The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-01-05
TERMS $500 PER ANNUM, IN ADyARCE.
RAILROADS.

anu w aShlngtOn with Bangor The new roads
extending west from Portland will, at no dis
tant day, give us more direct and cheaper trans
portation to and from the grain growing States
Oh Ine West. The opening of the European
q North American Railway makes connec-
t tlon with st: John, soon to be extended to
na.lIax S.anl Ihis Will unite the people of this
state and the Provinces in closer social and
business relations and cannot fail to benefit
both. This road touches the southern portion
OF Aroostook county, and trust the extension
OF railroad into the heart of the county will
be accomplished within a few years The rich
lands of this county only wait for railroad com
municotion to secure their settlement by an in
dustrious population; and yield large income
to the owners and become source of wealth
to the State.
Our neighbors in New Brunswick, with a
zeal and forecast worthy of great praise, are
preparing to construct a railroad that will pass
Ior long distance near the easterly and north
cry Ilnes OF Aroostook county, with the view
oI gathering the rich surplus products of all
the northern part of the county, and transport
ing them to st. John. And this they will do
unless our people bestir themselves, and give
that section of the State an outlet this way
The Railr ad Commissioners make some inn
portant suggestions relating to the manage
ment OF railroads Their suggestions in regard
to the manner in which they receive their
compensation is especially entitled to consider
alton There are, it appears to me- serious OBJ
1eetlons to making public officer dependent
for compensation upon corporation, of which
proper discharge of his duties requires that he
should be entirely independent.
PUBLIC LANDS.
The report of the Land Az VI calls attention
to the claim of the European and North Amer
1can Railway Company to certain lands set
apart for settling purposes, and the timber
thereon.
chapter 401, to provide means for the defence
OF the Northeastern frontier, by aiding the con-
struetion of the European and North American
Railway, upon certain conditions it was made
lawful for the Governor. State Treasurer and
Land Agent to transfer to said company all the
public lands lying on the waters of the Penob-
scot and st. John river for the uses and pur-
poses set forth in the act proyided ho,cerer
that there shall be excepted from said convey
ance and from the operations of this act all
der existing Ld,os."
by subsequent act of 1868, chapter Goa, the
preliminary conditions of the first act above
cited were repealed and the Governor of the
State was thereby authorized and empowered
to transfer and convey to the European and
North American Railway Company all the tim
ber and lands belonging to the State situatad
upon the waters of the Penobscot and St. John
rivers, to be used by the company to aid in the
construction of its line of railway as contem-
plated and provided for in the foregoing act,
subject to reservations contained in the obliea-
tions imposed by said act"
Under the authority of this act the Cover
nor made deed to the corporation on the thir-
teenth day OF May, eighteen hundred and sixty
eight,th effect of which depends upon the CON
structon of the act authorizing it,
Under and by force of these several acts re-
solves and deed, the Railway Company now
makes claim to all the timber on ali the lands
belonging to the State at the time situated on
the Penobscot and st. John waters, including
these set apart as aforesaid for settlement, and
also claim that as to most if not all the lands
so set apart certain Irregularities or DEFICIENCIES
exist in the proceedings, whereby the excep-
ton OF all lands set apart and designated for
settlement under existing laws is rendered un-
avalllng, and that, therefore, the grant convey
ed 70 the company all the settling lands not al
ready conveyed to settlers.
In pursuance of this claim the company have
put in a defence, and therefore resist the pro-
ceedings commenced under resolve of 1870,
chapter 16S, for the portion of township No. II
and Is, r.. Z, being Fort Kent and Wallagrass
townships, which proceedings have for this
cause been arrested, and have also granted
permites to cut timber on townships No. IL, K.
3, West from the East line of the State ali of
which townships are among the number set
apart as aforesaid for settlement. The parties
permitted on township No. IL, r. 8, and No. 8,
H. D, having commenced operations under their
permites, the Land Agent at once laid the mat
ter before the Governor and Council, and no.
tice has been given to the parties that they will
be regarded as trespassers and treated accord
ingiy, ii they persist in their operations it is
understood they are doing" Legal proceed
ings will Immediately be taken to protect the
rights of the State in these lands and the tim
Der thereon.
