Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-05-15

Y
tween tue present IKE Chanpialu aud usoen.ours
rVad aud the st. Lawrence uvef uakit. s,vu ui sey
eiui miles. new triugc ~ cr =, the 81. Lawrence
hefapdsi aud ut Moutr al connection WI "v na1'
with the proposed Canada Pacific road ami thence wa
the NviN cru i'eh' uotai' nA Nheh the ulsihhdt ~
ne some one hunIgl mites shorter IN ABOUT TWO weeks
measures viii ue taken fora survey OF he H. swautui
aud Ogdensnurg fohd aud the honhng 81 tho towns oh
H. line We underrand that sir Hugh Allan T. largely
interested in thv route irum fwantUu O. the West
and it BE- pio env that iiue steamers To by tpoo
VIII to g'iap shed here la connection Win tue rotad
aud o -dvnsnur-h rUti, 20 ruu tho year ruuud. 1ir
awaniins 81 ho Owe cunt uet j. -rat rl 81 40 TIN
punie az assures the suc',s ul completion of thu cue
tcrprlsc
The obvious Inference is, that the Portland
4 O5densburgh managers are convinced that
We have been right in claiming ha; their line
ria Swantou, Poislan, etc, cannot compete
with the Central liuc. Why they are lot con.
vinced as to tue alternative We presented snoI
obvious That alternative was u fii,udl,
aud not competitive connection with tn,
Central line at Mourpelier---a conneclioi
which we are sure would be better for Port.
land than the White Mountain line, as il Fixes
the competitive point between Portland aud
Boston at Montpelier, which is City mile,
River than it is to Boston by the Central
line. llalf million dollars from Portlaud,
if raised two years ago, would have secured
the completion Of this line the present year
aud even If raised now, it will secure it,
completion next year. Bat the Portland Il
Ogdeusburgh managers persist in rejecting
this cheapest, shortest, and best line aud nov
propose 10 hang the fate Of Portland, aud Of
the two or three millions Of its capital which
they hope to get, upon II magnificent scheme
of three ina Jinary railroads as above, GOV.
ering all the territory between SSanton aud
the Pacific Ocean
These are fairly questionable schemes, oil
many strong grounds. Neither Of ihes,
roads is chartered The bill for the Cam
da Pacific road is still pending, with wbn,
prospect of success we know not, and indeed
care not. The bill proposes to make the land
of Canada the basis Of the scheme, as the Sc.
curity for thirty millions capital to be given
10y the government, aud the means of raisn.
us many millions more, by sales to settlers
\ fatal point in this scheme is that the It'd,
Of population does not flow Into Caiadi, bat
into the United States For one man whit
will settle on the c inada Pacific line, Their
will be thousand on the Northern Pacific
/ We have little iaitn therefore in the construc
tiou Of the Canada Pac6o but If it shall b
constructed, what does it propose for Port
land 1t is claime{ that it will be one hun
jred miles shorter than the Northern Pacific
but who kuows2 Neither line has yet beer
definitely fixed. \ glance at the map show
that the Northern Pacific line, SO far as it /
actually located. is nearly direct from Port
land GU latitude iorty-threc, losing nothing il
distance in passing Like Superior, while tn
Canada Pacific must inevitably defect liv
degrees to the north to get round that lake
The remaining part of the Northern PAciG,
As projected, is nearly as direct as the east
ern division, whereas the Canada Pdci6
must still again dsa,et to the north I
reach pass through the mountains on III
Pacific c1ust, unless indeed it shall be tune
southwark TO iuersect the n ,rthern Pac fl,
Apparently. by the map, the Canada PaciG
must be sumo hundreds of miles longer tina
the Northern Pacific. Another point elaine
for the advantage of Portland is that Hug
Allan will probably establish IA line Of ocea
steamers from Portland. Possibly white
line. but will Mr. Allan give up his ocea
line already established at Montreal2 Wi
he not, when the St. Lawrence is open, prele
to take European freight at Montreal
Again, how long will this great British cor
poratiou, aided aud controlled by government
be permitted to contribute to port of the Uni
ted States, when it has railroad connection
with British ports? This scheme simpl
makes Portland dependent upon the grac
aud charity Of foreign government, aud W
shall be surprised if the people Of Portlun,
shall consider that TO be good security TO
their money.
The proposed new roads from Swanton t,
Montreal and 0sdensburg are neither o
them chartered, They are parallel to othe
| United States roads, and the Portland q Og
densburg managers propose to have the road
built in The interest Of British aatioaa
road We doubt whether the Legislature o
New York will listen with favor to a schem,
NO much adverse to the interests Of the Stat
aud of its great commercial city.
We cannot help taking these schemes a
proof of the desperate weakness Of the Port
land 4 Osdensburg line.