St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-01-03
The Dog ia tie -;IdAger.

The NERVOUSNESS which prevails in
Boston III view OF the evident tendency
of Western and Caua.lian freight to seek
IN outlet ut Portland. is admirably illus
tra;cl in the recent letters OF Il CORES
pundcut OF the post. who signs his letter,
''Dntario, and has apparently been
prospecting in Canada and along the
Western lines OF railway III the interest
OF the OWNERS O.. the new Steamship
whose name he assumes. This is the
gentleman. il will be remembered, WHO Il
lew weeks since discovered that the cx-
actions of the Portland Custom House
furnish grounds for decided preference
on the part OF shippers tor Boston Il, Il
shipping point. These 'cXactions, ON
a little enquiry. turn ont to be duly au-
thor!zc,l 10y the regulations OF the Trca-
sury neutrality-suspicious. which are
binding not only upon the Custom House
in Portland but upon the Custom House
in Boston. If the laws and regulations
are fully obeyed in Boston, rs doubtless
they arc, it follows a Il matter OF course
that the fees and charges at that port
cannot be less than here. '.Oatario"
has accordingly abandoned his original
line OF attack. In his last letter, writ
ten from -. Albaus, lie says the trouble
is that Boston lacks elevators and ware
houses to store Western produce. and
tonnage to meet sudden foreign demand
\ Montreal merchant tells him, lit takes
four or five days, and frequently longer,
to get Il satisfactory reply relative 10
shipping thousand barrels OF flour or a
few thousand bushels OF Grain from Bos-
ton. His wonder is farther excited bv
the fact that the agent of the Portland
line Of steamers at Montreal can engage
on demand any quantity of freight that
is offered while Boston agents of Boston
| lines cannot do the same. In view OF
these remai kablc circumstances. '.Onta-
rio proceeds in a rather deSpondent vein.
as follows:
1.-The efforts of Portland | am told are
unremittlng, persistent and determined 10
open up their new route TO the West.
which, if successful, will forever settle
the question OF competition between Port
land and Boston. If they succeed they
will tap this Boston route ut points
where it will be impossible for Boston to
recover herself. Yet for all this, and
while tire people here admire the pluck
Of the Portland people and wonder at the
>upineness OF the Boston people, there
remains strong preference for the latter
CITY.
One word about the Portland line of
steamers. | have been informed, on
what | regard rs the best authority. that
! the Allans have had in serious contem-
/ plation the removal of their line to Bos-
ton, owing TO the unreliability of the
Grand Trunk to furnish them with freight
on time. III fact they have gone so far as
to make partial overtures TO certain par
ties who control transportation between
the two cities. What will prevent them /,
The energy of Portland people in con-
strnrting route that will furnish the
steamers with what freight they want as
regularly a. the present routes can fur
nlsh Boston steamers. What will pre-
vent Portland from attaining this object f.?
| answer immediate action on the part Of
Boston merchants. feel assured there
is no empty boast in what the Portland
ers say are their intentions: the pluck
they have already shown forbils such a
superstition
The bark of this dog in the manager is
good deal worse than his bite. The
Messrs. Allan have not the least inten-
ton of removing TO Boston. On the
contrary they are preparing, as we ale
informed, to make large expenditures in
permanently locating their business here.
here is no reasonable doubt of the COM
Pitlion OF the Portland and Ogdensburg
railroad, and the opposition of Boston
will not greatly delay that enterprise
The time Is coming when we shall need
and shall have a daily line of steamer, to
Liverpool. If Boston needs and has \
daily line at the same time, we shall be
glad. The Great West will send II.
yearly out of her abundance more than
we can both take care Of There is no
occasion or excuse, for any petty Jealousy.
Ii the new route from Portland TO the
West is demanded by the necessities of
trade, it will be built If Boston wants
more business, she must command it by
honest enterprise and not by seeking TO
cripple and restrain her neighbors. If
on the other hand she undertakes to make