Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-04-03

Maine if rightly developed will be-
come one of the best states in New
England.
Now in my county what did we do
to develop the County? The County of
Aroostook aided the building of the
Bangor & Aroostook Railroad to the
extent of o00-over that; when the
County of Aroostook voted that, they
didn't expect to get it back again.
What was that development? The
County of Aroostook in 1890, just be-
fore the building of the Bangor &
Aroostook, had a population of 40
$50, with two Senators and ten rep
resentatives, and our valuation was
SIS, 437,15S. In 1900 we had a popu-
lation of 60,744 with two Senators
and twelve representatives. And in
1910 we had population of 74.654
with three Senators and fifteen rep
| resentatives. and today our valuation
is S41,5l0,S07. That has almost en-
tirely been produced by the building
Of the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad.
| Even if the County of Aroostok had
never received one cent back. it was
one Of the best investments that the
county ever made. She has received
back over $500, 900 of it, and this pres
ent year the rest of our bonds will be
| paid
! Now l advocate this: that the State
! of Maine deevlop her water powers.
| Commence and take. for instance. the
! Of Maine develops that immense pow
err that is just below Moosehead Lake.
| kennebec River Surprising the State
We could buy those powers. If there
| is any individual owns them. why buy
| them and develop them. Extend your
lives from there to the sea. Develop
the powers all along, commencing at
the head. perhaps, but ! would take
thte most important one first, then
take the others, building reservoir
or dam at Moosehead Lake, SO that
storage can be had that would give
you a continuous flow of water the
year around.
| Waterpower is valued by the lowest
flow of water in the year. and by build
that the flow will be continuous the year
around, get the benefit of the whole.
| Commence and spread your wires from
the head to the foot. and take and de-
velop the power down the streams, and
when you get to the sea, where you get
cheap transportation all over the world,
then as you get down you can send that
power to any town that wants it, branch
ing off and developing the whole region
from the source to the sea.
! Several years ago ! went down the AL
legash. | had a charter granted by you
| here to build the Allegash road. l had
made arrangements with bankers in
Massachusetts to furnish me with money
to build it with. and ! notified the Ban
| gor & Aroostook, of which / was at that
| time president. that / had made con-
tracts and agreements with a good firm
in Massachusetts to finance the road from
Patten into the Allegash country.
! / went through myself and saw those
waterpowers. l was surprised. | found
that on the Allegash line. along the river
to the ST. John, there was over $1,000
horsepower running to waste in the will
| derness, that today with your electric
lines could be transported down here to
us. That was only one small river.
There is power enough in the State of
Maine to run every factory in Massachu-
sets if you could have it there to de-
velop.
| Now my idea would be this. A five
mill tax on the State of Maine-which
| would only be one years tax-would give
| you 5000 GOO. With s., ooe.oCo to start with
and commence to develop the WATERFOWL
ers Of Maine, and bring them down to
anyone that will come here to Maine and
build factories to build UP this State
with that capital to start with, we could
| sell that power and use that capital over
and over, and extend the development
until you have developed every water
power in the State.
After you once get fairly started on
that. the State of Maine will double in
valuation. and we would have double the
inhabitants we have today. ! honestly