The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-07-27

he said he had attempted to point out the
blessings of railroads and the dangers of giean-
tic combinations, and five cannot obtain pro-
lection from extortion from the State we should
demand that the general government assert its
authority to protect the material interests OF
the country against large assessments TO sus
| tain fraudulent and fictitious railroad capt.
| tai.
Hon. John A. Poor followed Mr.. Hamlin,
| giving at considerable length the history of
Mr.. Hamlin's bill and the beneficial effects it
| would have upon the railroad interests of the
| country, and gave comprehensive statement
| of the prospects of the proposed road.
The meeting then adjourned until evening
At o'clock the hall was again occupied by
an audience about as large as that of the after
noon. Gov Perham at 0nca assumed the
| chair remarkng that as we have heard from
| Maine first, and that westward the railroad i'm
| terests take their way, he would introduce
| next Judge Fowler of New Hampshire, who
responded as follows: A charter and large
| subscription for building the p. r. o. and G.
| X. r., has been obtained. This division of
| the transcontinental railroad crosses the State
on the most feasible line and grade of any
road in New Hampshire. Your Commercial
street in Portland, said he, is Of very great adj
vantage to you in the saving of trucking which
in Boston is of considerable cost.
Hon. Henry Clark of Rutland, VT, next car
ried the line across the State of Vermont, ex-
planning the obstacles of the Green Mountains
favOraby. The Rutland road is in operation
to Fort Ann, near the New York line. Our
old revolutionary hero Eathan Allan said he
would take Tconderoga by the aid of Al
mighty God and the Continental Congress,
and we now propose to cross the Green Noun.
tains by the same aid and that of the Federal
Congress. We will join hands with you when
you get to White River junction.
Col Joyce, Speaker of the Vermont House of
Representatives, was next introduced, who
said that We could cross the Green Mountains
in the same plucky way that COL Burnbam
OF Maine scaled the heights of South Mountain
In 1862. This route will bring the produce of
the West most cheaply to the East, and when
it is extended to Chicago it will not stop there
but push on to the setting sun.
Hon. Orange Ferris, M. G. of New York,
eulogized the memory of Stephen Whitney
who first proposed to the national government
the granting of a subsidy to line to the Pact
fic. The time will soon come when the work
OF spanning the continent now Just begun,
will be more fully carried out; aud the trade of
China and Japan will come on this line because
it is 200 miles nearer than any other.
The Northern Pacific railroad strikes point
on the Pacific which is 1000 miles nearer to
Asia than San Francisco is, on account of the
curvature of the earth's surface Our friends
fear will meet with opposition to this meas
ure in Congress, as the West is opposed to fur
ther subsidies.
Hon. Gilbert Mollison of Oswego next gave
a very interesting statement of the situation
and business prospects Of the city of Oswego,
her lumber, lime and leather interests; and
the railroad enterprises now in progress. I
signed only on Saturday last contract for
building 55 miles of the road West from Oswe-
60 at less than $4,000 mile, and we expect
to have it in operation in Sept. 1872, and in
1873 to push it to Niagara.
Hon. Austin Blair of Michigan, aud Hon.
Erastus Brooks of New York, made excellent
speeches relative to the general interests of the
subject. The many old friends of the latter
were particularly pleased with his compact and
neat speech, and TO see him in his native city
once more.
Gen. Charles r. Stewart of New York. fol.
lowed in an excellent explanation of the gen.
eral railroad projects OF New York State, and
alluded to the canals Of that State, the matter
of guages, ETC., very intelligentiy.
Hon. Eugene L. Kimball of Michigan, con-
cluded the evenings discussion by very elo-
quent speech, defending his State very ably,
and he urged the business and climatic situa-
ton OF Michigan in most spirited manner.
Mr.. John A. Poor announced the arrange
ments for the clam bake to-day, and after an
explanation personal by Hon. Hannibal Ham
lin, the meeting adjourned.