The Portland daily press., 1869-02-27
Meeting of the Board of Trade.

F1sOCAADAndb WITH dEFEhENCE TO THE FOHY~
LAND AND RUTLAND RAILROAD.
A special meeting of the Board of Trade took
place at their rooms, yesterday morniug, at
ten o'clock, President Perley in the chair.
General s. j. Anderson-President Of the
Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad Offered
the following resolutions:
Resolved-That the Portland Board of Trade
hereby endorse the action of the City Govern
ment of the 23d inst. in reference to the petit
ton now before the Railroad Committee of the
Legislature asking authority for the city to as
sumo additional financial burdens.
Resolved-That we consider that the action
OF the City Council of Portland should be final
upon snch questions.
Gen. Anderson in support of these resolu-
tions gave strong financial reaso ms. He stated
that the city had become stock-ho lder in the
Ogdensburg road to the amount of STA, ,OO0-
This money was subscribed, not loaned. She
(the city, had also voted some time ago $780,
600 to the Portland and Rochester and $4OO,-
600 more were shortly to be added to that sum
making 100000 to the Rochester and $714,OO0
TO the Ogdensburg, in all some 81 100 600 al
most million and half The Rutland Road
people now come forward and want a loan of
large sum. Instead of waiting until the
present roads TO which money had been voted
by the city had received it and were under
way, the Rutland road comes forward noaO and
wants this loan. What would be the cons e.
quence? The city bonds would be in the
market and the Treasurer of the Rutland
Road or his agents, would compete with the City
Treasurer for the sale of the city bonds thus
depreciating their value and injuring the
credit of the city. He added that the petition
which had been signed for the city aid to the
Rutland road contained many duplicate sig
natures and the names, in many cases, had
been obtained by misrepresentation.
Mr.. James L. Farmer said that he circula-
ted one Of the petitions; that it was very gen.
orally signed and that the business men were
inclined to give the requested aid. He said
the petition came before the City Government
in very singular manner,-that Mayor Nc
Lellan had said no attention would be paid to
the matter by the present city government as
their term of Office expired SO soon. When the
meeting scas called the Ogdensburg men
were notified and the Rutland men were
not.
Here Mr.. Farmers statement was rebutted
by Gen. Anderson with convincing proof, and
Mr.. Farmer made the less decided statement
that "he supposed" they were modified. Mr..
Anderson showed that he was the only Og-
densburg man present at that meeting. Mr..
Farmer thought that without sufficient notice
such meetings are rarely called. At the meet
ing in question he had requested the matter
postponed till the Rutland men conld be noti-
fied Hel insisted that when the vote was
taken the contrary minded were not called.
Gen. Anderson denied the statement, said
they were called, and the vote was unanimous
against granting the required aid. Mr.. Farmer
then gave little sketch OF the history of the
Rutland road with which Portland people are
now familiar, and mentioned that it had been
favorably received by Portland men. He
didn't believe in Portland men going to Au-
gusta and checking progress at the mouth Of
the Ossipee valley, and saying to those traders
and people in New Hampshire, who want to
come here, "stay at home or go elsewhere, zoe
dou't want your business" He said further
that this loan, if granted by the city, would
not be peddled out by agents, but would be
managed so as not to effect the credit of the
city and the road wonld be built within two
years. Every member of the corporation has
desired that the business of the road should
be done SO as to use the Ogdensburg and the
Rochester road. He said that the several New
Hampshire roads interested in the Rutland,
all desired to find an outlet at Portland.
Gen. Anderson said that on week ago
Monday as late as one and quarter o'clock
in the afternoon, he received notice from
John A. Poor that a meeting of the railroad
commissioners was to be held in Augusta the
nQYt avQninU and 49, Al.
him to be brought before them. By the origi-
nal charter the Rutland road was to build
from tide-water in Portland up to the State
line but by agreement with Mr.. Brown and
other gentlemen an amendment was nut in
agreeing to start west of the Saoo River or
north Of Standish That Poor went to Au-
gusta and had the cheek to tell the commits
sioners that under their Rutland charter they
had the right to come to Portland and desired
to have it done for the advantage of wharves
&c.
Mr.. Geo. L. Woodman said he considered
the city government competent to act in the
matter, and he was satisfied with their deci-
sion.
Mr. Farmer said that the New Hampshire
roads would put 100000 into the Rutland
road to have it come to Portland. That they
meant Portland all the time. That the re-
marks of Gen. Anderson in the early part Of
the mseting-"that this move that was being
made to get the city aid for the Rutland road
was engineered by Boston interests and that
Boston men had contributed three hundred
thousand dollars to the Rutland road"-was
absurd. That Boston men were too shrewd to
-.
What did Boston want of a tide water harbor
in Portland? 1t was the people in the interior
of New Hampshire that wanted the harbor.
(Gsn. Anderson explained in the early part of
the meeting, that if the Rutland road was ex-
amined it would be seen that all these differ
ent roads in New Hampshire were but links
in the chain which led directly at Boston.
That Madison or Danbury was fifteen miles