The Republican journal., 1871-04-27
The Railroad Lease,

| the Name Central is to be ratified. The
| plans to receive counter propositions
| from an association of individuals, and to
call meeting of citizens to instruct the
municipal officers to vote against ratilica-
ton, have been abandoned. We have
never permitted oursclf to doubt that the
good sense of the Mayor and Aldermen
would impel them to this course, and We
are glad that they are to be supported by
the sober second thought Of the people.
| A full consideration Of the ease in all
its bearings cannot fail to convince any
reasonable man that the lease should be
ratified, for the following reasons First,
| it will be for the advantage of the Belfast
| & Moosehead Lake Road Second, It will
be for the advantage of the city Of Bel
fast and its business interests. Third, it
is the only available course left open to
us. The last reason given of course must
control the others but brief cxamina-
ton of the first two will show, considered
apart from the last, that they are concu-
sive reasons for the course named
1t is for the advantage Of our road to
accept the lease, because the rental of
| 5000 is more than il can earn by any
possible combination of circumstances.
resulting from lease to other parties
than the Maine Central Road, or by run
ming it ourselves No sane business men
would pay the rental named, and open
competition with the Central road, even
if they could furnish the security to make
their lease good to lis. The proposition
to extend the road to the towns above in
volve a great amount of labor and care,
even if it be possible. More than that
the towns Of Hartland and st. Adams are
moving to build to Pittsfied on their own
charter, and arranging to lease the road
when finished, to the Maine Central. The
following para graph shows what is going
forward
The Maine Farmer says, that at a meeting of
the board of directors the Pittsiield IIartland
and st. Adams Railroad Company held on the
| 18th instant at St. Adams, James Fuller. Arch
| li)iu lllu dllu FIdNkllll Ia. w PDDc1 were tnOS-
| en- committee to solicit subscriptions for the
/ stock of said company, and to see at what rate
| the road can be leased when constructed and
made ready for the rolling stock If Il sufficient
number of shares are taken up to make the
amount 100000 including 900 to be taken
| by the town of Hartland. it is in contemplation
| to construct the road to Hariland village With
| out delay, and afterwards extend it 70 st. NJ
bans. when additional stock Shall be taken UP,
/ which may be deemed sufficient to pay for the
i rtnnS ion .4f,yi,Y,
| the company.
| This would seem to put nj end 10 the
| prospects of extension to those towns.
| With a road terminating at Bumham. con
nccted with the Central, and antagonistic
to it, and run by the city Of Belfast. we arc
dead before we have scarce breathed
at Ill. With the Pittsiicld road built and
| leased, we can reach those towns as well
rs though their road came TO Bulmham.
provided we ratify the lease offered us.
That the interest OF the city of Bcllae.
dictate q lease TO the Maine Central is in
our Judgment unquestionablc. With the
rates of freight and fare provided for, IS
they are, SO that they can work 40 harm
to the business Of the city, we are in Il
situation Of rs much advantage rs though
we had built all the northWard connections
Of the Maine Central Tor tho purpose of
bringing business here. All the alvant-
age that could possibly accrue to rs as the
nearest winter halbor to the regions
reached by the connections, we shall have
What more can we ask Even with the
road running in its present half equipped
condition, ana ut croSs-purposcs and mis-
understandings with the Central. We see
the toreshadowings Of large business
from the interior Customers from regions
that never before reached Us are Sc IN in
our streets, who are beginning to learn
that at Belfast they can buy and sell to
advantage. Importers in the northern
towns are learning that heavy articles of
merchandise can be had by way Of Bel
fast, cheaply and expeditiously A. an
instance of this, we can state that the rail
road freight on corn, plaster. lime. &c.,
forwarded in the month Of April from Bel
fast to Skowhegan alone, has amounted to
nearly 5000. Skowhegan is but one of
many towns that will look 10 Belfast for
their supplies. The policy Of the Central
road, under its present management, is TO
dcvelope to the utmost the business Of the
regions that it reaches, by Il broad and
liberal policy, believing that il can achieve
the best results to itself by such 4 course
1t doesn't want and doesn't mean to have
soured and irritated population alon Q
its roads. All this was explained in
most convincing manner by Judge Rice,
at 4 recent interview between the Boards
OF Directors No one who heard him
could doubt his sincerity It is within our
knowledge that after the road from Au-
gusta to Skowhegan came under its pre-
sent management. all previous cause of
complaint concerning tariffs was removed
There can be no doubt that all the bust
ness advantages which we could reason
ably expect even if we controlled not only
|fAi
of the Central will be secured to Us I'M
der this lease. But business must be cul-
tivatcd, and our merchants must use ac-
tivity and enterprise, as successful bust
ness men are everywhere obliged 10.
| Some talk has been made to the effect
that the lease gives the charter TO the
Maine Central, and that. with it in their
possession they can terminate, by power
OF new issues of stock, the lease itself
This is all untrue. The lease provides
that they shall have the right OF nccdfu
corporate action for purposes of extending
the road only, and not tina, they Shall
| have the charter. II we want the road
extended, and they are willing to do it,
why should we object? And IS for ter
mination, the lease provides that nothing
of that kind shall be done except Ivy con
| sent OF the company, as nom cOYH H1irH