Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1860-01-13
FRIDAY. JANUARY l3, 1860.

ed in thi. pursuit. Our navigating aud
interests have greatly inersas-
cd, placing tho Siate ut the head OF tho
ela.s OF shipbuilding States. Manafae'
iurc., under a liberal policy held out 10
capital, have teen stimulated and greatly
augmented. arr m 3 generally prosperous
condition and may be regarded as establish.
I'd upon q sure footing, and will. IL 10 10 be
hoped. in time. stimulate other branches OF
industry.
Neither should tho fact be overlooked
hare, that beside these evidence. Of material
prosperity. this latter period Ia. been char
acteriEsi by efforts OF the great body OF the
people for ihs improvement o' their social
and educational interests and That these
effort. have been successful Is sOen by an
obviously elevated public standard oi sobri-
s,y and intelligence.
Nor have the people OF the State bean 10
miss in pro'idsnt care Tor ,hs iu'ur. de-
yelopmsnt oi i,s natural res)urccs and adj
vanlass Of trade and eommsrcs. There
have been constructed. and now in opera
tiJn. somsthing more than fivc hundred and
fifty miles Of railway. ~ an Expenditure,
almost entirely by our own people, OF more
than Sls 600 600.
Aware Of the important in1u.nco OF rail-
road acilitie. m c1mHsrcial Affairs. aud OF
tho natural commercial advantages OF our
position, State policy was early Indicated
bT ,ha Legislature which should make
Main, ia lhssi respects. iadopsndsni OF o!h'
er communities upon the Atlantic coast !.
and which should eventually ah1rd Il equal
advantages IN securing the trade OF the IN
tsror--ths great producing region OF the
nation. IL was perceived that IN any plan
ior tie accomplishment OF this objsci, there
were obviously two points oi incalcul,ble
importane, - the growth and Development
af IT. material interests and ia true COM
mercial independence, namely, the c1nn'c-
ton. by railway. Of Gho seaport towns with
the interior ui Ihs country, and the BriiIsh
Provinces. oar nrighbJr.. contiguous -
". whose natural inisrcommunicaiion i'
through our territory ani ~ ahJrd TO the
trade aud travel between Europe aud this
country railroad facilisS, n an extreme
eastern port on this side tho Atlantic, gi''
ine the shortest possible sol voyage bstvesn
the two continents, Ths lrsi point IN this
system ha, already bccn secured by tho
completion VI tho Atlantic and 81. Law
rcncs Railroad. connecting. ~ 10 dJ--, with
a continuous line of railway, oi sgrp's'ins
sIcclcncs and capacity. which extends
westward through Canada % Detroit /: thus
making our .'Abiari accessible - that vast
region, tho =. GrsNt Wr,t. and our prin-
cip.l seaport town the Atlantic t'rminl. ol
a portion or tho trade and travel ol the
great lake, and their natural outlet.
The lmp1rnncs OF tl,is enierpr'aJ' al.
ready .ecn IN ,hs rapid growth oi oar chiei
commercial city. tho facilities opened to
our interior town. Tor direct trade wo'I
ward, and the lmount Ui transportation
that already ipl. u, Way from III, romo'a
interior, without tran,hipmens, 10 the At
lantiG. lIs prospective imp1riancs 10 IN.
calculabl'. an Approximate o''mid OF
which can only he made IN Connection With
ths prospective and pIjba 10 Development
Of the resources. ssIilemeni and growth Of
the ya.t region, Of Cahai. West, or the
great lakes and ths valley Of Upper Mi.''s-
slppi. the great producing region o' th' ma
tion and whose capacities are suihcisnt Tor
ihe hab,laiion and sn,tenanco OF ono hun
died millions O. people, whose Outward
markr: mus. BE- sought 40 the Atlantic 80
board, snd who following the natural chan
mol. to the 81. lawrenc5 river, would ;hcn'e
over this line Of railway find their shortest
practicable route 10 their ultimate desiina-
uon. When it i. considered that the sI'
eb.p-e. between the citic. of the Atlantic
seacOa.t anl this vast region OF territory
ar. transacted Ihroush tho lakes and the
channel. connected with them, the value OF
u direct aud easy communication IRON their
great natural outlet, ths -. L'wrcneo riy-
cr, 90 seaport opsn and accessible NJ all
seasons of the year, is most apparent. a
general statement OF the commerce OF the''
laks,, it, rise anl progress. will aid us IA
our estimates. Their s1mmerce begins
with thi. century, prior 20 which there vas
none in all Ihi. region. la 1851 the whols
lrallic ot tho., lakes was stated At S32b,'
600 900. employing $4,000 tuns OF steam
and l3s 900 tun, OF sail vessels.
The total tunnlgs on all the New YORK
Canals in 1886. was $40 ,S01 tuns, valued
at S61 .GlI. .3i3. and yielding \ toll ct Sl,'
Gli,3i2 In 1851 II was 3,5S2,7sJ tuns.
valued at SljJ.9Sl, and leaving a toll OF
S3.S2J,12',
Thu. policy also embraced the plan Tor n
continuous line eastward shrough the cen
ttal portion of the State to the boundary
lino of New Brunswick thence connecting
with n line u hS continued through this
provinces and Nova Scotia 10 Halifax. Afford
Ing AN avenue through the State Tor trans
atlantic travel. and bringing it at once into
iutimai. commercial relations with TIE
British North American Provinces. This
line /. already extended 10 Bangor dis
lance OF one hundred aud twenty miles.
That portion beyond Bangor to the bonn'
dairy line Of the Stale, was, by order ol the
Legislature of 1850, explored, and prolim,
mary sutyey thereof made, IN which the
distance i, shown 70 b, ninety-siK miles, a
rIuie Of easy grades and OF comparatively
cheap construction, Tor the making OF which
charter was granted tho same year. The
ilne, continuing, passes through New Bruins
wick, a distance OF two hundred miles, by
the city oi 81. John. aud one hundred aud
twsnty-four mile. In Nova Scotia, making q
total length from Bangor Of four hundred
and twenty miles. That portion lying IN
the latter Province. is reported to be in Ia
sorable progress OF completion towards the
New Brunswick frontier. From the city oI
81. John to the boundary Of Nova Scotia,
one hundred miles Of railway !. nearly con-
.tructed and soon to be opened for travel
to the construction OF which the provinces
has largely contributed. These works are
supposed To secure the immediate compile
ton OF the enterprise from Halifax to the
city Of st. John, leaving Ibepor,ion between
that city and ihs boundary lius 0f this
state, u distance Of I3 miles, and also that
portion between the line and Bangor. Of 30
miles. 10 all 100 miles, to be provided for.
IN order to make = permanent connecti IN
through this State, between the United
States aud Canada and the Lower Prov nre.,
afiording continuous line OF railway from
ths city of New York 10 HALIFAX. n distance