Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-03-23
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To the Editor of Kennebec Journal:

To the Editor of Kennebec Journai:
Maine was separated from Massa-
chusetts in 1920. On March 3rd OF
that year President Monroe signed
the bill admitting her to statehood
in the Union. On March l5tn, tne
act went into effect On May 2lst'
the first legislature met in Portland.
In 1882 the state government was
established at Augusta and on jan
uary 4th of that year the legislature
met for the first time in the present
State House. On Tuesday of last
week, therefore, we celebrated the
1O1st anniversary of our birth: The
present legislature is the SOth. Had
this body continued in annual ses-
sion it would have been the 1Olst.
Thus we are now starting on Names
second century.
This state has a territory 400
square miles greater in extent than
that of the Ave other New England
states combined. When it was sepa-
rated from Massachusetts it owned
in it's own right more than 100000
acres of public lands, and should
have held them and administered
them as trustee for all the people.
It still owns the waters and their
flow of 1000 lakes and ponds and of
thousands of, rivers and streams.
What has happened? What have
we done with the peoples inheri-
lance? The lands are gone, but the
waters remain.
In 1920 the population of Maine
was 29s,335, in 1870 it was 626,915.
in 1920, 76S,014. Massachusetts,
the other state with only 1926 So.
miles of territory, had a population
of 523,2S7 in 1920, 1,457,351 in 1870
and in 1920, 1852, 356. Maine in
creased in population for the first
so years 32S,5S0, in the last so years
with all the wild lands virtually
gone it has increased only 142,099.
Henry Albert Pressey, of the Unit
ed States Geological Survey, made a
photographic investigation of this
state in 1901. The very first words
of his elaborate report to the fed
eral government were these:
1.-TWO great resources of the State
of Maine stand pre-eminent: %
The waters powers. which are unri-
vailed in the United States, and (2)
it's forests which cover vast areas.
1t seems remarkable that so little
has been done to study or protect
either of these"
George T. Swain, an engineer of
national reputation who recently
spoke to the Maine Legislature on
the subject of water power made an
investigation in this state in 1880
and his report was included in the
tenth census. Among other things
he said in his official summary:
mo other district of equal size in
the union, it may be safely asserted,
contains so many lakes at such high
elevations, the fall to the ocean TAX
ing place within it's limits-Also the
(Maine) coast is more favorable
than any other part of the Atlantic
coast for tidal water power"
Not only have we done so little"
as Mr.. Prcssey points out. but in the
case of our forest lands we have
done much worse. We have allowed
more than 100000 acres to pass
out of control of the people of the
state who rightfully owned them.
The grand pillage began directly
We became state on our own ac-
count in 1920. The ink on the pa
perS of separation from Massachu-
sets was hardly sanded before the
wildlander was cruising the forest
and picking his timber 1t is a long,
sad, and vulgar story, and not un-
familiar. l only recall it because
of its application to the possible fate
of that other ''preeminent'' resource
of Maine which a federal govern
ment expert has pronounced "un-
rivalled in the United States"
The people as a whole had direct
property rights in these timborlands
because the state itself owned them.
The officers of the state were trus-
tees. These rights We're betrayed.
The people as a whole have GER
tain direct and we'll defined rights in
the waters of the state because the
use of them belongs to the COM
munity. The act of falling water,
which constitutes power that can be
turned into public and private util-
benefits like the sunlight and rain
from heaven, belong to the MANY.
The labor and machinery which
make up development may be pro-
vided by private capital, but the
state itself is trustee of the natural
asset which is the foundation of the
institution. This is common law and
common sense.
The analogy is all the more power
full in favor of public waters. The
commonwealth as corporation
owned by deed the physical property
of the timberlands. This could be.
and was, transferred to other owners.
who thus became rightful owners.
whatever the price. The rights of all
the people of a state to the waters of
a state and their flow are inherent.