The Portland daily press., 1868-05-15
The Oadeu.burx Railroad.

Patents. No, 3Ol IL Congress st. Portland
Me.
The Ogdensburg Railroad.
This question cannot be considered too often
or too thoughtfully, for all others, touching the
material interests of our city, sink before it.
All experience and observation have shown
that one of tile surest ways to ascertain the
right side of a question is to inquire who sup
port and who oppose it, Let us apply this test
to the Ogdensburg railroad enterprise and in
form ourselves who are the men that favor it,
and who are the men that oppose it.
AS general rule, the men who favor it are
of the following classes.
1. The large real estate holders, because they
see that it will enlarge the business, popula-
ton and capital of Portland, and thus increase
the value of their property and reduce their
taxes. s- ----.--4
2. The merchants of Portland, because they
perceive that their field for trade is limited
and must be enlarged to enable them to pay
rents and secure an honest living profit
3. The manufacturers Of Portland, whether
IN wood, iron, glass, leather, carriages or any
thing else, because to some it will bring from
4NoW ddhpsHuc tut anu HUI budb
they need, and to all wider markets for their
productions, and thus enable them to extend
their business, advance the wages of their en-
ployees and well their own profits.
4. The mechanics of Portland, who have
sense enough to know, as they all have, that
whatever increases the demand for their work
is positive and substantial benefit, as it's ten
dency is to make employment certain and
wages remunerative. When business is good
and there is q demand for houses, stores and
shops, carpenters, masons, painters, &c., are
wanted and they command fair wages; but
when it declines, and houses, Sc, are not need
ed, they will not be built, and so mechanics
are thrown out OF employment, and must
either live on their past earnings or move to
some city where broader policy prevails and
business is kept active by the enterprise of the
people. So, naturally and wisely, the me-
chanics of Portland are friendly to this enter
prise. They see in it what will double the de-
mand upon their industry.
8. The laboripg men of Portland are warm
and intelligent friends of this project, because
they know that by increasing the number of
buildings to be erected in this city, the number
of vessels to be laden and unladen at our
wharves, the number of pairs OF boots and
shoes, or pieces of glass, or pounds of sugar,
or gallons of kerosene, or number of carriages,
or hats, or quantity of furs, or gross OF matches
to be manufactured here, the demand for their
labor will increase, as wages always depend
upon the demand for labor. They see that if
one half of the business of the manufactur-
in oh oh a;,,D
drawn, one half of the laborers now employed
would necessarily be discharged and the wages
of all would be reduced, whereas an increase
of this business wnnld naturally BRING both
an increase of laborers and an increase
of wages. This is the law in such
cases. They see, too, that if they own small
houses, valued at 81 900 or $4,000 or more, each,
and their valuation is increased by the road
fifty per cent, all other property is also in
creased in the same ratio, and that their taxes
are not increased, but reduced, because the
larger the amount of property that the city
taxes are spread over, the lower will be the
taxes on any single piece of property. If half
million of dollars in taxes is to be assessed
on a valuation of $50 100000, the taxes on any
mans property will be 80 per cent, greater
than they would be if raised on $4,000, 600;
and they also see that if by this road they save
% cents or SO cents on every barrel of flour
they consume, and a like proportion on every
pound of beef or pork or bacon, on every
bushel of corn, or pound of butter they use in
their families (as they certainly will when this
new route is opened to the Lakes) then it is
their interest and their duty to give it their
support.
These are the men and classes of me n Ito
whom may be added all the stockholders in
railroad or steamboat lines touching our city,
who for the wisest and soundest reasons sus-
tain the Ogdensburg railroad. They are the
bone and sinew, and life blood as well, of our
city, the men who have made it what it is, and
who mean to make it better and wiser and
richer still.
Now, who are the men that oppose this en-
terprise? AS a general rule they are of the
following classes:
I. A few respectable gentlemen of wealth,
who have retired from BUSINESS, and feel
ing no special interest in the expan n
sion of the city, and being constitutionaly
timid, and imprudently cautious, oppose all
great public misunderstanding that "what is
is well enough, and we are contented with it,
and we don't know what will come of new
ideas and newlpolicies." These men may be
needed for ballast, but vessel that carries
only ballast makes no dividends for her own
erS.
q Note shauers, usurers, etc men who feel
that good times, lively business and plenty of
work operate unfavorably upon their profits.
Is there man of this description who favors
the Ogdensburg railroad? do not know one.
Does not every man of this class, every man
who lives upon the misfortunes of his neigh
bors, oppose the Ogdensburg road? If there is
an exception he has not been heard from.
3. Constitutional croakers and grun,blers
who magnify obstacles and always prophesy
evl-they tell you that the road will be ITO
or 100 miles long to Connecticut river when it
is knoacn that the best line can scarcely exceed
100 miles They say the grades are impracti-
cable when the instruments of the engineer
testify that they (even if the road is laid in
the valley of the Notch instead of
on the side of the mountain,) easier
than on some of the most important
and successful roads in the United
States. They figure the cost at $1,000 0O0-
Responsible parties will build it and give am
pie guarantees for half that sum. The com
mittee as they inform us have determined that
with their consent no contract shall be made
until 81 100000 is subscribed to the stock and
the arrangements already begun are complet-
ed by which the bonds to be issued for the bal
ance may be virtually fioated at par.
The directors of the road will naturally be
the safest and wisest men of Port land, select
ed as they must be by such prudent and care
full men as Jacob Mcclellan, VIM. Deering,
Ezra Carter, Francis Fessenden, Albert Mar
wick, w. e. Gould, Samuel Rounds and Rus
sell Lewis. To suggest Encouragement or
fraud is to ilnpeach the intelligence or integri-
ty of these men.
Citizens of Portland which of these classes
are right, and which are wrong? With which
are you willing to be enrolled? Will YOU be
found with those upon whom the trade, the
growth, the prosperity, and the life of your
city depend, with men who will prove the sim
cerity of their course by subscribing literally
themselves of their own private money to
build this road, or will you rally under the
banner of those whose reactionary policy, if
closely followed, would make the fair places
OF your city the haunts and homes of bats and
owls rather than of living men?
10 doubt your answer to those questions
would De libel upon your common sense and
wound upon your love for the beautiful CITY
"nich you call HOME. PORTLAND.