Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-05-15
The Boom Maine Movement.

| names enrolled as members the good
work seems to be we'll underway. The
| great majority of members will I'M
! doubtedly feel after having subscribed
| their mite, that their duty has been
| performed and they can stand aside
| and see the Boom develop and their
| bounteous share will in due season
| fall to them. Instead of the name
Boom Maine Movement" l would
substitute Develop Maine Move
| ment." To my mind the word Boom
is associated with speculation or graft.
Maine does not want a BOOM, 1t
wants steady permanent growth. To
establish this it means something be-
sides catchy advertising or long list
of prominent names on the member
ship list. Back of a healthy growth
must exist favorable conditions. The
only work up to this organization is
to help establish these conditions. The
engaging of high salaried official to
write and distribute advertising over
boy at Sc per week can do this as the
Maine Farm agencies can supply him
with all the stock ads he needs for
they have been we'll distributed over
the United States. They are full of
originality and as far as setting
Maine off there has been nothing left
out. The fertile fields with their viz
gin soil. The beautiful rivers with
their vast undeveloped horse power.
The splendid forests towering to the
skies waiting for the ak to start them
on their way to the finished product
of beauty. The many hundreds of
ponds and lakes stocked with the best
fish on earth. The ideal hunting
grounds for those who wish to hunt
All protected by the Fish and Game
Commission. These with many other
attractions should make Maine an
ideal place in which to live. Reads
good does it not? The real estate
agents have talked this for the past
90 years. There is not much need of
going over this ground again, unless
we want to spend a little money with
the printer. These agents with our
boards of trade, railroads and the vast
number of summer resorts always
talking Maine. All of this work has
been going on to no small extent. 1t
has shown splendid results. great
many enterprising men and women
have come here and bought farms and
industries and have combined brain
and muscle to make good. What is
the result? Many miserable failures
not often from lack of practical
knowledge or enterprise but from
many unfavorable conditions, some
that cannot be overcome and many
that can. Agriculture should be our
greatest source of wealth. The i'm
portant thing to do is not to get some
other fellow to come here in order to
develop US but how to develop what
we have and retain our own people
by proper means of assistance and en-
couragement. Names only tangible
asset is her men, women and children,
everything else are only accessories.
The first essential quality in the in
dividual for a right development of
themselves and their surroundings is
honest effort, not earnest effort, this
we always have as a matter of self
interest. No great advance movement
was ever made without injuring some
one temporarily at least. The man
who sees only self in every move he
| makes is not only very limited but
fails to grasp the idea that he is but
a cog in the great wheel progress,
and has only borrowed the tools with
which to supply his needs, soon to
pass them on to another and is re-
sponsible to his creator and fellow
man for the use he makes of them.
This is purely a voluntary organiza-
ton vested with no authority to deal
with outside capital. Your Boards of
Trade through the city government
must do this. This organization can
solicit the cooperation of the State
and national government in aiding in
whatever way it can to work out a
better development of our resources.
Lower rates of interest and more
| available loan on farm property is one
| great aid. The establishing of State
| phosphate works in conjunction with
| the national government. Why allow
| the fertilizer trust to stand in the way
| of a greater production of necessi-
| ties?
The cooperation Of the State with
| the national government in supplying
| the right kind of tested seed. All of
| our State institutions should be made
| to carry the best grades of dairy
| stock and dispose of the offspring to
farmers at a low cost. Every farmer
needs electric light and electric power.
| Are you going to allow few indi-
viduals to control the water power
and thereby establish a prohibitive
! price for current? These are a few
| of the things that can be done that
will help the farmer and you only
have to add to the country property
| to Immediately feel it in the city. 1t
does not need membership of $4,000
| or 1000 to do these things. A spirit
of fairness and cooperation will do
this. One of the worst things in Maine
and every other state is the political
| game for plumber. 1t tends to spoil
| good legislation. To keep men apart
and direct their attention from the
| needs of the State and their own
selfish ends. There is no spirit Of CO.
| operation in politics except for selfish
| purposes. Something is wrong with
| our economic conditions when so many
of our best business men seek office
| rather than business for a living. We
| do not need to cite Mexico to witness
| a contention of factions for Office, we