Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-02-08
Maine Central By the granting Of this char

T Maine Central by the granting OF this char'
ter the people of other sections of the stat
! would have to make up, for this road cannon
stop running; the Legislature compels It u
run. He appealed to members not to ailo"
the manufacturing corporations OF Auburn
and Lewiston to take this money out OF iha'
| struggling corporation. -
1t is not claimed that This road is to be
bnilt by private subscriptions. but by faxint
the people of those two cities. The Crane
| Trunk will reap the benefits, corporation
not owned in Maine, butacross the water. |
is an English corporation, having no Smpa
| thy or interest 10 common with us. Ih
| profits go into the hands of foreign capitalists
| and he did not want to vote for any sucl
| proposition.
1t the Maine Central road does not accom-
| modate the people of those two cities. h.
| would be the first man to vote to grant them
| another road, but he said to the good peopl
| of Lewiston and Auburn, ''wait a little Ion
| ger-another year, and then if they were not
accommodated it would be time enough t"
| move in the matter.
Mr.. PERKINS of Pennington advocated tn
| passage OF the bill. His constituents had sem
| him here TO leglslate as he thought best, and
in conformity to what he deemed the best in
terests of bis people, he should certainly
vote for the bill. He corrected the state
mcnt of the gentleman from Biddctord. thai
5000 900 had been expended for the people OF
| Lewiston and Auburn alone. 1t was tor the
benefit of every town along the line OF tha'
road even as far as Bangor. He alluded to
the trains which leave Lewiston and contend
ed that the people there did not have suleltn'
accommodations. Their connections with
boats in Portland and Boston and New \ ork
are bad, and this he conceived was another
good reason why they should have the charter,
rs they ould then be able to make the con-
nections they wish.
f Mr.. PRINCE remarked that the people of
Androscoggin county are laboring people,
and it so happened they were represented by
laboring people, yet they could state the facts.
He wished to meet some OF the points pre-
sented by the gentleman from Biddetord.
The gentleman has said that the people OF
Auburn and Lewiston only asked for this bill.
His (Mr. Prnce's) town, (rurner). had petit
toned largely for the road, because they need
e it. He next alluded to the running of the
trains, and explained that trains which left
a Lewiston via. Brunswick were attached al
c Cumberland with the train which left Lewis
ton directly for Portland. Before this 5000,
t 900 was expended the people were better &C
: commodated than now, for then they went By
: the Grand Trunk and were landed in the bust
ness portion Of Portland, and their connection
was easy with the boats for Boston. He die
[
g the Maine Central for the accommodation
of the people of Lewiston and Auburn solely
I, They expended that money for their own ben
: eft, that their gauge might conform to thu
e gauge of other railroads in the State. Refer
ring to the adjustable gauge, which had beer
: mentioned, he said it had been tried and hat
= been pronounced a failure. twas impossibl,
J.. for the people to get their grain which come.
s from the west, with any dispatch, by the pres
] ent mode of transportation. In regard to the
Grand Trunk being foreign corporation, he
said he cared not for that. 1t is one of the
great thoroughfares of the world. Only five
miles separate Lewiston and Auburn from a
close connection with it, and he hoped the bill
would pass.
:, Mr.. HUNr remarked that he lived in the
D eastern section of the state, and he supposed
other persons in that section as well as him
S self had experienced some of the inconven-
, fences of waiting at Danylle function for
: cars. He had not understood that this $780,
| 900 had been expended for Lewiston and Au-
burn Alone but for the eastern people as well,
who haze been pressing for a continuous
road. Is it honorable or just to give to an
other corporation the benefits of this money
G they have expended? He thought not. He
did not think that it was seriously intended to
! build the road asked for, but that they wished
2 it simply as whip to hold over the Maine
Central.
, Mr.. HOWARD would like to inquire of the
gentlemen Of the House, who knew best
whether the road asked for is needed, the
, citizens of Auburn and Lewiston and the sur
rounding country or the gentleman from
Biddefurd? The merchants and manufActur-
ers of those cities have petitioned, rank and
file for this charter. They ask it as an ALSO
lutte necessity. not wholly for those two cities,
; but for the whole county. What are those
cities doing for the Maine Central? They
are receiving annually over that road eight
thousand tons of cotton, twelve thousand tons
Of coal. They are sending out eight thousand
tons of manufactured goods, and from fifteen
to twenty millions OF lumber, thirty to forty
thousand cases of boots and shoes, besides
large amount of other freight received and
sent. Granting that this new road did take
some of the freight from the Maine Central
it would take only that amount of freight
which they had before the change of gauge.
1t cost the people of Lewiston and Auburn
$4,000 MORE annually, on there freight than
it would if there was no transhipment ut Dan
vile Junction. This was not the worst of it,
The delay before transhipment can be had is
very serious matter to the people in those
two cities.
Mr.. WALKER of Newport opposed the bill
because he thought public convenience did
not require it. and when public necessity
does not require it he was opposed to granting
parallel roads.
Mr.. REED of Waldoboro' favored the bill
on the ground that there was enough business
for two roads When the Maine Central was
first built of course it was necessary to pro.
tect it, but these two cities are growing and
in his opinion another road was required.
Mr.. STEVENS advised caution in consider.
ing matter of this Importance. This road
is entitled to the protection of the State by
every principle of right and justice. lie al
luded to the demands that were made for the
change of gauge and of the expenditures by
the Maine Central in compliance with those
demands When this undertaking is hardly
completed, there is an endeavor to rob that
corporation of the benefit Of this great work.
He commended that the good faith of the State
was pledged to the Maine Central, and hoped
the bill would not have passage.
Mr.. PERKINS of Poland remarked that ex-
perience was the best schoolmaster. He had
had personal experience in this matter of the
accommodation of the public travel, recently,
| and he found il to be ANYTHING hnt 1ood lilo