The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-12-19
Railroad Runners.


To the Editor Of the Press:
Last week Thos. Holt, chief engineer of the
M. G. r. R., was here with petitions asking
for railroad charter from Bethel Hill through
Greenwood, Waterford, Norway, Oxford, Mi
not, PolandSAuburn, and terminating at Lew
iston.
Now, if you will consult your State map, you
will see the utter absurdity of building this
proposed road Tapping, as it does, the Grand
Trunk at an uuimportant place, running nearly
parallel to it through its entire course, at no
place more than ten miles distant from it, and
traversing country of light manufacturing
and only average agricultural productions.
That this road will never be built is evident
from the fact that the towns along the route
are positively unable to construct it, and the
Maine Central will never invest in a project
that promises sure loss. And the faith that
road has in the enterprise is shown in the addi
tional fact that it does not propose to vote the
expense of making the usual preliminary sur
vey, Holt assuring the people here that 'look-
ing the route over is sufficient to obtain
charter.
That the Maine Central managers have init
ated this scheme is abundantly proved by these
facts. They sent their chief engineer to ''look
over the route" They printed ard sent the
petitions. And further, such-a road has never
been proposed by the people in Oxford county
as far as can learn. Finally, many OF the in
teligent citizens of this to Hn seemed surprised
when they heard of it. Of course they are
pleased, though incredulous
Now what object have the M. G. managers in
this affair? Simply this, l think. They are
anxious to defeat the 18th and Portland char
ter, and hope by this little game to secure the
h-~c~ IL
Legislature They have no fears of mourning
the displeasure of the Grand Trunk, since that
road, though the best managed in some respects
of any in the State, has but few friends in Ok
ford county. For that same object they have
been at work in the eastern part of the county,
along the .'Buckfeld Branch" promising the
people along its route who are injured by its
wretched mis- management, that they will buy
that road and run it, OXFORD.
THE CREDIT MoBILIER.-The Latest Sensa-
ton The sensational correspondent of Bos-
ton paper, who has sent his paper from Wash
ington two or three immense canards within
few weeks, gives the following relative to the
Credit Mobilier investigation which was print
ed Wednesday evening:
Judge, Poland's committee this morning
completed their examination of Hon.
Cakes Ames. Yesterday the case looked
very well for him. He made. clear
statement and as Mr.. McComb's counsel
were restricted in their cross-examination they
failed to shake his testimony. transcripts
from the Credit Moblier books according to
unmpeachable authority show that Messrs.
Garfield and Bingham of Ohio, Dawes and
Hooper of Massachusetts, Patterson of New
Hampshire, Painter, correspondent of the
Philadelphia Inquirer, Kelly and Schofield of
Pennsylvania, Fowler of Tennessee, and sew
eral other congressman, and Schuyler Colfax
and Henry Wilson were interested in the Cred
it Mobilier stock, either directly or indirectly
They show beyond contradiction that Mr..
Ames held it as trustees for them, paying them
the dividends. Two of these cases require ex-
PLANTATION. Mr. Wilson had the stock and sold
it for some time, and then finding it against his
conscience bought it back. II was entered in
he was an original subscriber for the Union
Pacific Stock which gave him share in the
Credit Mobier.
The investigation has to-day assumed an en-
tirey new phase On Monday it did not look
bad for Mr. Ames and "the list" but at this
moment l am sorry to say that there are not
ten men in Congress who do not believe that
all but two or three on 'the list first publish
cd and others besides, are hopelessly implicat-
ed
AN AFFECTING ScENE-A New York des-
patch says there was a most affecting scene at
the undertakerr's Tuesday, when the wife of
the murdered Duryea entered and threw her,
self on the body of her husband, declaring that
she would be taken to the grave with him, and
exclaiming amid violent sobs ''my good kind
husband; and this is my Christmas; this is my
New Year; you left me yesterday hale and
hearty and here you are dead and cold" She
was finally taken away by physical force.
The awful murder was the universal topic of
all over the city Tuesday, coupled
frequently with the exclamation that hanging
was indeed played ont in New York, if lawyers
could prevent justice being administered in this
case. All the papers here have editorials on it
this morning.
STATE PENsIoNs.-The total amount of State
pensions allowed the present year up to the |
l4th inst. is $21, 436. SO, and the whole amount
Tor the year will not exceed $4,000 In 1867
the total amount of State pensions reached
S106, 1901. Since that year the amount has
been annually growing less. The law under
which these pensions are granted applies only
to those who served in the war of the rebellion
in 1861. The total number of applcants mn To
the 14th inst. was 794; applications allowed
576: d ;sallowed, 21S The act authorizing these
pensions expires on the 3lst inst, but will he
continued in force another year by the Legisla-
ture with reduced appropriation of not more
I'll, ho oil tl nj ic