AGRICULTURE,
1t is source of regret that so many youn q
men, well situated in the country, allured by
the success of the few who have exchanged the
farm for the city, and with eyes closed to the
failures of the many, are crowding into the
large cities. OF these, few will succeed others
will be doomed to disappointment and poverty,
and some, alas, will fall victims to the vices
around them, and drag out short bnt miser-
able existance in shame and infamy.
This aversion to farming in Maine is In fact
the result of false education by which many
young men are made to believe that it is an oc-
cupatlon to be avoided above all others, but I
am inclined to the opinion that much of it lies
in the fact that we do not appreciate our agri-
cultural advantages and resources.
The establishment and increase of manufac-
turing operations, now so happily engaging the
attention of our people throughout the State.
Will increase the demand, at renumerative
prices, for such products of the farm and gar
den as cannot be brought from abroad, to sup
ply the local markets. This demand has al
ready doubled the value of farms in the vicini-
ty OF large manufacturing establishments in
the State.
1t is well known that in the older portions of
the State we have large amount of good land,
and many excellent fnrms but the fact is not
generally known that we have in Aroostook
county alone, hundreds of thousands of acres of
farming lands unsurpassed in this section of the
country, and scarcely rivaled on the continent.
A recent visit to this county and ride of more
than two hundred miles within its limits more
than confirms my former opinion of its vast
capacity for agricultural products. The county
contains more than four millions of acres, one
half of which, equal to twenty thousand farms
OF one hundred acres each, is good farming
land On such of these lands as have been
cultivated excellent crops are raised which sell
at large prices.
The soil in this county is especially favora-
Bile to wheat growing, yielding, by ordinary
cultivation, more per acre than the average of
wheat lands in the West, and capable of pro-
ducing enough to supply the presnt deficit in
the State; thus saving q very large sum that is
now sent away to pay for tiouf and its trauspor-
tation. There is probably no place in the coun-
try where young man with small means can
hnd, all things considered, more favorable loca-
tion for farming purposes than in this county.
A railroad through the best portion of the
county cannot long be delayed, and. in due
time, this will become by far the richest agri-
cultural section of the State. No occupation
secures more of all that tends to make life
pleasant and happy, than farming and no State
furnishes advantages over our own, suffi-
cient to warrant farmer with fair prospects
here, in mourning the risk of attempting to do
better elsewhere.
MANUFACTURERS.
The abundance and low price of our water
power, the cheap sites for building purposes,
the facilities for cheap living and our healthy
climate, all combine to make Maine one of the
most desirable places for manufacturing enter
prises.
The gradual melting of the snow in our
northern forests, where the most of our rivers
take their rise, ensures abundance of water un-
til late in the summer, in the dryest seasons,
while the large number of lakes which are the
sources of these rivers seldom fail to furnish
sufficient supply of water in the severest
drought Should occasion require our water
power can be cheaply and largely increased, by
raising the water in these immense inland res
ervoirs to be used when other sources fail.
Maine must eventually become a great man.
ufacturing State. If the present generation
fails to grasp and apply the conditions of sue
cess, those who come after will be wiser and
reap the reward. Our splendid opportunities
will, sooner or later, be appreciated and ap-
Piled NThe interest now being manifested in
this subject throughout the State is highly en-
couraging. Many manufacturing establish
ments have increased their capacity and en-
larged their operations during the last year;
large number of new ones have been put in OPP
Grafton, and many others commenced, that will
be completed at an early day.
The encouragement of a cautious but wise
and liberal policy should be extended TO these
enterprises.
sHIPBUILDING AND COMMERCE.
Onr superior facilities for shipbuilding and
commercial pursuits which were well improved
prior to the war, and ON which more than
thirty thousand of our population depended for
support, make the present prostration of these
interests all the more humiliating, and add in
tensity to the conviction that our national leg
islation has been unfriendly to these important
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