Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1859-05-13

valley upon which she mainly depends for her
commercial trade. 1t would pass along nea Fred
erck ton, the capital of New brunswick, and ne
a populous portion of the Province.
The route of the road in this State would com.
mence at Milford, thirteen miles above Bangor.
and pass up on the banks of the Penobscot to
Mattawamkeag, a distance of forty-six anu one
half miles from Milford and sixty lone miles from
Bangor arc which is the terminus Of the first di-
vision of the road and thence up the valley of the
Mattawamkeag to the boundary about twenty Fl We
miles south Of Houlton,a further distance of about
forty-three miles, there to unite with the road
from St. John-which would make a continuous
road from Bangor, and from hence to st. John
and from thence to Halifax, a distance of five
hundred miles from Bangor.
About ten miles this side of the boundary, the
bill proposed a branch road shall defect from the
trunk line to extend twenty-five miles to IIoulton,
the shire town of Areostook This road would
run down the valley of a stream led the Medux.
nekeag, a tributary of the st. John, and which
flows through the village of Houlton and discharg-
es itself into the st John at Woodstock; a still
further distance of twenty miles. 1t is expected
that the road will be ultimately extended down
the valley Of this stream to Woodstock, and thus
completely unite the great valley of the Upper St.
John with that of the Penobscot and both with
tide water and the other railroads Of the State at
Bangor.
The purpose Of the trunk road is to unite with
the Provincial roans to bring their inland trade
and intercommunication into our State, and to
promote social and commercial intercourse with
them.
The branch road will accommodate and settle
Aroostook, and bring portion of the trade and
traffic of the entire basinof the Upper st. John,
both American and Provincial, into our State.-
This route is almost in straight line towards
Boston and the Penobscot river below Bangor,
running in the same general direction, is but a
proongaton of the line of communication with
that city. Draw II line from Boston to Woodstock
and it will intersect Bangor and very nearly Mat
tawamkeag and Houlton.
Woodstock is the nearest point of the valley of
the st. John to Bangor and Portland. The cur.
rent of trade is rresistably toward the Vest to-
ward the great commercial cities from whence all
comes and whether all goes.
Before the railroad WIS constructe1 to Lewiston,
Portland hardly commanded the trade of the val
ley ofthe Upper Androscoggin. With the extern
sion of the railroad to the Kenncbec, she gained
the trade to that point. With the extension of it
to the Penob>cot her eastern connections extend
ed there, and she how commands Il portion Of the
trade within a few miles of Bangor. Portland is
now TIE winter harbor of the valley Of the Penob-
scot. His trade will extend with this railroad to
the great valley of the st John, and within twe1t 1ty
years, to the Gulf of the ST. Lawrence
Such sir is the forca Of the current of trade to-
wards the West. The water. of the beautiful
river upon whose inks this capital stands, do not
more surely flow to the ocean that than does trade
and commerce flow from the East to the West
beg my friends from Port land to reflect upon this
How and where has the rapid growth of that beau
tiful city been obtained From Canada No,
sir. The Grand Trunk seeks to establish new
avenue Of trade. 1t is obliged to compete with
those already existing, running to New York and
Boston. The growth of through trade that
road like that ofthrough travel, must be gradual.
Sir, the increased trade and prosperity of Portland
has come mainly from the extension of railroads
in own State. The trunk line running brou ,h
our state, has n such com ,etition as the Grand
Trunk has. Our trunk line is but atfording addi-
tioual facilities to aid the natural and only route
of travel and trade. Portland can hope to become
a great commercial city only from her unrivaled
harbor, the extension Of manufacturing industry
in the state, and by making our State compact and
united by railroad communication, and bringing
every part of i into near neigh borhood to her.
beg totell my Portland friends in this House. that
in looking toward the West. they are looking to
their rivals-that behind and beyond them are
their friends and supporters and | ask them oc-
caslonally to turn around and look to their own
and our interests. If my friends are wise, they
will seek to extend their Eastern connection and
their Eastern trade
Sir, can best illustrate the effect Of the con-
cmplated road by directing your attention to one
with which you are all more familiar. The extern
tTDinI I.vy ton IN
Bangor ha, brought the trade and travel of the
country which il traverse. to Portland and the
Wet The branch road into Franklin has hrougbt
the travel and traffic of that county TO the trunk
line and given it the sane direction The cxtcn.
sion If the trunk line of road from Bangor up the
valley of the Penobscot and that of the Mattawam-
kear 10 the boundary there 70 connect With the
Provincial railways, will bring the inland trade
traffic and travel of those Provinces 10 the " c.t
over our lines of railroad and Ia onr markets The
branch road to HouIton and Wookstock will bring
the trada and travel of the Inner ST Tohn nm IA the
trunk no to flow in the same direction The tr,de
of the entire valley of the inner St John wi oLev
the same law and pass over this new avenue of
communication.
| ask the house. however. to note the MIGHTY
difference in the two cases The line from Ban.
gor to the boundary connects with three hundred
and thirty miles of railroad trov.rsinp n grcot
country containing six or seven hundrcl thonso nd
inhabitants The branch road to Ftnnklin countv .
connects with a limited territory. while the
branch road to HouIton and Woodstock connects
with the great valley of the Upper st. John. con.
tanning an area equal to two of many of the SOW
erejrn states which comnose our confederocv.
The American and Provincial portions of i, con.
tains as many inhabitants ns either Somerset or
xfor3 and conahe Of vast increase 90 in nonnIation
and vast EXPANSION Of trade. The county of
Aroostook. the American rortion Of that great
valley. contains an area canal 10 one. fourth Of
vnur ent;rc ,tte and "a Tho f,;rcst and m,st fer.
tile nortion of il. The valley of the penobscot
above Ranror and the vol1cv of IN, miner St
John above Woodstock contain an area equal TO
one half of that ofthe great state of New York
dosire IN c,ll ottention to some other facts in
connection with mi. branch road Look unon
the man and Won viii see that il connects those
twn ynIleys ~ pernhsco, md s. .Jobn bv the
h,r,ast ,,,a =. ,La ,,,,;r,s ,rhara ,h.y ,re r,o.t
I