The Republican journal., 1912-02-01
The Maine Press Association

The Maine Press Association
Holds Its 49th Annual Meeting In Portland.
July IA. 1911. the day the Maine Press ex-
cursionists left Moosehead lake for their re-
spective homes, it was 81 at q. m. at the
Kineo House, 112 in the shade at Bingham and
104 at Norridgewock. January 26th and 18th,
1912, when the annual meeting was held in
Portland, it was 10 to 20 below. This shows
what Maine can do in the way of climate.
The headquarters of the association were at
the Falmouth Hotel and the meetings were
held in the temporary common council room.
Some of the departments had already moved
into the new million dollar city hall and others
were in transition and table used by Secre-
tary Wood Thursday night, in the drawer of
which he had left some of his records, had dis
appeared when the association met Friday
morning and messenger had to be sent for
the missing documents.
At the opening session Thursday afternoon
President Arthur E. Forbes of South Paris
presided land in his address referred to the
proposed increase of postage on second class
matter and spoke of the loss sustained by the
association in the deaths of Fred B Averill of
Waldoboro James W. Bracket of Phillips and
Hiram Kelley Morrell of Gardiner. Officers
were elected as follows: President, Ernest W.
Morrell of Gardiner; vice presidents, VIM. o,
Fuller of Rockland, E. M. Blanding of Bangor
and Louis o. Haskell of Pittsfeld; secretary,
Joseph Wood of Portland; treasurer, VIM. H.
Dow of Portland; executive committee, Ernest
W. Morrell, Guy P. Gannett of Augusta, Cyrus
W...Davis of Waterville and Charles E. Will
liams of Portland.
Professor George T. Files of Bowdoin Col
lege delivered an address on "Good Roads,
How Shall We Get Them in the State of
Maine?" Prof. Files had spoken Wednesday
evening on good roa3s at a meeting held in
Portland under the direction of the Maine
Automobile association. He said, in part
In brief address yesterday took up with
Mr.. Scates of Westbrook the question: Who
is responsible for the condition Of the roads in
the people of the State Of Maine are themsel-
yes responsible for the unfortunate condition,
Our municipal and State officials are the visi-
BILE agents in this great waste of our States
finances; but, fundamentally and honestly, the
real responsibility rests with the voters of our
State-our own citizens-simply because we,
either unwittingly or through our Indifference,
permit the enormous waste of highway moneys
which is going on. In brief, we permit the po-
itical machinery of our municipalities and of
our State to SO manage the expenditures of
our appropriations that results are lacking,
Appropriations are voted and are expended;
but of results there are none Now. How shall
we remedy this? How shall we secure good
roads for the State of Maine? should like to
be permitted to answer this question definite
ly, as far as my own belief and faith Is con-
cerned. We can secure good roads for the
State of Maine; we can have them within
reasonably short time; and we can have them
at fair and rational cost, provided we are
willing to work and work earnestly for the
same purpose.
Imean to offer no soothing compliment;
mean merely to speak truth, when say that
the press of the State of Maine can do more to
accomplish these great objects than all of the
other agencies combined, and the latter are by
no means weak or unorganized.
The press of our State can aid materially in
the following ways:
I. By arousing public sentiment to the gen.
eral question of good roads. Fine modern
highways are an absolute necessity today.
They are as necessary to the merchant as they
are TO the farmer; they are as necessary to the
driver of team as they are to the driver of
motor car. And nowhere are they more need
ed than in the country where distances are
long, where intercourse is of necessity limited
and where the privileges and pleasures of life
are dependent almost entirely upon the facil-
ties of communication and transportation.
T1 "h1v, g.
we shall see the day arrive when politics will
be divorced from any and all offices of public
trust. and in no particular is this more neces-
sary than in the department of public high
ways When you have taught your citizens to
know what good roads really are; when you
have aroused them to appreciate the enormous
economic and social value of good highways,
then you will find them taking up the ways
and means themselves. for it is their own
problem. Then the ignorant or vicious candi-
date for road commissioner will find it difficult
to secure the Office which he now so easily at
tains. The not distant future will see day
when intellect and training will be the sole
qualifications for this Office, and not political
sagacity and cleverness, as is so commonly true
today. On this great problem of modern high
way the public needs education and enthus-
iasm. And what agency can better accom-
plish this end than the press?
William H. Davis of the Maine Farmer was
elected poet and Myron E. Bennett of Sanford
essayist of the association. The following
resolution was adopted:
Whereas. the bill drawn up for Congress by
the postal commission providing for a fiat rate
of two cents per pound. or double the present
rate on newpapers, also contains 9th pro.
visions Objectionable to publishers, such as
placing prohibition on expired subscription s,
curtailing the amount of advertisements that
a newspaper may carry; denying the use Of
premiums and