men pass away.
but man remains. A larger Augusta
will still be here when those who today
make up it's citizenship and contribute
to its activities have passed away. Is
it not narrow and selfish to think only
CT ourselves and to plan only for our
own day and generation. Why not
consider our children and provide
broadly for those who are to come after
us?
| The Journal has often said that the
highest interests of Augusta demand
/ 60 vIr
poses of the tract of land known as the
Augusta Trotting Park. Here are %
acres of land admirably adapted for this
use and available today on very rea-
sonable terms. 1t has, already built
| ard in daily use, a fine driving park
and Il beautiful athletic field. In this
gravel banks in the city, and beauti-
full stretch Of river front To fail to Sc
uses. while it is yet within easy reach
of the municipality would III our judg-
ment be deplorable and irrepara bic
oversight Were the question OF pur
chasing this park to be submitted to the
voters Of Augusta tomorrow, we have
not the slightest doubt but what they
would vote yes by an overwhelming
majority.
Not long ago the park commission re-
ported i'm favor Of the purchase of the
land about Fort Western for park pur-
poses. and who can question the final
advantage to our city of having such
a beautiful spot so close to the heart of
the business section and commanding a
superb view up and down the river'
1t is moreover, a section Of our city pc
culiarly rich in historic associations.
| Unfortunately there has been an ap-
parXt disposition in some quarters to
put one of these park propositions
against the other on the seeming as
sumption that only one Of them can be
1 endorsed. This it seems to us is wrong.
The city would be fortunate indeed to
have them BOTH and the two tracts
/
antagonistic to each other. Together
fthey would constitute park system of
which our city might well feel proud.
1t is our belief, ana one shared with
many Augusta citizens, that good
park system would be a good invest
ment for the municipality-aside from
the perpetual enjoyment afforded it's
people. All things that tend to beau
tlfy community and render it attrac-
tive, are sure in the long run to bring
new capital and enterprise within it's
limits. BY all means lot us have a
good park system in Augusta. and let
us make a beginning upon it while the
present favorable opportunities for Sc
curing the necessary land are still with
in our reach.
| A Kansas editor tried the experiment
of telling the unvarnished truth in