The Portland daily press., 1870-05-27
The Rnilrond Meeting.


279-Warren ct al. VS.. Hanscom.
The Railroad Meeting.
Reception Hall was crowded last evening" as
usual, but no particularly new points were
ELECTED. The meeting was called to order by
Hon. Geo. w. Woodman. The anti-consolida-
ton resolution was read, and Mr.. j. L. Far
mer was introduced as the first speaker.
Mr.. Farmer said he felt consolidation was
against the interests of Maine and detrimental
to the interests of Portland and the Grand
Trunk road. He said if the G. L. road lose
their connection with the Maine Central that
they would not give up, but they would carry
their road down TO the Bay of Fundy, raise
railroad war in the State and legislature and
would make that her port instead Of Portland,
and asked lift was we'll to hazard this for the
benefit OF few individuals. He said that he
had read notice for a meeting of the P. S. &
P. stockholders at Kittery on the 9th of june
and that one of the reasons mentioned in the
call was to see if the stockholders would ter
inmate the lease between the P. S. & P. and
Boston & Maine and E. r. RS He said it
was intended to make great monopoly be-
tween Boston and Halifax; that Massachu-
sets always looked on Maine as her province
and that the State street (Boston) merchants
would eventually control the consolidation
line. He gave number of statistics in regard
to the business Of the G. 7. road, aud claimed
that Boston Disseminated in their fares in IA
vor of people living on the eastern roads as
against Portland. That is, a man could buy
ticket from Boston for Falmouth or Lewiston
for fh.. IN mo nri ha xunu1I IN 10
Portland. He claimed that the fares were as
high as seven cents a mile on some of the roads,
He wanted it distinctly understood that the
Maine Central railroad had no right to the
track on Commercial street for il belonged to
the A. & S. L. road and their interiors the
G. T., and also the connections with the
wharves.
Hon. w. FL. Vinton called up Hon. WI
Putnam.
Mr.. Putnam Saidhe rose for the purpose
of the indefinite postponement of the resolu-
ton. He believed that the people of Portland
were unanimously in favor of pushing forward
the interests Of the city and building up rail-
roads in directions that promised reasonable
hopes of success, but there happened to be
set of men in the city who laid back and found
Aou'o WhOh ehCy COulu hui CUulTOl dHu
stirred up old feuds and misrepresented the
people put forward to carry through the enter
prises of the day. He felt when he read the
language of the call and knew the men who
secured the names appended to it that nothing
practical was to be gained by it. He refused
to sign the call because he believed not that
Portland would suffer, but for other reasons,
and because he believed prominent men would
De abused. He had sat there for three eve
nirgs and he might have imagined himself at
meeting of the legislature from the temper
exhibited. The pith of the meetings had been
a gross Misrepresentation of the men who had
worked hard for the Interests OF city, and If
by affirmative action the proceedings OF the
meeting were approved it would be cinching
the nail of reproof on these men.
The meeting had been switched off by the
resolve from consolidation to guage, and peo-
pie were called upon to oppose the privileges
OF the people of Bangor to run night train to
Boston, which fact was named twice in the
call and clipched in the resolution. Every
railroad charter in the State guarantees the
right to control their own guage, aud in the
old charters granted to the M. c. and P. s. X.
r. railroads right has been given them to
change their guage if they like by the legisla-
ture, and last winter if the legislature had had
the power they would have compelled the
Maine Central to put down narrow guage.-
Then how foolish to discuss this question here
He then spoke of how two years ago The
Maine Central acquired fright to extend their
line to Portland from Danville Junction, and
nobody doubted that if they did they would
adopt the narrow gauge, for the people of the
interior would demand the same rights as those
on the seacoast. He spoke of the pamphlet
handed him by Mr.. Poor containing the char
ter and amendatory acts of the European road
providing for consolidation from Portland to
Halifax, with an appendix by Mr.. johnson de-
scribing the feasibility and d9sirableness OF
consolid alton, with board of Directors only
one of whom was from Portland. This PAM
phiet was approved by Mr.. Poor. Now this
scheme necessitated change of gauge-not that
he would say it was proposed or announced,
but such was the inevitable result. He had
heard great deal of injury to Portland 1t
was talked of when Mr.. Poor was in Augusta
on the third rail question, when people thought
1t was intended to change the Grand Trunk
terminus from Portland to Boston, but we SUI
fered no injury; and SO with other enterprises
that he mentioned. The effect of change of
gauge made no difference in making Boston
Connections. All roads had to do that for fear
another would get ahead. The local business
is what makes roads strong, and by consolida-
ton some strength was left them to run local
trains. He hoped the day would come when
could go to Lewiston as easy as to Boston, and
when freight could get to Bangor from Port
land by rail as soon as from Boston by boat.
He hoped that the meeting would not endorse
the resolution, for it was only a small body of
citizens, who had no right to speak for the
whole city.
Mr.. Gerry wanted to know what the misrep-
reservations were that had been made. Mr..
Putnam mentioned several things that he con-
sidered misresentations, among them the ''sev-
en- cents q mile charged on railroads" Mr..
Gerry wanted to know if he knew that that
sum was not charged. Mr.. Putnam didn't
know it wasn't and didn't know it was.
Mr.. Neal made a few remarks decidedly per-
sonal, and saying that Mr.. Putnam commenc-
ed by saying he was opposed to consolidation
aud all the last part OF his speech was in favor
of it.
Mr. Poor followed, and said the only misrep.
reservations that had been made misrepre.
scented himself. He went into the old story
again of the p. & X. railroad. Said before the
last contract between the Maine Central and
p. & X. road was signed, the Bangor director
of the Maine Central came to him along with
director of the European road, and said he
was instructed by the Bangor people not to
sign it and he had not; that the ex-Mayor of
Bangor had said that consolidation would be
ruin to Bangor. G. X. .Jewett and Gen. Her
sey are stepped in consolidation deeply as in
the criminality by which they came into pos
session of the European road. The rich mel
of Bangor though they can buy attorneys can
buy the representatives of the city of Bangor
Here the hour was so late that Mr.. Poo
NOV ed that they adjourn to Z IL o'clock thi
evening, which was done just as socn as Mr.
Jones made personal explanation, in which
he hurled back the charges made against hin
las he clamed) by Mayor Putnam, going int
little history of the Leeds & Pennington rail
road. Apart from the speech Of Mayor Put
nam the question was usual lost sight of, an
the people have got about enough of this beal
garden.