The Republican journal., 1869-05-27
THE PROG. AGE AND THE RAILROAD
IEACE

| We do not know from what source ON
neighbor gets information of the recent move
ments towards a lease of our railroad, but il
is certainly very unreliable. 1t says concern.
ing the committees raised ''to confer with the
Directors Of the roads that "Neither has
power to enter into any agreement or pledge
This is not true. The committee to meet the
Portland and kenncbec Directors, has full
powers to make a lease, subject to the ratii
cation Of thc stockholders rs the records O.
the company show ...
Again-''The Kenncbec Directors being
not quite so ready to conclude the trade, ask
ed and obtained written pledge giving them
the refusal of their terms till the 10th inst
This is absolutely and unqualitiedly untrue
| A@ain-''This arrangement was kept secret
from the other committee and from all the
other Directors who were supposed not to be
prepared to go for leasing the road to the Ken
nebee road, irrespective Of any offers that
might be made by the Maine Central road. =
There having been no written pledge given,
Of course there was nothing Of the kind to be
kept secret from anybody.
We notice that the Age also complains that
while the Directors of the Belfast & NJ. II. l..
Road We're in session, Mr. Dunn knocked at
the door and asked to see a member, and that
the President asked him to wait until Il vote
had been taken, on which the Directors were
then engaged. The Age says Mr.. Dunn's OBJ
iect was to make an offer for the road The
suggestion we have to make in regard to this
matter is that Of referring to Il copy of the
Prog, Age, dated March 2l, 1867. 1t con
tans a report of the editors interview with
the Directors Of the Maine Central Road at
Waterville, whittier he had gone for purposes
of consultation. 1t says
In answer to the question whether their company
would take lease of the road for term of years il
built they said without hesitation that they thought
it would, and that upon the most favorable terms
which the company could afford. They said that if
the friends of the road would have it surveyed by Il
competent engineer and estimate made of it, cost
they would Immediately visit our city and make 4
thorough examination Of the whole matter, and then
make their best proposals. They said they saw no
reason why they could not offer favorable terms
as those they had offered the Newport and Dexter
company, and they felt safe in saving that they could
make an offer which would be better by % per cent
to our company than they could realize BY running
the road themselves.
This was two years and two months ago
And if Mr.. Dunn had waited patiently AL thai
time, it certainly could not have been very
inconvenent to wait until that vote had been
taken before making known his offer
The Age, which is all at once very strin-
gent for a road to Newport after cnumeratinr
the advantages, says
: Between such road a. this and road to X, IL
ias Mill, tjtl a. the business Of this city i, con
cerned, there is hardly Il comparison"
But there is Il comparison, and our n>iGh-
bor is the very one who has made it. In His pa
per of July 10, 1861, he SAYS
Another plan is suggested which has strong ;.d-
vOcatcs if is to run the road WestWartiy, making
Kendall'S Mills or some place in that direction the
objective point. This in county view has Il bt-
less important advantages. 1t would pass through
near a large number Of our most thrifty interior
towns. and. it is claimed, would thus command Il
much larger amount of business than if built to
Newport 1t is further argued that it would connect
us with the upper kennebec region which would
afford Il large amount Of freight and business that
would naturally seek the nearest sea outlet. Strong
efforts are now being made to extend the kennebrr
and Somerset road to the region Of Mo0sehcad Lake,
and that extension cannot fail 10 bring Il large
amount of business of which 4 share would com" to
us This plan is certainly worth being cor Sdered.
AND AN INV ESTIGAIION MAY SHOW
THAT IT IS THE BEST.
BY this comparison Kendalrs Mills ana tie
Kennebec Road does not stand near 50 badly
as it now does in the columns of the Age
Our neighbor has certainly a treacherous
memory, or Il treacherous pen