Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-03-13
Mississippi's State House and Others.


pie of the State to the zeal issues in
volved, the Portland boomers have
shouted lCng and loudly over that mil
lion dollar State House down in Mis-
sissippi. They say that this Mississippi
State House, built of soft stone by
cheap southern labor, cost without
its furnishings. only $1.O93,64l and as it
is the only State House in all the 10
states of the Union whose cost is down
anywhere near the low figure which
Portland is trying to bluff the State
of Maine into believing would build
new State House in Portland, it has
been used over ard over again in this
winters campaign. Large, half-page
pictures Of it have appeared in the
various Portland newspapers and Sim
with which the State has been flooded
and in the letters sent personally to
the members of the Legislature.
In it's latest enlargement upon this
wonderful million dollar State House
in Mississippi. one of the Portland pa
pers admits that a granite structure
here in Maine would cost possibly $780,.
800 more than such a structure in sand
stone cost in Mississippi. Yes. probably
it would: also. several times 100000 on
top Of that. The Portland papers make
no allowance for the difference in the
cost of labor which as everybody knows
is much higher here in Maine, nor do
they make any allowance for the fur
nishings OF the great structure,
for this sIO93.5+1 which they assert the
include furnishings. Take the Port
anders own figures on this Mississippi
state House and add the difference in
the cost IF material, the difference IN
the cost Of labor. the total cost Of new
furnishings, etc. and it is plain that
such a structure in Maine, even ad-
uniting that it is suited to the needs of
the State, would cost when completed
and furnished all of two or three times
the figures with which the Portland
people are trying to bamboozle the peo-
pie OF Maine.
Out Of all the - State Houses IN the
Union. Portland does not find anything
that serves its purpose as an example
and model except this sandstone struc-
ture in this extreme southern state.
Why does it not tell US about the
state capitol OF Colorado, for instance?
liz 1859, when Portland had its last
previous attack Of State House fever,
this Colorado Instance was used aS
frequently and prominently as the
mississippi instance is being used at the
present time. At that time Colorado
had Just begun State House which
it was going to complete for 100000
Well, that 100000 State House has thus
FAR cost Colorado s2.7OOO0O and is not
yet completed. II is not strange that
he PortlanderS forget to talk as much
about Colorado row as they did in
1889.
Then Arkansas is another State
which has had experience along this
same line. Half dozen years ago that
state planned t. build a new State
House and a million dollars was going
to be the outside expense involved
Arkansas heard the same smooth AMI
alluring talk as 70 low cost that Maine
is now listening to. Arkansas ap.
propriatcd the million dollars asked
for and four years later appropriated
fi0U,0(0 more to carry on the work and
this winter has added s25O.G0D and the
end is not Yet IN sight. Everybody
has heard of the Pennsylvania instance.
That state was going to build magni-
fccnt new capitol for 100000 bur
"hcn it was completed and ready for
occupancy last fall it was found that
The total cost was over $13.O0O.00O. New
York an Massachusetts have had the
| same experience and similar tale can
| be told by many other states in tbs
| Unior. The history Of State House
| = instruction throughout the w-hola
country shows thar such pubic build-
| ings have almost always cost vastly
more than the original estimates and
appropriations.
Does anybody doubt that is would he
| the same here in Maine? can anybody
| seriously believe that the Sli0.O00 which
| Portland asks for at the present time
would be anything more than an open
| ing wedge which would be followed in
| The coming decade by the expenditure
of a great ana unknown sum before the
work on d new state House at Portland
could be carried to completion? II
| Portland can only get the State com
| mitted to this capital removal business
| it does not care how high the final ev.
Dense counts up. The taxpayers o.
| Maine will have to pay the freight
and if Portland can only befuddle ani