Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-03-06
The Protest Of the People.

sentiments of the people Of Maine on
the subject OF capital removal. These
Iletters. which appeared in four install
ments in our columns two weeks ago.
lare collected here especially for the
benefit of the members of the Legis-
lature who wish to know how the peo-
pie at home stand on this important
lsubject, for the members of the LegiS-
Ilature are but the servants of the peo-
fple ard are assembled to do the bidding
of the people and serve the interests of
the whole State.
A table published upon page 13 shows
how completely these letters represent
|every section of Maine. OF the ass
towns in the IA counties of Maine, ex-
Guiding Cumberland and kennebec, no
fewer than 337 have been heard from,
and of the s97 letters received from
prominent men in these towns, men
IWell qualified to voice the sentiments
of their communities, SIC express them
! selves as opposed to capital removal
and only Il. or one in AZ, favor it. This
| table and the letters which accompany
Iit filling over 40 full columns of the
Journal. speak for themselves and we
urge the members of the Maine Legis-
lature to look over with care the letters
from their own town and county. They
know better than we do whether the
| men from whom these letters We're re-
ceived, town officials, masters OF
Oranges and other citizens of local
prominence. are qualified to voice the
sentiments of their neighbors.
We can only repeat here what We
have said again and again, that we did
| not know in advance, the sentiments Of
a single one to whom the letter of in
quiry were sent, and We have not held
back a single signed answer which we
have received.
Never before was such a symposium
held by newspaper of Maine and
never before did the people OF the State
express themselves so fully and with
such emphasis upon any subject be-
fore the Legislature for its considera-
| ton. II Is beyond dispute that these
letters voice the feeling OF the people
of Maine upon the subject of capital
removal. They demonstrate that it is
a Portland movement, pure and simple,
a movement conceived in selfishnes5
and greed and promoted by the use
of great fund of money with which
| Portland proposes TO bride the State
into making II the capital The people
of Maine are opposed to any such
scheme 10 make their state govern
ment n matter Of barter and sale.
| something to be put up at auction and
knocked down to the highest bidder
They are satisfied to have the State
capital remain where it is, and to use
for other and better purposes the mil
lions which would be required to buiii
a new State House in Portland, a
structure needed for no other purpose
than to crafty the local pride of that
city and advance it's commercial pres
tige.
| In these hundreds Of letters from
every part of the State the people of
Maine now present an emphatic and al
most unanimous protest against any
change in the location of the capital
Backing these letters of protest, and
showing how well they represent the
sentiments of the people, have already
come 54s remonstrances to the Legis-
lature, bearing no fewer than 1857
signatures. These have come from
every county and almost every town
in every county, hundreds upon hun
dreds Of the signers of these remon-
STANCES live in Cumberland county it.
self. and thousands upon thousands of
them live in the counties adjoining it.
The Portland papers in their despera-
ton have attempted to belittle the
Journals letters and will no doubt
similarly attack these circumstances
with their 1851 signers.
| But the members of the Maine Leg
islature cannot fail to understand that
these letters Of protest and these re-
monstrances, represent the overwhelm-
ing sentiment of the people of Maine
Outside of Portland and it's immediate
vicinity there is not only no sentiment
favoring capital removal but on the
contrary there is vigorous and almost
unanimous opposition to such a re-
moval. Portland is able to present no
reason except the one selfish reason
that il would be to the advantage Of
that city to be made the capital and
that it is willing to spend a vast sum
of money to secure it.
In view of these facts, so well known
to the members of the 7srd Legislature.
the astounding Portland propositio,
cannot fail to meet the overwhelming
defeat which it deserves.