Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-06-02

| to learn the lessons of experience tC
| look back and recognize the mistakes
| of his own past Judgments. 1t does
| not require great brain to look back
| through the years and tell where our
| forefathers might have done vastly
better had they been able to look for
ward into the future as easily as we
| can look back into the past. There
| is no reason. however, to suppose that
| they acted from unworthy motives or
| that we should have been wiser than
they, had We lived i'm their day and
| generation, and faced the conditions
| they faced.
By the processes noted, the State
| rapidly parted with its wild lands, un-
| til, in his inaugural message of 1859,
Governor Lot NJ Morrill, noted the
, fact that only about 100000 then re-
manned of the 100000 acres of wild
land that was once the property of the
State. This had been considerably
further diminished when occurred the
munificent gift to the European and
North American Railroad.
The history of this measure was ad-
mirably stated by Hon. Nelson Ding
ley, then a member of the Legislature,
in an article signed observer" which
appeared in his paper, the Lewiston
Journal. on February 20, 1868 He said .
In 1864 the State granted to this
Company all the lands of the State to
aid in building a railroad from Bangor
| to New Brunswick, provided the Com
pany would pay the debt then due
Massachusetts on these lands, which.
with interest in time of payment would
amount to about $2S0.000 The lands
We're supposed to be worth consider
ably more than, this sum and thus the
road had the promise of this aid and
also of what they could get of Massa
chuSetts and the general government.
Last winter the Bangor people inter-
ested in the road applied to the legis-
lature to remove the conditions under
and let the company have the same
without paying Massachusetts. The
Senate passed the bill. but the House
ure was lost.
This winter the scheme was again
brought before the legislature, and the
bill giving the road the land free and
compelling the State to pay the $780,
900, was duly reported and passed the
Senate. Yesterday afternoon it came
before the House, when Messrs. Por-
ter of Burlington. Robinson of Dover,
Dickey Of F't. Kent, and Fcssenden of
Auburn, Poor of Andovar> and Plais-
ted of Bangor advocated it, and Mer-
row of Bowdoinham, Tyler of Brown
field, Field of Danville and Cram of
Brunswick opposed it. Mr.. Dingley of
Lewiston proposed an amendment re-
serving TO the State the right to re-
move timber for certain townships set
apart for the common schools in 1864.
and extending the time for such
removal till 1884. and the
amendment was adopted. Mr..
Cram of Brunswick moved to amend by
requiring the Company to pay $l25,0O0
now due to Massachusetts. but this
was defeated. The bill then passed
by the following vote:-
Yeas-Messrs. Andrews. Ames, F.. P.
Blaisdell. ii. NJ. BlaiSdell Beale, Buff
fun. Baker, Balkan, Boynton, Brad
bury, Clark. Cunningham. Chase. Cas-
well, Case. Caldwell. Cowell, Dickey.
Dunning. Estes. Fessenden, Ford. J.
r. Files. N. A. Foster. Glidden Henley,
Hackett, Herrick. Hersey. Hall. Har-
graves. Hubbard. Haines, Hartwell.
Jefferds, Leadbetter, Lobdell, Light,
Lennox, r. Leavitt, G. f. Leavitt, Lane,
Merrill, Morris, Monroe Morse, Perry.
Pray, j. w. Palmer, Poor, Plaisted.
Porter. Parcher. Reed, A. NJ. Robinson.
Rust, w. Smith. Spaulding. Spear.
Stetson, p. S. j. Talbot, |. r. Thomp-
son. A. Thompson. Taylor, Weed.
Wells, Webb. Weymouth. Walker,
Wedgewood-71.
Nays-Messrs. Allen, Briggs. Buck,
Brown, Barnes, Black. Barker, Cram.
Curtis, Dingley Downes, Dyer, Doane,
Eaton. Field, n. Foster, G. Goold, Gle,
Fitzpatrick. Hatch, Ingalls,, Littlefield.
McKenney. Morrow. MaddiX. Norton,
Noyes, G.. S. Palmer Payson, Patten,
Paine, Parker. F. G. Robinson. Ray
mond. Shurtleff. Stevens f. p. Smith.
Stockbrdge. True, A. r. Talbot, Tar
box, Tyler, Weeks,-43.
1t is noticeable fact that nearly all
the Democrats in the House voted for
the bill, thirty Democrats and forty
one Republicans supporting the meas
ure, and thirty-SiX Republicans and
only seven Democrats opposing. it.
L HIS Is tIle OILY instance III Wn1cn the
State ever directly contributed to
build a railroad the value of the gift
being at least $500 600"
By this vote the State parted with
the greater part of what was left of
its once magnificent public domain
by this act, as Governor DingIey stat
ed in his inaugural address of Janu-
AIRY s, 1874. the State gave away mot
far from 100000 acres valued at more
than 100000
Is it not passing strange that the
learned gentleman, who has recently
undertaken to enlighten the people of
Maine as to what became of their wild
lands, should have overlooked this
prodigal gift of 100000 acres? Posi-
bly,. however. he may have found it:
hut noting that 80 of the 81 Democratic
members of the House of Representa-
tiveS favored the project with their
votes, concluded that it would not an
swer his purpose. and, therefore under
took to deceive the people of his State
into believing that Maine really lost her
wild lands by the public sales of what
were then regarded and spoken of as