USA > Maine > Aroostook County > New Sweden > The Story of New Sweden as told at the quarter centennial celebration of the founding of the Swedish colony in the woods of Maine, June 25, 1895 > Part 7
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you and my friends from the other portions of Aroostook, not only for what they have done to build up this county, but for that grand self-reliance, for that superb public spirit and generosity which has caused the people of this county and broad-minded men in my own city and elsewhere to step forward at a time of almost unexampled commercial depression in this country, and pour out unstintedly their means and devote their best energies for the accomplishment of the most remarkable railroad enterprise, considering the circumstances, that has been carried through in this country in twenty-five years. [Applause.] You are going to reap the rewards of your liberality. You are not going to wait for another generation to reap where you have sown. The golden harvest is already rolling in upon you, and all that Aroostook County needs is to stand steadfast in its faith in what God has given it, to go on with your strong, right arms and with your sturdy souls in making the most of the mag- nificent heritage that you enjoy in this garden-county of the State of Maine, and within the next twenty-five years we will see all these surrounding forests literally " blossoming like the rose !" [Applause. ]
At the conclusion of the speech, under the direction of the President, the entire audience rose and gave three cheers for the speaker, "our representative in Congress."
Mr. Boutelle: I thank you, my friends. If you ever have a representative there who is one-half as worthy as his constituency, he will have good reason to be proud. [Applause.]
A selection of music was finely rendered by the band.
The President : I will now introduce to you Col. Fred N. Dow, a member of Governor Perham's council in the early days of New Sweden.
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ADDRESS OF COL. FRED N. DOW.
ADDRESS OF COL. FRED N. DOW,
LATELY COLLECTOR OF THE PORT OF PORTLAND.
MR. PRESIDENT :
A meeting which is held like this in a community which owes its birth to a Thomas, and which names its children for a Thomas, might well be called a family gathering in which any is an intruder who cannot through kinship with our friend the ex-Commissioner, or through some connection with the enterprise with which his name is inseparably con- nected, show his right to participate therein. I cannot, there- fore, better introduce myself to you than by saying that long before most of those in this audience knew him whom you honor to-day, I was intimate with him; we went to school together; we played together, and we have been friends from boyhood up. [Applause.]
I also recall with a great deal of pleasure that in an offi- cial way I had something to do, if not with the founding of this colony, at least with the supervision of it, in its early days. It was my duty as a member of the Governor's Council to give attention to matters of moment in the incip- ient days of this enterprise, to consider the expenditures in connection with it, and to pass opinion upon the question whether the State was expending too much. And I am free to say that whatever I might have then thought, to-day when there is spread before me such evidences of your pru- dence and prosperity, I am glad to believe that there was nothing then provided too rich for your blood, and whatever was done by the State to found this colony was a wise invest- ment. [Applause.]
What I have seen to-day in and about this community is an inspiring revelation ; but I confess that when some twenty years ago or more it was my privilege and pleasure to accompany my friend, the then Commissioner Thomas, on a visit to this colony, I think on the occasion to which he has
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alluded, when the State surrendered the control of it and committed its destinies to the care of its own people, I had grave doubts as to its future. I saw then only the almost trackless forest in which you were to try to establish your homes; I saw then a thousand and one obstacles, which to my imagination, all untutored to such surroundings, seemed almost insurmountable, and I feared this colony would have only a struggle for existence a few short years and then die out, as other settlements in this vicinity had before failed. But I looked only at one side of the picture. I considered only a part of the elements which would enter into the solution of the problem. I failed to weigh the effect of the pluck, the push, the energy, which you had brought with you from your native land, those inborn electrical forces without which, whatever else be possessed, man can do little, and with which, though everything is lacking, so much can be accomplished. [Applause.] And I am glad to come back here to-day, after a lapse of twenty years, to acknowl- edge that I was mistaken, to admit that I was a prophet of evil, and to freely confess that I did not have the faith in you to which you were entitled, and to congratulate you all upon the magnificent results of your enterprise. [Applause.]
