St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1867-09-06
From the Portland Press, Aug. Is.
Portland and Ogdensbufg X. IL.
REMARKS BY HON. GERRIIT SMITH OF NEW
YORK ASD DTIIEpS

that the Hon. Gerrltt Smith was in town,
that he was deeply interested in the pro-
Ijected railroad from Portland TO north
ern New York. and that he would will
ingly confer with those of our citizens
who are chiefly interested in the enter
prise. A meeting WAS accordingly call
ed at the Merchants Exchange, at 1 T.
NJ, and such notice as time permitted
was given. About sixty gentlemen as
sembled at the reading room at the hour
named, among them Hon. John Lynch.
iona, III. Perley, j. B. Brown, John A.
Poor, G. f. Jose, Rensselaer, Cram,
Mayor Stevens, Eben Steele, Gen. :. j..
Anderson, S. +. Spring, Edward Waite,
L. II. Weston, John Neal, A. X, Shurt-
left, James n. Winslow. Edward Ham,
blen, VIM. Deerins, and others of our
leading business men.
Mr. Smith was introduced TO the gen
tlemen present by Collector Washburn.
with whom he formerly served III Con-
gross. The meeting was called TO order
by the Hon. John Lynch, at whose sug
gesiion Mayor Stevens was called TO the
chair. Gov. Washburn was then called
upon TO announce the object of the meet
ing.
We have with us said Mr.. Washburn
a gentleman known 10 us all as a states
man, 4 patriot, an orator, man of va
rled culture, and more than all, as phil
anthropist. In either of his characters
he would be welcome, but he is here also
as an earnest and intelligent friend of our
great enterprise, which contemplates the
connection OF Portland and OSwego by
rail. And with reason. He is largely
interested i'll the prosperity OF Oswe9o :;
he is understood to be the proprietor ot
much of the valuable water power there
and OF nearly all the water front OF the
city On his way to the White Mount
aims he stops to learn our facilities for tn
transaction of the business which the
new route will bring US, to see what We are
doing, and to tell us perhaps what the
people of New York are doing and what
they expect Us to do. This road viii
save to Us the trade of northwestern
Maine, which will otherwise be diverted
to the Conway road it will bring 10 Us
the product of the rich iron mines at
jackson. in New Hampshire; it will fur
niSh us with lumber for twenty year. from
the virgin forests of central New IIamp-
shire, which cannot be reached in any
other way; it will restore to us the trade
of northern Vermont. which came here
before il WAS drawn away 10y other rail
roads. For these reasons alone ii should
be built but when we consider tia; i;
will strike the great lakes II OHl:n-burg
and OSwc.o and form the shortest. spec,li-
c>t and cheapest line OF transportation
between the Great West and Europr,
thcrc Is no longer the least shadow or
vcstigc of doubt Is TO the necessity OF
completing tins undertaking. The con
yrnience of our harbor, the chcapmc>-
with which business can BE done. tie
moderate port charges, the ease oi tran
shipment. are So many additional :,ivan-
tag,,>. Within ten years We shall $50 4
semi-veckly line OF steamers +" Liver
pool, AMI have a"cnls for this line c,tab-
liShcd at Chicago and throughout the
West We want AN independent line 10
the West. and We want also Il ship ca
nal around the Niagara Falls TO brin.
tI,. commerce of the lakes To our Icrnin-
us ON Lake Ontario. Gov. Washburn
sad he was gratiiied 10 have found sen
ator Fcsscndcn in hearty sympathy with
this line, and prepared TO advocate the
construction OF the Niagara Ship Canal.
whenever it could he undertaken 10y the
Government, as it should be. He had
properly opposed the PROJECT 10 intru>t
80 important i work 10 a private corpo-
ration, but WAS ready TO support it is Il
national undertaking. Mr.. Wa>hburn
hoped the chairman would Introduce TO
the meeting the Hon. Gerritt Smith, of
O,wego, New York.
Mr.. Smith BEGAN by saving that he
counted himself happy in enjoying an
interview SO unexpected. When he left
home for the White Mountains he learn
ed that the route through Portland w:,s
as convenient "a any, ana he had rcsolv-
ed 10 See the birthplace OF Iongtcllow.
the city where payson preached, and tie
home of John Neal, of whom lac had
heard for fifty years. Old General Fes-
sender had been his fellow soldier for
many year in the army of freedom.
and he had been glad 10 meet his SON,
the distinguished Senator. Gen. Neal Dow
WAS absent, but he had seen the home of
Il man whom he 50 much admired and
loved. MIR. Smith spoke briefly of the
calamity of last year and of the work of
rebuilding, and passed TO the topic which
had been introduced by Governor WASH
burn. OF tile harbor of Portland and
the cOmmCdious arrangements for tram
shipments, he could only say that ii sur
passed all his anticipations. lou need,
he continued. a more direct communica-
tlon with the West. The Grand Trunk
has done much for you, but here iSa line
hundred miles shorter and lying entire
~ within Your own country Our Cana
dian nelghbors are very well III their
way, but IT ls not our way. They have
more system perhaps than Yankees, bu;
less speed You will have numerous
storehouses and elevators in Oglensburg
Storage will be cheaper there. When
this railroad is finished, you will tele-
graph TO Ogdensburg for whole cargocs
10 load the ships lying at your wharves
The greatest commercial prize the world
ever saw, is the surplus annually pro-
duced in the West. Great already. it
Will be immense hereafter: many now
living will see the annual production of
the West qHadruplcd. The competition
Tor such prize is keen. Portland and
Boston. New York, Philadelphia, Balti-
more, all are after it, Even Norfolk is
waking up, hopinn perhaps 10 realize