The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-06-20

car loads go through to Boston to every one
that stops here. How much then of the pro-
duce and manufactures of Northern New
Hampshire and Vermont could we reasonably
hope to bring by Boston, at North Conway INTO
Portland? One in twenty would be a large cal
culaton. Will it spay to run the risk of bank
rupting the city for that? Judge ye! Bear IN
mind that Boston is now boasting that she puts
excursionists to the White Mountains, through
to North Conway in five hours 1t takes our
excursionists nearly four hours. We have thus
only one or two hours the advantage in time<-
while tourists from the west by way of Port
land, have four hours disadvantage. How
much money ought Portland to bury in the
Notch of those granite hills, to bury this I'M
equal competition with Boston, for the summer
travel of the west? And how much OF IL
would she be likely to get? .s -l.s
But it is urged that the -four and grain mer-
chants of Commercial Street require western
railroad to facilitate business, and secure prompt
supplies. This is true to a certain extent, es-
pecally in the winter season; nevertheless it is
more customers rather than more railroad ia
cilities that they really require to revive their
business Will they be likely to obtain these
by opening highway through the Notch for
traders ON the line of the T. & 0. Road. who
Aowiget their supplies lin Portland to go to Chica-
go and get their supplies) direct from the west?
go to Chicago" did say; they would not
need to go, for Chicago runners would swarm
down upon them like the locusts of Egypt, and
carry them away captive nolens vOlens. They
are standing now waiting to get this trade
Gentlemen, merchants, who now hold this
trade Il have none of it, and am not therefore
interested,) how much do you propose to pay
the p. & o. railroad to carry it away from you
through the Notch?
This, however, is too narrow view OF the
subject, to.be more than incidentally referred to
here. L return to consider the alleged necessity
for this road to the produce business of Com
mercial street. And state, without fear of
contradiction, by any one who knows that
during six months of the year while the west
ern lakes are navigable, the Grand Trunk
brings into Portland, with promptness and
good dispatch, all the western produce that is
required, all the market will bear-and all
that our merchants can take care of and pay
for; and this, too, at the lowest rates OF freight
obtainable in any New England city: Naviga..
| ton opened this year with our market bare of
all kinds of produce, and yet at this early sea-
| son-this very day-our elevator is full of grain,
| and loaded cars stand day after day on the
| track, waiting a customer or store-hOuse; and
| the Grand Trunk is said to be making arrange
ments to take freight from the west for Boston
"to keep their engines from rusting." One
goodcustomer to buy the surplus produce which
| the Grand Trunk is bringing into Portland,
| would do more to revive the stagnant business
of Commercial street than ten 'new facilities
| There is then surely no such necessity in sum-
| mer for the p q o. road as to warrant any fur
| Their expenditure on it by the city. But in the
winter the Grand Trunk sadly fails Portland
nay more, it shamefully abuses all Portland in
| UeTeSUS, 1OTJIduu TlSulS anu
chants land million dollars judiciously ex-
pended by the city in securing good railroad
! connections with Chicago and the west, to meet
our winter needs, would undoubtedly be appre-
ciated by all business men.
| submit, however, that thesPortland and Og-
! densburg costs too much in the first place, and
| in the second place as winter road to supply
| Portland with western produce when the Grand
| Trunk fails, it has no claim to consideration.
| 1t extends only to Ogdensburg, as its name in
| 0ipatas and there it, WOuld hA frozen N duriuO
| all the long winter, with no western connec-
tions; and too far north ever to have any, that
would be worth straw to Portland trade. The
| Grand Trunk, unreliable as it is in winter does
| something for us nevertheless. 1t brings
| through some pork and other western products;
| the =. &. o. could do nothing a through
western road in winter, and in summer we
don't need it as facts abundantly show. The
| Portland and Rochester, when it shall make
| its western connections, though not just what
| Portland may require, will still be more availa-
| BILE winter road than would be the p. & o.,
| and will doubtless meet our reasonable wants
| for years to come And now, fellow citizens,
though 1 should be as much benefited by the
| opening of the Portland and Ogdensburg rail-
read as any other flour and grain dealer ON
Commercial street, l, for one, pray you throw
no votes on the 18th of June in favor of the city
| loan on my account nor on account of my bust
ness. Nay, further solemnly protest against
| your doing it. z.EEE sEatEE ~
This has come to be very serious matter
| The Legislature of this State has committed to
| our suffrages on the 18th of June the credit
| the financial honor of Portland. 1 beseech YOU
to protect both by an emphatic "no," to the
! questions then presented Bear N mind that
the act on which you vote provides for city
| loan of two and half million dollars. And to
| accept that act and to vote for 81 100000, as
| really commits the city to furnish the balance
the two and half millions named in the
act whenever called for), as it would to vote
the whole at once. And then the city only gets
a second mortgage on the road, necessitating
| the payment in full of the first mortgage of
| $S06,9O0, and having done all this, Portland
would still be compelled (if the contractors
failed as they sometimes do), to complete the
road, cost what it might, or lose the whole four
| millions she would then have buried in it Tin
| Guiding her stock).