As I stand here under the flags of your country and mine - our country now, thank God I can say - I cannot forget that in similarity of experience and history we are after all but one people. Many of you only a few years since left your homes abroad and came into the same wilderness to which the ancestors of others of us came years ago, and what you have experienced and accomplished in you own lives, to transmit to your children, we have inherited from our fathers, who, though before you, like you came into the wilds of early New England to conquer a home for themselves and for us, their children. Our differences, therefore, are after all but in a name. You are now with
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ADDRESS OF COL. FRED N. DOW.
us and of us, and as you have contributed so much to the growth and prosperity of this immediate vicinity, so to you in common with us is committed the future of what is now as much your state as it is ours. And so as I look forward I believe that here in Maine - the birthplace of most of us, the adopted home of the rest of us, the prized abiding-place of all of us-it is in a union of that spirit of enterprise by which material prosperity is to be secured with that self- respect which is the foundation upon which all the higher elements of progressive civilization must be built, that the grandeur of all that pertains to a great state is to be assured.
And for us to the manor born, what is the lesson taught by all that has been accomplished in this vicinity during the twenty-five years, the completion of which we celebrate to-day ? Is it not that there is no better place in which to live than in Maine ? [Applause.] Here the sky above is just as blue as anywhere ; here the soil is just as prolific ; here the waters are as pure; here the air is as healthy, as can be found anywhere the world over. Here abounds as much as anywhere all that makes for prosperity and pro- gress. If indeed it is proper to regard life as a mere lottery in which prizes and blanks are awarded by chance, it may be true that great luck may sometimes be found elsewhere, but for every prize there are so many blanks that no one who has a chance in Maine ought to venture elsewhere. For we may justly claim that nowhere in all the range of the rising and setting sun is there to be found a spot where more satisfactory returns are surer to be won than right here in our own good state by just such enterprise, industry, and integrity as you, my friends from Sweden, have brought into this country. [Applause.]
The President: I now have the pleasure of intro- ducing Hon. Albion Little of Portland.
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ADDRESS OF HON. ALBION LITTLE OF PORTLAND.
MR. PRESIDENT AND LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :
A little party of us in the city of Portland have been looking forward for the last two or three weeks with fond anticipations of a grand good time in coming to the county of Aroostook and to the town of New Sweden, and I have to say to you on this delightful occasion that our fondest anticipations are more than realized, and that we are extremely happy in coming to your quarter-century celebra- tion and being introduced to you and having an opportu- nity of knowing you better than we have heretofore. [Applause.]
I want to say to you, who have not recently traveled to the westward, that it is a most delightful trip from Portland to Caribou by railroad. A vestibule train starts from the Union Station, Portland, at 11.10 A. M., over the Maine Central Railroad, which is one of the best managed rail- roads in the United States, and comes down to Bangor where you may be transferred to the Bangor and Aroos- took Railroad, and come on to Caribou in a very short time, arriving at nine o'clock the same evening. This is a mag- nificent railroad route coming to your doors. This railroad brings you in close contact with the outer world.
You may well be proud of your railroad facilities. Do you know that such railroad facilities would not have been offered so soon to Aroostook County but for this settlement of Swedes in New Sweden ?
You have given great credit to my distinguished friend, Hon. W. W. Thomas jr., a son of not only one of Portland's but also of Maine's most distinguished and honored citizens for his sagacity, his wisdom and his leadership in bringing this colony to this place; and you do well. He has been a faithful leader. He has led you to a goodly land. There is no better farming land on the American con-
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ADDRESS OF HON. ALBION LITTLE.
tinent than this which lies here in Aroostook County. [Applause.] I have sometimes wondered why this colony ever came here. Why did you come to Maine ? Why did you come to Aroostook County? Why did you come to this place now called New Sweden ? You came here when the watchword was " Go West, young man ! Go West and grow up with the country !"
You have answered these questions here when you say that a quarter of a century ago, Mr. Thomas, whom you have seen fit to honor as " Father Thomas," came to you in your homes and told you of this great country, and that when he was hunting for game in the far-off wild woods of Maine, he had discovered some very excellent farming land, most favorably located in a healthy climate, well watered by living springs, lakes and rivers, which could be had on very favorable terms, for the taking and clearing.
