Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-10-04

school. Since l became Governor
have taken a special interest in all of
our State institutions and personally
visited every one of them except the
normal school at Castine and the Boys
school at South Portland. Both of
these I have visited in years previous.
It Is quite an undertaking to go
through all the State institutions. hos
pitfalls, sanatoriums. normal schools, the
university, farms, experiment stations
etc, etc. l have examined as many
dormitories kitchens. ice-boxes, eel
lars and preserve and linen closets a s
has any other person in the State, but
I have enjoyed doing this and feel that
good comes of 1t. Our State institu-
tions are we'll managed. OF course
there always can be improvements. and
l wish the State today had $1.000.0Q0
to spend in improvements and extern
sions. We have no reason to be
ashamed, however. of what we have
Our trustees and managers are inter-
ested in their work and are rendering
the State would take more of an in
terest in these establishments 1t
would encourage those in charge and
would mean much for the inmates
AS | have remarked, the Skowhegan
Reformatory and Hallowell school pre-
sent the most difficult problems. AT
Skowhegan we are charging the CEN
trail building. Two years ago the To-
cal water supply gave out and we
brought the town water to the prop
erty for the sanitary arrangements
were not what they should be. Due
TO the present drought the women
there are obliged to carry their drink
ing water but all arrangements are
properly taken care of and the institu-
tion is in reaso" w good condition.
Public Sci and Parents
What l have sad about our ciu-
zens taking an interest in our state
institutions applies with equal force
to our public schools. Many mothers
and fathers send their children to
school and then seem to forget or
lose interest in them. They seldom
get acquainted with the teachers or
the superintendent, and almost
never invite them to their homes. III
matters do not go just as they
should. the parents are the first TO
criticize. | wish every mother and
father in the State sometime during
the school year would take interest
enough in the schools to inspect
them and make suggestions. Ihe
public school Is the basic institution
and there is no one in the state VINO
believes in it more than does the
present Governor. Having gone to
the public schools myself, from the
lowest grade through the High
school. / feel qualified to speak of
them. and LIST winter did not hest
tate to express my views that public
money should not be spent on any
private or sectarian schools. The
State and the municipalities offer an
education to every child, and require
that every child shall be given GER
tain training. The doors of the pub
lie school are open to all. and if there
are those who do not care to avail
themselves of this great privilege,
they certainly should not ask the
State to help support schools that
are not strictly under State control.
A False Principle
read a statement in daily paper
a few days ago to the effect that II
the State does not help support pri-
vate schools it should not have any
thing to say about their curriculum.
This reasoning is false. because the
State is the guardian of the welfare
of all children and has the right to
insist that every child shall receive
certain minimum education. The
State says TO the parent: You must
give your child an education and the
State itself presCribcs certain funda-
mentals." If this education is given
in private schools. at least the mini
mum standards should apply. would
like to see every child in Maine go
ing to the public schools and getting
that training in citizenship and de-
mocracy that comes only from con-
Co. - I, wills I,-orx fYnt,
every walk in life.
The Forces Of Evil
The fight against Evil is not yet
won and probably never entirely VIII
be. But the fact that the women of
this country now have the ballot
means more for law enforcement
| than any of us can appreciate. 1t
has been we'll said that the 10th
amendment to the Federal Constitu
ton is the strongest supporter of the
| 18th amendment. This country is
being flooded with propaganda for
personal Liberty" for Light Beer
and Wines" and for all the other
false pleas of the liquor interests.
scarcely a day passes without some
of this worthless material coming to
my Office. Some groups of selfish
| men are spending huge sums of
money in a desperate effort to revive
n lost cause. The liquor interests
that center in New York and Wash
ington do not overlook anything that
will help them. and they seek to tear
down any public official who has the
courage to stand against them. In
my opinion these interests have their
representatives here in Maine, and
that source is responsible for much
of the criticism that is being "Whis-
pered" about against the present
State Administration To get COR
rect understanding of the despera
ton of ones enemies and of the
depths to which they will go. | repeat
what a prominent citizen of the State
said of me short time ago. Il wish
to God we could find something
against the private life of the Gov
ernOr and then we would be able to
control him. The liquor interests
would he oVerjoyed to have the State
of Maine betray it's time -honored
principles, for if they ca make head
way here, they would be vastly en-
couragcd. l. however, am glad to
stand against them and they know
they will never receive any comfort
from me.
Educate the Children
The w. c. T. L. is about to launch
a campaign of education both with
the adults and the children. l am
| especially interested in the latter.
| They are the ones who should be
taught law enforcement and law
obedience, The present generation
is growing up without knowledge
! of liquor. Most of them do not know
what a saloon or bar-room is, and
after the old staGers have passed
along there will be a new generation