The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-03-02

pealln2 them. i nave no uOuDb Inab IL some
times becomes necessary TO repeal a law, but
am quite sure that great deal OF this busl
ness is done to our injury. A large amount o
this kind of legislation grows out of private
interests. Many Of our good la,cs are repeal
ed to accommodate some parties so that the,
may be able to arrange some private matter
of their own. M aisi.i5
There was case of this kind some year
ago which took place in this very city, Th
gentleman appeared before the Committee ant
argued the case himself. He was LAWYER ant
argued it well, and made it of course, yer,
plain to the Committee. They decided tt
give him his bill, and he seemed very mucf
pleased at the decision of the Committee. bu
before the Committee separated and in th.
presence OF the legal gentleman, one of tn,
Oommlttee made this motion, that he woult
go for the bill with this proviso, that il should
not apply to any action then pendiaq. The
gentleman was once a judge and being lit
lie sensitive about that time, as the bill hat
been arranged with great care to meet mat
ter OF his own, he left the Committee at once
without obtaining his object. The case be-
came more plain, and the Committee were en-
abled with the new light which had broke in
upon them TO see the point, and the gentleman
did not get his bill. e
Mr.. President, what has set the ball in mo-
tion at this particular time to repeal the act
OF 1860, OF which have been speaking?
was here all OF last winter and never heard
it mentioned. 1t was all right then. Has the
people of Maine called for this aA Neoer. Not
word did we hear about it until the order
made its appearance in the other branch, in
quiring into the expediency of repeating this
bill. Are not private interests at work here
asking us to repeal this law in order to meet
some particular case now pending 1t has
9hat appearance. 1t we pass this bill we shall
find that it has deeper meaning than merely
to repeal the act OF 1860. Itis a STEPPING stone
to something else which points to the West.
ward and beyond the limits of Maine. This
is not Maine Legislation. 1t did not originate
here, but 1t is my judgment it has been sug-
gested by merchants and capitalists in neigh
boring State. atro saa gl .lJ sas 1
Mr.. President, you will recollect that in
compliance with certain resolves of 1854,
chapter 1855, commission was appointed to
invite the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to
cooperate with Maine in extending aid TO a
military road from Bangor to the st. John
river, meaning the European and North
American railroad. Honorables Messrs. Kent,
Hubbard, and Washburn constituted the COM
mission. These gentlemen are all of high
standing and undoubted ability, and Just the
men to present the subject in its true light
doubt very much whether three gentlemen
could have been selected that would have pre-
sented it better. They had a hearing and
presented their case in all its bearings. What
was the result? 1t was this The merchants
and capitalists of Boston sat there and heard
the case in all its details, as calm as a May
morning, and when the commission was closed,
these gentlemen said to the commissioners,
you must first put yourselves right upon the
record before we can consider your case. We
don't like your legislation in Maine in regard to
railroads. You must repeal all laws that pro-
hibit our laying down the third rail, or mixed
gauge between Boston and Portland, and when
this is done we will talk with you. They don't
say that they will then lend their aid to the
military road as requested, but that they will
then consider of it. They do not promise
anything, under any circumstances whatever,
aud they don't intend to, but they use this
commission as q leuer to bring about what
they attempted to do number of years ago.
q don't like the spirit manifested in this con :
erence. / never made anything by buying do
ona.ions. 1t wouldnot be considered very
shrewd operation for a business man to payout
a thousand dollars in ord or to get the promise
of five hundred. These merchant and capi-
talists Of Boston are the parties who opposed
the construction OF the Atlantic and St. Law
renee Railroad, (now known as the Grand
Trunk Road from first to last-they were de-
termined that it never should be built-but, it
was built, and that too, without their assist
ance. They now come forward and ask the
Legislature of Maine to legislate ior Massa-
chusetts, and give them ldao that will tallow
them to lay down the third rail from Boston
to Portland. NoD, gentleBaeYs,i if this law of
1860 is repealed, they don't mean to lay down
the third rail-they don't intend to do any
such thing. 1t means the broad guage to
Boston-aud no farther. The broad guage
from Boston to New York never can. be had, F.,
that does not belong to the programme-that
is a matter that Massachusetts, will take care
of without the assistance of Maine-but, ]
said, they never would lay down the third
rail. What will they do they will widen the
distance between the rails of the present
tracks and you have the broad guage at once.
This, you see. will destroy the present con-
neclion of all the narrow guage roads in Maine
with Boston. This operation would throw one
off the track and another On throw one road
out of the connection in order to put another
one in connection. They ask US to repeal the
act Of 1860, in order that they may put down
the broad guage and drive off the nGrro,U
guage. Is this right? - re Y 'sa9e' -
Mr.. PRESIDENT well recolleet the deter
mined spirit with which these enterprising
men, merchants and capitalists of the city OF
Boston, opposed the movement of the people
of Maine and the business men of the city OF
Portland, at the time we were receiving sub,
scriptions for stock to carry forward that great
enterprise now known as the Grand Trunk
Railway. One OF these gentlemen, OF high
standing, asked me one day this question; said
he, friend Woodman, do your people really in
tend to build that road? told him we did
and that the road would be built. He then
wished me to point out to him the route, init.
p1ating that it could not be done-so pointed
out the route to him that had been surveyed
and accepted by the company. He then ask
ed me ii we intended to run the tract over the
top of the White mountains. This was the
style with which this great enterprise met the
favor OF these gentlemen. But, this great
work was commenced and carried forward
and it has been accomplished; and now these
parties come forward and tell us that in order
to promote the interests of this great railway
and the interests of Maine, and the interests
OF the city of Portland in particular, that we
must not only run the engines of this great
railway over the top of the White Mountains
but we must run them over the city Of Port
land, and through it and around it, that we
must run over anything and everything that
comes in contact with these engines, and il
will be all right, provided however, we run
them into the city of Boston at last discharge
our freight apd passengers, and make that
city the terminus of this road. This is their
doctrine, ior eastern and distant cities, but ii
must not be applied to the cityof Boston.
Mr. President-l have been well acquainted
with the railroad system of that city, for the
last twenty-five years, and have yet to learn
that with all the railroads which run into Bos.
ton, that there is yet single track that runs
through that city; but, on the contrary, they
all have their terminus there; and will ven
ture ts asy in this connection, that, Whenever
the attempt is made by auy parties to Obtain
charter for the purpose Of running a rail
road through or around the city of Boston
without making that city its terminus, w
shall find that they have men smart enough
to argue their own cause and take care OF thei
own interest; aud as far as this goes, have
no objection Bnt think it is about time fo
the people of Maine and the city of Portlan'
to set up for themselves. / feel that they ar
now in condition to do so. l feel that Main
is star in the East, and that she should taxi
her right position among the rest of the stars
Whatever our government has asked her K
do since this rebellion broke out, has beei