Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-07-20
Editorial Comment.
Gov. Fernald's Rejoinder.

1t was certainly most uHioIt
that Hon. Daniel McGlihcuuus'
should have seen fit to repea. .'e
charges of extravaganza with susses
tios of dishonesty, which the EDITORS vi
the Augusta New Age and the wafer
Vile Sentinel have been trying :"
shoulder onto the Fernald admlIilsti"
tion In way the Fernald fe1oinei ~
tho McGillicuddy charges was gym.
Tn a few brief sentences the GoVerhoi
sIou cd up the absurdity of the Demo-
r,t;c claim. Before graft can pe 9u'
,,ao,na Il must be proved that the FER
n.ld administration had an emporium
~, for making financial gain for Ii'en'-
hars of the Fernald administrator VI
no,itical capital for the Repupiioan
marty The last legislature was apo,
antlv lavish in making appropi l,f
The sums voted were far IN eNeeS'
the average amounts. .;o,.s of
pafore nreferring formal arucieS -
;mneachment against the ferha" 81,
,oinistration however, 1T may oe
10 learn the purposes for which ~
extra moneys were eXpehoeo'
yerv calm address for the Repu
state convention at Augusta tne ~
arnor showed exactly where THESE ma a
avs went and how mucn was
Eirst off. the public Schools OF
the Main common schools, which 80.
tho elementary branches TO our .,;ao
ctars-came in for a handsonie
,nuch of which was obtained i'oi.i
tra taxation imposed upon the c"iI,
Of the wild lands in Maine-.iV t,as
owners whom Obadiah Garu'e' -
,,raaa IN have taxed for more 'ii"ii
saoon vears-though which nave -,
,,aned without adequate taXalio'l ''
pert M Fernald became GoVernol $50
"a where can Maine speho M. .
81 than unon the children IN oui
public schools? ,..ger
Another large itenl-much la'
.,an n anv previous year-Was loI NY
aans+rnction of good roads, cause ~
u,hich all civilization is now ehsa5a
cLor;+ah,a objects took what Wouiu
have been consldereu
amounts ten years ago so,.
Instead of appropriating money lo'
,,a three leading public hospitals II,
pangor Augusta and Poftiahu
as was the case ten years aso.ho
nitals in nearly every county ~ 90
,r-ara aided and helped Handsomely ~
that a sick or injured man Ill nv III.
or Belfast could secure heip d. 800
as in Bangor or Portland. ms 'o aaea
greatly to the bill, but II aiso a,'"e'
greatly to the comforts OF nuiiiaii'.
Let it not be forgotten that ioi ~
fret time in the history OF Maiiie
insane inmates of poor larills a."
almshouses were removed from eio7e
association with other inmates anu "a
ken to insane asylums, where the o'a'e
has provided for their care uhuer ing
srnervision of experts. In connection
with better care of the insane, the deal'
the dumb, the blind and the feeble
minded of Maine have been speclally
provided for by liberal sums, all OF
which count UP in estimating the Oil
of costs.
Maine now has five normal schools
to support and ten fish hatcherles.
More than double the money Is now
spent in fish and game protection
than there was ten years ago me
cost of protecting Maine from insect
nests and for staying destructive
insects has been multiplied nearly
thousandfold within ten years. Our
academies and colleges-particular
the University of Maine-have re-
ceived bountiful aid.
In hundred-in thousand ways
philanthropic, charitable and educa-
tional institutions have been assisted,
| and Maine made vastly richer in
intellect, in sympathy and in morals,
and not among the millions expended
can a critic or a censor put niger
anon a case OF graft or wanton extrav-
l,ae
Of money to be sure-when compared
with former years, the sums nave
been very large. but in return Name
has rich results to show for every
cent. 1t has moved up from the Dark
Ages to the present time. The price
of Maine farms has nearly doubled in
ten years Less than 20 years ago
Commissioner Matthews published a
bulky volume giving partial list OF
the abandoned farms in Name.
Today Colonel f. E. Boothby. high
official of the Maine Central railroad,
who has been familiar with Maine
conditions for the past quarter of a
century, asserts that there is not an
abandoned farm in Maine.
Maine is not only calling unskilled
labor from the overpopulated centres
of Europe, but is bringing capital by
millions to develop our water power,
and build new mills and clear up new
farms, and build new cities in the
wilderness.
II does cost money to administer
the affairs of. Maine in a way they
should be conducted: and though
modern methods are not stated as
yeti being all too early-bountlful
returns from the Fernald enterprises