Oxford Democrat., 1911-08-29
Addresses on Pour Live Topics.
GOOD N5kBER OUT FOR POMONA
GRANGE FIELD DAY.

GOOD N6kBER OUT FOR PoMoN
GRANGE FIELD DAY.
A beautiful day at the season whe
there IL Q chance for most farmers, an
some other people, to take . day of
, served to bring out . good crowd for th
field day Of Oxford Pomona Grange q
the fair grounds Tuesday. They cam
mostly BY teams, but some Of them o
the train, and Q few, even Of the farmers
by automobile. Tho number In attend
snce was estimated at 1900, and this
doubtless safe.
In the forenoon the people gathered q
the pines on the east side of the grounds
and listened to music by the Hebron
Military Band. This band Is composed
of about twenty. five pieces, and wa
under the lead that day Of J. P. Hobb
of Turner, who has been instructor o
the band. Its playing was excellent
and gave great pleasure to the audience
After the band bad played several SO
lections, the people, who were most ol
them seated In the stand at the drawing
ring, were called to order by r. q. Gatel
of Paris, master of Oxford Pomona, anC
State Master c. s. Stetson was introduc
ed as the first speaker.
Mr.. Stetson's subject was "ROads anc
Road Maintenance" The Grange, ht
said, has always been identified with ant
stood for progressive, constructive work
and the Improvement of our roads II
such work. The roads of Maine are no,
what they might be. They might be bet
ter even with the present expenditure.
There are In Maine about $4,000 mile,
of roads. In the past fifteen years We
have built 2s00 miles of state road. The
cost Of the state road built in the past
four years has been something over $4,000
per mile, q considerable increase over
previous cost-perhaps for better con.
strdction. 1t is evident, taking into &C.
count these figures, that no man in this
assembly will live to get the amount OF
benefit from these state roads that he
ought to have. The real problem for the
benefit of all the people is the better
maintenance of the common roads.
Seventy-five per cent of the transporta-
ton question begins at the farmers
gate and ends a. the railroad station.
Our road legislation has been almost
wholly on the pleasure basis. 1t ought
to be on commercial basis.
A largo percentage of our road funds
are wasted. With the advent OF the
road machine men lost something of the
sense of personal responsibility which
they had before felt regarding the roads.
The road machine is good instrument
for its proper use, but it won't cut
bushes, it won't build culverts, 1t won't
drain wet places.
Full and efficient service should be re-
quired of every man who is employed on
the roads, and the work of building and
maint q ming the roads should be done on
business basis and by business meth
DDS. The Grange should have an active
part in bettering the condition OF our
common roads, for nothing touches all
phases of life in the country more than
the condition of the roads.
A picnic dinner was eaten, and in the
afternoon the people assembled on the
large grand stand at the trotting track.
The first speaker Of the afternoon was
b. Walker McKeen of Fryeburg, lecturer
of the State Grange, whose subject was
"Parcels Post"
Mr.. McKeen called attention to some
of the inequity of the present postal
laws, as for instance raw chestnuts can
be mailed as seeds at eight cents a
pound, while II they are roasted they
become merchandise and the rate for
mailing is then sixteen cents per pound.
he also called attention to the fact that
there is already parcels post arrange
ment between this country and number
of other countries, which works TO the
disadvantage of Americans. A package
weighing eleven pounds can be mailed to
foreign country, at twelve cents per
pound, while If a package is addressed
to an American post Office, 1t may weigh
only four pounds and must pay rate Of
sixteen cents per pound. Four pounds
may be sent from New York to Toxic for
4S cents; to send 1t from New York to
Brooklyn costs Ga cents.
The opponents of parcels post are the
large manufacturers and the large cor
porations. Very few Of the common
people, who would be benefited by 1t,
have ever been heard by congress In Its
behalf.
The various objections which are put
forward to parcels post were considered
by Mr.. McKeen, one by one, and In no
one of them did he find any good ground.
Least OF all did be find any ground for
objection in the idea that the govern.
ment should not compete with private
carrying companies, and his figures
showing the magnitude and profit of
the express business were particularly
interesting. He urged that the Grange
had work to do in this matter, by bring
ing pressure to bear upon the members
of congress.
Hon. Andrew Elliott of Gault, Ontario,
an institute worker who has travelled
extensively in both Canada and the
States, was next introduced to speak
upon the prohibition question, State
Master Stetson explaining that he select
ed a speaker on this matter from another
country, 10 order to dissociate 1t entirely
from politics. =.
Mr.. Elliott occupied about half an
hour, and while he said little that Is new
In the present campaign, except some OF
the illustrations drawn from his own
experience and observation In Ontario
and some parts of the United States, he
made talk that was both interesting
and eloquent, urging that the prohibi'
tory amendment be retained in the cleo.
tion of Sept. 11th. "Spare no effort, "
he said. "Get out the last vote" he
was frequently applauded.
The last speaker of the day was How
ard Davies of Yarmouth, who spoke on
direct primaries, and who drew the bill,
which was favored by the State Grange,
on which referendum is to be taken on
the 11th of September. Mr.. Davies Is
we'll known as q very effective speaker.
He stated az foundation fact that the
principle of government that is growing
| 10 to give the people more power. This
Is true all over the world, in China, In
Turkey, In England, in the United
States. he strongly urged the adoption
of this bill, which provides for the nomi
nation of candidates, not by delegate
convention going through the form, bu'
by the direct vote of the people. Eight!
per cent of the electors Of the country
now choose their candidates In this way
and in adopting the system Maine would
not be doing anything radical, but woult
simply be keeping abreast OF the times
| II the bill is adopted. our politics will b.
cleaner, We will have better candidates
better officers, and government bette
representative of the people.
Reunion of Seventh Maine Battery
The annual reunion of the Seventh
Maine Battery was held at Grand Arm,
, Hall, South Paris, Thursday, and wa
..i.o1, Ioforrno1 affair SavAral n