Although Mr. Thomas was then but a young man, his honest purpose and earnest endeavors inspired your confi- dence. Without further guarantee, you banded yourselves together into a little colony and, trusting in your God and your accepted leader, leaving behind kindred, homes and native land, sailed over the wide, wide ocean, crossed seas and rivers, and traversed the unbroken forest to make for yourselves new homes in the wild woods of Aroostook County, where only wild beasts roamed. Here for ages the wild deer, moose and caribou had full sway, unmolested save by an occasional huntsman.
Twenty-five years, quarter of a century, have come and gone. Hard times and long days of toil and hardships have come and gone ; and to-day we see the results of your toil.
The woodman's ax, the farmer's plow and the mechanic's tools have done their work, and they have done it well. Instead of the lofty pines, the grand old oaks, the evergreen cedars and other woods, we see immense grain fields and vast fields of waving grasses and broad acres of thrifty
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growing potatoes, and well-fed horses and cattle on every hillside and plain. Instead of the old log cabin of your early settlement in the forest, we see well-planned framed houses and comfortable homes on well-made roads. We also see handsome churches where you worship God on His holy day, and good schoolhouses where your children are taught in the language of the country. All these are in har- mony and keeping with modern civilization.
Upon the advice of Mr. Thomas you came here, at the same time when, under the advice of Horace Greeley, car- load after carload of the young men of Maine were going into the great western country and settling upon its vast prairies. Many of them wish they were back again, wish they had had the councils and advice of Mr. Thomas and gone east into Aroostook County and into New Sweden, where they would have been far better off. Some of them are turning their faces this way again. Their sons and daughters are looking eastward. This is the promised land. Recent developments have shown that the State of Maine is the best state in the union for farming. [Applause.] More than that it is the best state on this continent to raise states- men in. [Applause.] [A voice : correct.] And as good as that, it is the best state on the American continent to raise children in. [Laughter and applause.]
If Horace Greeley were alive to-day and could see the State of Maine as we see it, I have no doubt he would agree with me in giving this advice: Young man and middle-aged man, stay where you are. Cut down more trees, clear more land, dig up more stumps, plow more land, plant more pota- toes, and tickle the earth with hoe and spade, and laugh in time of harvest.
This ought to be, as it is, a proud and happy day for you all, as well as for Mr. Thomas. It is a sort of red letter day for him with the full light of noonday sun turned upon his noble deeds and great achievements.
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ADDRESS OF HON. SETH L. LARRABEE.
As I have said you do well to give unstinted credit to my distinguished friend for his great goodness to you in bring- . ing you so safely to this promised land. It is right. But, my friends, did it ever occur to you that perhaps his kind acts, great wisdom, his great faithfulness toward you, and his noble deeds, may have been the very stepping-stone to that mansion of a nobleman in your native land, where he entered and wooed and won one of the brightest and fairest daughters in all that charming land of the midnight sun to be his faithful and loving wife. [Applause.]
Did it ever occur to you that if his connection with this colony contributed in any way, directly or indirectly, to make this beautiful woman queen of his home, he has been amply repaid. Yes, one hundred-fold. [Great applause.]
At this point the President sprang to his feet and shouted to the audience, " Stand up and give a cheer for Mr. Thomas' Swedish wife." And, under cover of the cheering that ensued, Mr. Little resumed his seat, the President apologizing for interrupting the course of the speech, and explaining that the enthusiasm aroused by the speaker had quite carried him away.
The President : I have the pleasure of introduc- ing to you Hon. Seth L. Larrabee of Portland, whom the people of New Sweden hope to see the next Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives. [Applause.]
