Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-03-24

Now, gentlemen of the Senate
there are very many reasons to my
mind why the minority report ought
not to be accepted. There may be
other discussion, and 1 presume va
rious phases of the matter will appeal
to each of you. I am quite content
this morning to rest my argument
upon one phase, and one phase alone
of the situation. And, gentlemen,
have said to you that the key note
IL such you might term it, of these
remarks and upon which found my
argument and ask your consideration
for a few moments is upon the mat
ter of it's being a State park and
nothing else. Gentlemen of the Sen
ate, as q believer and as an admirer
Of Maine, it's magnificent scenery, its
wonderful climate, 1 believe that we
should do everything possible to Gull
tivate those natural beauties and en-
dowments, not only for the good of
the people of the State of Maine but
that we may welcome to our midst
our brothers and sisters Of sister
states, aye, of foreign countries as
we'll. But to my mind a State park,
if it means, anything. gentlemen.
means an institution which is created
by, which is cared for and will always
be State park in name and reality.
Gentlemen of the Senate, if this were
the last opportunity the people OF
Maine would ever have to gather un-
to itself this grand pinnacle and nat
ural monument, / should hesitate
about taking the position which
have. But I do not need to remind
you that the mountain itself is all
enduring. Generations have come
and gone, they have looked upon the
mountain even as VIC look upon it to-
day, and there has been no change.
So do not be bcguiled by the
specious argument that you must act
now or your rights are forever fore
closed.
The bill in it's new draft contem-
plates the taking of so small a por-
ton of land that there cannot be
much of any change in the years to
come. Gentlemen. there are here
this morning, I am glad to see, these
bright boys and girls from some edu-
cational institution, l imagine. We
us. But / believe that they have
come up here this morning not so
much to see the Legislature as they
have come here to see the State
House. Every one of them, | believe,
feels that he and she has an inds-
putable interest in what we call our
State House. Truly they have and
we are glad of it. And. gentlemen,
that is just the point that | want to
make in connection with this matter
of the State park. 1t is designed
primarily for the use, for the recrea-
ton, for the upbuilding of the health
and the pleasure of the citizens of
Maine, and | want every person in
the State of Maine to feel that he
and she is an owner in ii because he
or she has contributed his or her
mite to its purchase. Gentlemen of
the Senate, / need not remind you
that the same feeling that actuated
the widow those many hundred years
ago still actuatcs the feelings Of poo
pie in the twentieth century. And
gentlemen, l am sorry that the mat
ter has come to that state where
there is a bill that coatemDlates con-
fcrring upon the trustees of this
park the right to take by eminent
domain, and then puts upon them the
burden of soliciting, or at least the
right to receive contributions from
those who arc able. Mind you, do
men of means who contribute so gem
erously and Loyalty to our State in
situations and the furtherancc of all
good works in our State we would
not be without them for they serve
an exceedingly useful purpose.
But. gentlemen, if the contributions
that they make, and if the contribu-
ton that they pour in buy Il State
park, to my mind it is not State
park; and you and l who may not be
able to contribute, or our children.
or the children of the hundreds and
thousands of fathers and mothers in
the State of Maine, if they are ever
privileged to cast their eye toward
this grand old mountain, or to set
foot upon it, will not then feel that it
is their park, for the reason that they
have unfortunately been deprived of
the means of contributing to it's pur-
chase.
Gentlemen, as I have said before,
there are other arguments, but |
want to leave this phase of the mat
ter with you, inasmuch as this
mountain is all-cnduring, and the
rights of succeeding Legislatures. or
generations even, will not be preju-
diced by the delay, and inasmuch as
want to have every man. woman
and child within the State of Maine
when the time comes that this land
and mountain arc taken and made
into public park want them to
feel that it is indeed and in truth, as
is this grand old State House today
a park worthy of the name of the
State because every man, woman and
child in Maine has contributed in
directly through the medium of the
State to it's purchase and it's preser-
walton.
Mr.. SPRAGUE of Piscataquis: Mr..
President, 1 did not intend to say
anything in regard to this matter. I
assure the Senators that / shall say
but very few words. We have
heard a great deal about the beauties
of Mount Katahdin, and I agree with
everything that has been said. l
made efforts of my own in my day to
try to write about it, etc. But l am
afraid you will all forget that Mount
Katahdin is in Piscataquis county,
the county where I live, and so is
Moosehead lake, every inch of it. and