Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-08-13
The Way Maine Boosts

kennebec Journal ONCE, THURSDAY, u
voice his indignation. He had just re-
ceived a letter from a friend outside
the State enclosing clipping from a
Maine newspaper. 1t reads:
People coming into Maine with big ears
have turned back because Of the roads.
The writer talking with driver OF
medium sized car who said ne came from
Philadelphia with two cars but that
large sized touring car was left in Port
land. the trip inland being made in the
smaller. Under ordinary circumstances,
both cars would have been taken. The
country" he said, otherwise we should
have taken a chance with both cars"
The hotel man was indignant be-
cause such false information is being
sent out by the papers Of Maine. and
discouraging the summer traffic that
has been coming more and more each
year in automobiles. This is not the
first we have heard. or indeed the Sec
ond or tenth report, Of automobiles
becoming convinced at Portland tina:
Maine has become impossible to auto
mobiles
One might almost think. from some
Of the reports sent out and the silly
repetition Of them by newspapers
everywhere. that the large sums OF
money now being expended by Maine
for better highways had been devoted
to destruction of certain sections most
travelled by motor parties.
Only few days ago an out-of-
State party was scared into deserving
ceeding by train to Waterville where
the chauffeur had been instructed to
take the car-under extra insurance Of
his life. and the car, we presume.
When the train arrived he was waiting
for his employers and informed them
that they had been buncoed: the roads
were good. and that they had better go
on by motor. They did SO.
That is only one case: there are
many others. instances of motor par
ties that have turned back because of
reading some idiotic paragraph in a
newspaper or because they have been
intercepted and discouraged. by some
one from a selfish motive.
That is a fine way to boom Maine"
send out the impression that Maine
roads cannot be travelled by an OK
r RI Of y1-ho let all
those who have planned to come to
Maine to spend their vacation dollars
at inland hotel or farm or camp, that
roads have grown up and only Zeppe-
Inns and submarines are used for
travel in the Pine Tree State from now
on. Tell those who come by train to
their usual farm or camp summer
places, that they can no longer pass
from the railway station across town.
One might almost expect to find. af-
ter hearing the sudden outburst this
year against the roads Of Maine that
hostile armies had entrenched them
selves all along Maine highways to
slaughter all who dare enter here.
All these stories of the horrors of
travel by automobile in Maine are rank
nonsense and spring from a bilious
condition Of the writer or from a self
ish and unprincipled heart. Those
who come and those who live here and
own big touring cars, have no trag-
edies or gruesome experiences. They
go and come. and they do so at rate
Of speed that is fast enough, to say the
least. Maine is not building racing
courses for autoists but she is build
ing substantial, useable roadway. OF
course the weather has caused wet
and muddy roads in an unusual de-
gree this summer, but We hear that
the Weather Man has punished other
sections also.
Let us quit this silly knocking and
do some boosting, as they do in the
West and on the Pacific coast.
The indignant hotel man above re-
ferred to, has just returned from a trip
to the Pacific. Everywhere he found
the BOOSTERS-and Iynching
awaiting the man who has the temer-
ity to start knocking.
Why" he said. IF we all-every
last one of us-boosted, here in Maine.
as they do in the West, we couldn't
turn around in Maine for the crowd Of
visitors. We have something to brag
about, something that laws SO far over
anything in the West or along the
Pacific as to put them in the class of
also rams Out there they boost, and
the only knocking is for the poor nut
who dares to utter one word of criti-
cism Of anything. Out there they
don't hesitate to suppress accidents
in the newspaper offices, If there is
any possibility Of soaring a single
timid visitor or in any way injuring
the business Of booming the country.
How different here! We not only
g1oat over the accident. but we groan
over the possible cause and invent
new ones, and repeat, and then some
cherries hypochondriac writes a
treatise on the dangers Of eastern
climate, volcanoes, bandit and high
way killhogs Of Maine.