ADDRESS OF HON. SETH L. LARRABEE OF PORTLAND, REPRESENTATIVE TO THE MAINE LEGISLATURE.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :
I only come forward to speak the great pleasure I have in attending these very interesting exercises, and to tell you 9
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how deeply I was impressed as I drove across your country, over your remarkably good roads this morning, and am still impressed, with the evidences of thrift and industry, which appeared upon almost every hill top and hill side within the range of my vision. The orator of the day and one of the gentlemen who have preceded me have referred to some financial aid that was furnished by the State to this colony in the early days of its existence. I think there is no visitor present upon this tribune or in this auditorium who will not cheerfully admit that whatever sum was then paid for your assistance, was a remarkably good investment for the State of Maine. [Applause. ] The Swedes of Maine owe no financial debt to the State. They owe her nothing but loy- alty to her institutions and her laws and that degree of loyalty only which they have for a generation cheerfully rendered. [Applause. ] The obligation moves from the opposite party. The State owes to you the thanks of the present generation and of all future generations of its citi- zens for the great object lessons in frugality, thrift, industry and prosperity which you have so fully and practically illustrated upon these hills of northern Maine. [Applause.]
The President : I shall now call upon Hon. Edward Wiggin of Presque Isle, one of our State senators from Aroostook County.
ADDRESS OF HON. EDWARD WIGGIN OF PRESQUE ISLE. STATE SENATOR.
MR. PRESIDENT, AND FELLOW CITIZENS OF NEW SWEDEN :
I should most gladly have declined the invitation to say a word to you on account of the lateness of the hour, but at the earnest request of your president, and also of my friend Mr. Thomas, I will say one word, merely. In the first place, fellow citizens, I congratulate you most heartily upon the success which has attended the efforts of yourselves and
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ADDRESS OF HON. EDWARD WIGGIN.
your sires and your mothers upon this wilderness township, which has made this day and the celebration of this day possible. I know something of the history of this colony. I watched it from its birth, from the first year you came into these woods ; and I will say to you frankly, and espec- ially to you older ones, the original members of this colony, that when you reached Aroostook County the people of Aroostook had very little faith in you. We did not believe you would stay here ten years, and we thought it would cost more to get you out of the county than it ever did to get you in here.
Mr. Thomas : That is true.
Mr. Wiggin : That is the idea we had of you. But we did not know you ; and to-day I say I congratulate you upon the grand success which has made this celebration possible. When I go out in other portions of the state and try to induce others to come here, I point them to the success of this colony - men and women who came here without being able to speak a word of the language, who knew nothing of our customs, of our manners, of our ways of work, but who came here into this wilderness township and hewed out their own way, until you have now one of the most prosperous towns in Aroostook County.
I say that we did not know you, but we ought to have known better. What is it that has made this success here ? It is Anglo-Saxon pluck. You are of our blood. Why is it that you have so soon and so naturally amalgamated with us and become in only twenty-five years an Aroostook town, an American town ? It is because you are of the same blood as ourselves, who were here when you came. I say it is a wonderful thing, the success that you have accomplished here. Think of it, fellow citizens of Maine. At the close of the war, "when Johnnie came marching home," there wasn't a tree cut on this whole township except what the lumbermen had cut and floated down these streams to be
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sawed at the mills - and within the short space of twenty- five years this grand success has been achieved. And I want to say to you as an Aroostook man, as one who has been interested in the settlement and development of this county, that we of Aroostook are proud of you, are proud of the work you have done here, and that Aroostook is glad and proud to welcome New Sweden to the sisterhood of Aroostook towns.
You, the fathers of this colony, had some things greatly in your favor which made your success possible, perhaps. In the first place a colony of you came here together, and you could mutually aid and assist one another. Another thing was that you had a true and tried leader in whom you had confidence; and I venture to say that not a man who came across with that ship and helped to settle this colony will ever say that W. W. Thomas Jr., ever went back on him. [Applause.] He was true to you all the way through ; and to-day, on this twenty-fifth anniversary of your leaving your native land, as he comes back to you, you are proud and glad to welcome him, and he is glad to meet every man and woman who is left of that little colony and their descend- ants here in this beautiful town. [Applause.] Then again you all thought that you had the State of Maine behind you ; and although as Mr. Thomas says you had not the scratch of a pen of a contract, you had the honor of Maine behind you and under you and you relied upon it, and you had reason so to do. But, as my friend who has preceded me says, you do not owe the State of Maine anything. All through the commencement of this colony, at the time when these trees were being hewed down and these farms made, you paid as you went. You paid your bills as you went along, and the State never had a pauper in New Sweden.
