The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-01-17


Public Veal" No Board Of Directors can
change the locatiou Of road once made, or
extend it even through The shortest street of
CITY. or seross an acre Of private land, without
Ia sueclAl grant of power. This restriction Is
plseed upon railroads in difference to the
lights of adverse interests; and who will say
that adverse interests likely to be affected by
change of gauge, are not equally important.
We hope, therefore, that our Legislature ",il
not rescind the statute referred 10. Dut would
rather hope Its provisions might De extended
so as reach all the roads in the State East
and North as well as West OF Portland.
few words in relation to the main ques-
ton. We are not one OF those who believe
either that Portland would seriously swilIs
or that Boston would take on new life by the
change which the latter city is seeking to ac.'
compish, Portland is not a plant that has
grown up in the night; not mere mushroom.
She has life in herself, and the elements of liie.-
She has natural advantages, that even old
logyism cannot wink out of sight She looks
for growth from proper regard for these and
not from any embarrassments she may place
in the pathway of other cities. .s.
She has hsrbor every way equal if not SUI
perior to that of Boston. She is a hundred
miles nearer Liverpool and Londonderry than
her Massachusetts sister, and is the same dis
lance nearer the commercial centre of Cana
da. In view of these facts. it is idle to suppose
English steamers with Canadian cargoes and
passengers, would be diverted from this port
to that. 1t is possible that Boston might com
municate with the West, through this city, and
in that way receive over the G. 7. large pro-
/ portion OF the freight which now reaches her
over lines running West from that city; and
perhaps it is question whether Portland
would lose or gain by such asdiversion Of the
traffic noO reaching Boston from the West
| We have our own opinion on this point, but
is expression il not necessary In this iconnec-
ton.
A fewswords touching the, right and eqauty
of our railroad policy and we close, Long
before rail was laid in Maine, Boston had laid
out to become the centre Of all New England
railroads. She adopted her own gauge, not
the wide gauge, or even the medium gauge,
but the narrowest gauge known to railroad
men. The State of Massachusetts, in charter
ing roads, carefully provided for collecting toll
In Boston; that is, no two roads connect !;
nothing passes through without transship-
ment, SO that, for all practical purposes, the
roads converging at Boston are just as distinct
and independent of each other as though all
Of different gauges. They have been very
careful to make all lines coming toward the
city Of such gauge as to centre everything
y at that point, but no cars can pass from one
road to another in Boston, so that no freight
can come through Boston for places east
without transshipment The people of Maine
might well say to the Bostonians, on thi
gauge question, physician, heal myself
"Csst the beam out of thine own eye" &c.
1t is safe to say that Boston policy has nev
, er favored the construction of single mile o
road, connecting with that city, that was no
! from the start intended to be feeder of thu
city, and to draw to it trade from other quar-
! tiers. This has been the policy Of Boston, AM
as such we do not complain of it; but it is no
the policy that would bring thrift to Portland
or any city east of Boston, except as itshoul,
m Ike itself dependent upon and tributary Il
: that city. gxssssEA.4a M
Portland, fortunately, adopted policy @
her own. She saw the state of Maine, by Bos
& ton enterprise and policy, becoming mer
business province of the Club" She locke,
to the North and East and saw rich province
;. with their own railaoad system, and she de
termned to place herself in communication
with the railroads in these provinces. Thi
was the origin OF the Atlantic & St. Law
renee road, with a gauge conforming to thu
Canadian roads. 5qQ0y DA0tD8d
In the face of opposition, of sneers, of OBJ
loquy and all sorts of counter schemes, Port
land enterprise bent itself to the accomplish
ment Of this great work; that of marrying til
waters Of the St. Lawrence to those of Case
Bay. ea5 AaA .tss.g8
Did Boston encourage the movement? Di
she even remain passive2 Did she not throw
cold water upon the enterprise, and by sneers
and ridicule and other "uniriendly - acts, striy
to embarrass those who were pushing forwar
this herculean work - q. Af-'-A -
1t was even SO, or we have been great,
misinformed. But the work went forward
1t was accomplished at vast outlay, at the
risk ofbankrupting oil who engaged in it, ant
in the face of more contumely than has usual
ly fallen to the lot OF similar enterprise. ao
: 1t has proved glorious success, and By
the policy which has been pursued even the
original stock has been saved and brought vi
to par value. Now when the enterprise ha.
been carried through In spite Of opposition
from our Bay State neighbors, they come for
ward with degree OF Inodesty that. Is truly
refreshing, and claim the right to become
4 equal participants in the benefits Of scheme
which they labored assidously to defeat, and
call upon our Legislature to show its magma
nimity by throwing down the bars and allow
ing them free grazing in a. pasture which has
been redeemed from the northern wilderness:
by the patient labors Of our own people! Thi'
This is the coolest thing on record. The
mercury at 20 below zero suggests temper
( ature that is not circumstance to it.
Wetrust the Legislature viii have the good
sense to disregard the appeal. Maine car
never rise to the position she is entitled t.
hold, as mere dependency of Massachusetts,
As the seaport of the Canadas, as the neal
neighbor of all the British American proyin
ces, and as the husbander and developer of he
own natural resources and position, she may
be at least one'of the Maine states Of the I'm
on. TMn feNT ENf9@ S n
Rats leaving Sinking Ship Is
Hon, Henry S. Foote, at one time Governor
of Mississippi and for a long time member O