The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1907-02-07
The Capital to Stay.

opinions on public MASTERS, are speaking
certain tone, against the removal OF the
State capital. Il would be most dn-
popular movement to mortgage the In
dustries and the hillside farms of Maine
for half century for the sake of giving
to Portlai magnificent building as an
! ornament and q plaything. Portland,
the coronet of old ocean. is beautiful
enough without It. Don't permit the
chief commercial city of the State, of
which we are all 80 proud to forfeit its
grsciousness by reaching out hand Of
grasping selhshness to rob struggling
inland city OF the little advantage con.
ferr.d by the location Of State capitol.
The only argument for removal that
Portland presented at the first meeting
of the legislative committee was: Ave
want the capital; we should be ever so
much pleased TO have IL; we will make
you liberal tinaL eisl gift" Well, we
all knew that before the hearing. The
several unsuccessful attempts to yank
it away from Augusta, demonstrate that
fact. put proud and beautiful and capt..
valing as Portland Is, she cannot have
the capital. II it is ever removed from
Augusta-and far distant will be the day
1t will go eastward, not westward.
When the next hearing is held, on the
Is h, some very forcibe reasons will be
given why the capital should remain
where ii now is. The people will be
heard from. They will want to know
Why their representatives are not attend
ing to the important and vital matters
before them, instead of fooling about
the impossible and the unnecessary.
They will remind these law makers that
Names tax rate is ~ mills, and an
honest effort should be made to keep it
there or bring 1t lower. The State debt
is 1928 900, the interest on which for
1907 will be $25 ,535. We have no sink
ing fund; the BONDED debt is being re
duced simply from surplus funds in the
treasury. The estimated expenditures
OF the present year is so 202, 1926 which
does not include any unusual or special
appropriations which the Legislature
may make. The State receipts for 1905
were 50 COS 608; the estimated receipts
for 1907 are S2,509,8S2. Now for good
roads this Legislature is asked to appro-
pirate one mill on the State valuation,
S494 1913, for 1907. The State aid for
schools in 1907 will be $5S2, 205 for CON-
mon schools, $50 600 for free high
schools, and 1923 900 for struggling acad-
emies. In addition to this about $780,
900 is asked for the University OF Maine.
For the suppression Of the Brown-tail
aud Gypsy moths this Legislature Is
asked to appropriate $25 900 for 1907
And we have not mentioned the me-
chauical workshop for the blind, the
home for the feeble minded, and many
other worthy otjects. How would 1t do
to plaster on top Of that an appropria-
ton of So 100000 for beginning a new
State House?
But the sentiment. hallowed memories,
and blessed associations that cluster
around the old State House, cannot be
removed to Portland or anywhere else.
One touching phase of this, that cannot
be measured by dollars aud cents, Is
shown In the following poem, written
for our columns by Veteran of the
civil war:
THE VETERAN TO THE STATE HOUSE.
Before my eyes were dim-before my hair thin
and gray
Before the glory Of my youth had ceased and fled
soldier OF the Union in a uniform OF blue
Near half a century ago it was first knew you.
All day and every day you flung your banner to the
breeze
For us who watched it from Camp Frye, Camp CO.
burn and Camp Reyes.
1t waved to proud farewell the morning that We
OF the war, thousand Srong-a full Maine
regiment.
toll and pain,
Starvation, wounds and sickness, deadly heat mud,
snow and rain,
When peril in the battle was the least i'll that VIC bore
We'd say, "C hecr up, we'll soon Maine State
House, boys, once more
And when what few were left Of US came back in
More ghosts were on our muster roll than comrades
lett alye)
We saw your same old flag aloar upon your same old
dome.
And gave three cheers for both Of you and thanked
God we were home.