s Let us be warned in time by the sad fall of
| Galena, ILL, whose City Government is now
der arrest because 1.-THE city was weak enough
| some years ago to subscribe heavily in aid of
| railroads, and afterwards was induced to repu-
date the debt thus incurred the city still refus-
| ing to pay and the debt growing, an exodus of
capital and of property began" and continued
| til the Mayor and Council, under arrest, frank
| ly stated to the Court that to levy tax on the
| taxable property then in the city would amount
| SO nearly to confscation of the whole that it
could not be done" 1 cannot dwell ON this
! picture. In view of what Portland is now urged
| to undertake, it seems almost too prophetic of
| her future to be a warning. 1t is history,
| threatening to repeat itself.
"Star," In the PRESS of Saturday. asks SIS
| it just to doubt, now that the Directors of the
| F. & o. Railroad have told the citizens that
| they have made an honest contract with honest
| contractors to build their road for the sum
named in the contract? l would not doubt the
honesty of the transaction, out honesty and
| ability are two things. Have the contractors
! the ability Tor the backers) to guarantee beyond
peradventure the fultillment of their contract?
| Here are two contracting parties. The Direc-
tors on one part, with the whole city of Port
| land to back them, are alb e to give the most
undoubted security for the fulfillment of their
part of the contract, the liability being clearly
| defined. To make the contracting parties equal
| the other side should be required to give an
| equally satisfactory bond that their part of the
| contract 1.-THE completion of the road) should be
| faithfully performed, cost what it might. Have
| they given such bond? If they have let it be
| published with the names of the bondsmen and
the amount of the forfeiture, that citizen voters
| may examine and judge for themselves of its
| character and suffciency. If they vote to loan
the city credit they give good security for the
money and they have a right, as individuals in
| private matters always have, to know what Sc
| curity they get for their money or for the COM
| pletion of the work on which they Joan it. To
be left with a second mortgage ON an unfinished
| road away in the Granite hills of New Hamp-
| shire would put the city in a bad plight. The
| history of Galena might thus early repeat it
self The bond then should be large because the
uncertainty of the cost of such jobs very great
| Witness the HOosac tunnel, which, as first sur
| veyed by the most competent civil engineers to
| be obtained was estimated to cost $4,000 If
| the original contractors had given sufficient
| bonds to complete the work for that, it would
| have saved the State of Massachusetts $13,OOO,-
| 600 already expended on that same tunnel, and
| the work is not finished.
| Till the Directors of the p & o. Railroad
| produce good and sufficient bond that their
| road shall be built through the Notch according
to contract, cit is just to doubt to deny to re-
| ject! III. A. JONES',
1 Gait Block, Commercial street.
IRREGULAR RESOLUTION MAKERS were mer-
clessly snubbed in the Bangor Convention as
may be seen from the following:
Mr.. Rawson of Bangor presented the follow
ing:
Resolved, That the Democratic party are in prin-
ciple opposed to all sumptuary laws, and especially
to much of the present liquor law pertains to
domestic wines and cider.
The introduction of this resolution created a
spasmodic outburst of feeling, and an exciting
scene appeared imminent. I'VE don't want
any such resolution" exclaimed one. eff that
resolution is to be acted on said another, 81
shall go in for committing the party to prohi-
bitiOn."
"Let the resolution go to the Committee on
Resolutions" shouted another, "and that will
be the last of it,.
Mr.. Hubbard of Biddeford came to the front
and moved the indefinite postponement of the
resolution. Cries of That's right
Mr.. Wilson of Thomaston commended that the
motion of Mr.. Rawson was unparliamentary
and that the Chair could not entertain it.
Mr.. Rawson then seeing that his resolution