There is another thing that I am proud to congratulate this colony upon and that is the fact that when we look over the records of our criminal courts it is rarely if ever
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LETTERS.
we see a criminal there whose name shows to us that he is a Swede. I say it is a record to be proud of. [Applause.] I don't want to say this to you in flattery, I don't want to flatter you in any way, but I want to tell you this as a truth - that the County of Aroostook is proud of the success you have made here, is proud to welcome this community to the sisterhood of towns, and we bid you all Godspeed in your further efforts for success in this town of New Sweden. [Applause.]
The President then read the following letters :
STATE OF MAINE.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT.
June 19, 1895.
Hon. William W. Thomas Jr., Portland, Me.
MY DEAR MR. THOMAS :- I regret exceedingly that official engagements will prevent my acceptance of the cordial invitation to attend the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the settlement of New Sweden.
The colony was established by you at a time when many of our sons were seeking other communities and states for supposed greater opportunities than our State then offered; and the lapse of twenty-five years has demonstrated the wisdom of inviting Swedish immigration to our State; and they have found superior advantages here.
No better class of citizens come among ns. They are intelligent, frugal and industrious; they are loyal to our laws, and devoted to our institution; they build homes among us, and believe in the Christian faith and the schools. The State has profited by the set- tlement of New Sweden; and the appreciation of our people is dne to you for the great interest you have always manifested, and the service you have rendered the State.
Yours very truly, HENRY B. CLEAVES.
PORTLAND, June 18, 1895. F. O. Landgrane Esq., Sec.'y Q. C. Committee, New Sweden.
MY DEAR SIR: - I have to acknowledge your very kind invita- tion to be present at the Quarter Centennial of your town. I helped at its foundation, and am glad to rejoice with you over the very creditable past, which you have already made certain; and the still
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better future I am sure is in store for you. Other engagements prevent me from saying so in person, but I send you my congratu- lations on what you have done, and my best wishes for your future welfare.
Very truly yours,
T. B. REED.
At the call of the President, the entire audience now arose and gave three rousing cheers for "Tom Reed, the next President of the United States."
ELLSWORTH, MAINE, June 20, 1895. Hon. William W. Thomas Jr :
MY DEAR MR. THOMAS :- I regret very much that I cannot attend the anniversary celebration of the settlement of New Sweden; but imperative business engagements keep me here.
When you brought the little band of Swedes from the Old World into the state of Maine, and effected their settlement in our young, border county, you accomplished one of the most picturesque events in the history of the State.
Ever since that day I have watched with interest and delight, the growth of the little colony in all the elements which go to make prosperity, and have seen, with satisfaction, its harmonious blend- ing with the older population, the laws and the institutions of Maine.
The State owes its gratitude to you and to this young, frugal, sober, happy people who have come from afar into our midst. They belong to us, for their home is here, and their loyalty is not to their mother country, but to our commonwealth, and over and above all, to our great national republic.
These Swedes have demonstrated the truth of the old Greek adage, that " The land where thou prosperest is thy country."
With every good wish for yourself personally, and for the suc- cess of the celebration, I am Sincerely yours,
EUGENE HALE.
LEWISTON, June 10, 1895.
F. O Landgrane, Esq. :
DEAR SIR: - I have always felt a profound interest in the New Sweden settlement, and have delighted in its constant progress. For the present accept my congratulations, and for the future my good wishes. I regret that previous engagements will prevent me from participating in its Quarter Centennial festivities.
Very truly, WILLIAM P. FRYE.
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LETTERS.
LEWISTON, June 22, 1895. F. O. Landgrane, Esq., Sec'y of Committee :
MY DEAR SIR : - I have delayed replying to your kind invitation to be present at the Quarter Centennial Celebration of the settle- ment of New Sweden, in the hope that I could see my way clear to accept. But at the last moment I find myself unable to go.
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