The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-07-23

Among those present were President Lothrop
OF the Eastern, President Morrill, of the Maine
Central, and Messrs Pierce and Drummond.
The only matter considered was reply to the
demand of the Boston & Maine for a connec-
ton with the Maine Central. On this subject
there was no discussion, as no officer of the
Eastern OF Maine Central entertains any idea
of acceding to the demand. Several replies
were made by various gentlemen to the
demand of President White, but that of Pres
ident Morrill, was taken, which we are permit
ted to copy from the original, which is in the
hand writing of that gentleman, and through
out abounds in his vigorous and characteristic
expressions
1t is very evident that the Eastern and Maine
Central do not propose to be caught mapping.
Positive orders have been given to Mr. Bachel-
der, agent of the Eastern and Maine Central at
this place, to keep strict watch to prevent the
cutting of the rails of the Maine Central by
the Boston and Maine t. make connection.
If such an attempt is made, he has the most
emphatic ordeis to resist it with force, even to
the summomng of the entire force of the road
to the threatened point Indeed, if we got a
clear idea of the emphatic words of the Maine
Central President to Mr.. Bachelor, he is to
run all the engines of the road on any part of
the line threatened by hostile force. OF course
that decided official did not say it; but he look
ed as though he meant to transform each of
those engines into an Assyrian war chariot,
which rushing to and fro along the threatened
line, with their terrible scythes NOW down the
luckless partizans of the Boston & Maine that
came in the way, and even if this would not
suffice to daunt the invaders, equip the engines
with batteries of the murderous French mira
leuse.
The Naine Central officials fear til at if the
Boston & Maine should by any means effect a
junction, not only would their trains go over
that line, but taken into the courts, it might be
decided by them to let the connection continue.
Therefore. if in any event, the Boston & Maine
should effect a junction, Mr., Bachelor has
positive orders to destroy it at any hazard. In
short the Eastern and Maine Central mean to
resist-to meet force with force-if necessary.
The following is the
LETTER OF PRESIDENT MORRILL,.
MAINE CENTRAL RAILROAD Co.
PRESIDENTS OFFICE,
AUGUSTA, July 21st, 1873.
Hon. n G. White, President of the Boston &c
Maine Rdilway,
SRA copy of communication without
date, over your signature, has been put into my
hands, making certain demands on the Maine
Central Railroad Company and promising us
certain legal and illegal CT forcible action, un-
less your request was granted. l very cheer
fully comply with your request for an answer,
though had not the honor to receive that ex-
traordinary paper until it had been given to
Jai 1v yph iab II ad avidapf1x hoo,,
written.
Your first allegation and principal complaint
are, that we are now maintaining at Portland
an actual connection of rails with the Port
land, Saco & Portsmouth Railroad" and ex-
changing with said Company, passengers and
freight cars and doing connecting business
generally, con terms unknown to you" 1t is
true that we are doing and have been doing for
quite long timo connecting business with
the P. S. & P. and Eastern railways, making
through line between Bangor and Boston, and
giving such accommodations, facilities and
despatch to the public as are not excelled by
any railway line in New England, and we
have good reason to believe that, our success
IN forming such line, after years of laborious
effort, is being appreciated by the travelling
and business community.
Time and again your Company refused to do
our through business on the same favorable
terms which we at length negotiated with the
the roads of which you complain, and yet, you
WOulu nave tllo puDilC INFER UIlaU you nave been
kept in entire ignorance of the terms upon
which the connection was entered into.
You "denadad' that we allow you to connect
your rails with ours at Portland and that we
exchange and transport your cars over our road (;
granting to said cars facilities equal to those
granted by us to anS cars to or from other roads
and that we exchange freight bills, tickets, etc.
Now you are aware that all the connecting rai}r
ways to which you refer, have become such by
mutual agreement, and that efforts were made
l,xr, 70, hoxr fl,a y oin Pol
ter into such arrangement, which you perss-
tently refused to do unless yOn were paid large
per ceDtage more for the through traffic taken
over your road than was demanded by the roads
with which we have connected; and to this
hour, to our knowledge, you have not receded
from your demand. Are you, then, in posi-
ton to force connection and thrust your cars
upon our line while you deny us the facilities
and inducements other roads have granted us?
In answer to your declaration that you are
ready and will pay all legal and proper charges
upon said cars freight and baggage, I beg to
remind you that you are Withholding from our
road and that with which we are connected,
more than 100000 of money earned on our
road OF through business collected by you
Finally you demand of US to designate prior
to the 23d inst suitable place and manner for
said connection to yoatr acceptance in default
of which, you propose. per force, to cut oul
rails and make the coveted connections! You
certainly cannot expect that we will in the few
days allowed us by your demand make the
necessary arrangements to become connecting
| roads to the extent you propose, when years of
negotiation, on account of your severe terms,
| failed to secure such consummatiOn.
We trust you will not attempt to carry into
execution the rash measures you threaten, of
taking fore BILE possession of our road. A few
months only have elapsed since you asked the
Legislature of Maine to give You authority to
do what you now threaten to perpetrate; and
which, after full hearing, was denied you by
that body. Surely you will not compel us to
''resist an attempt to cut our rails in the face
of that recent admonition.
For years, heretofore, you did large share of
the through business brought to Portland over
the Maine Central and its connecting branches,
for which you demanded and have received ex-
orbitant prices. Our appeals to you for con-
cession and reduction of rates, in the infancy
of our road, were unheeded and unanswered
You compelled us in our EXTREMIST poverty tu
contribute unreasonably to increase the large
dividends paid your stockholders and material
| ly advance the value of your stocks annually.
| Meantime your Maine tributaries struggled
| vainly to meet current expenses and pay inter.
est on bonded debt None of these things
moved your compassion or lessened your extor,
| ton. Fortunately, we have been able to secure,
| hy the occurrence of events of which you are
| familiar, terms for our through business, which
| promise most favorable results to the people
| and railroad interests of our State. YOU
| present bold demands and threats of violent oc.
| cupation of our property are evidently inspired
| by desperate determination to break up our
present favorable arrangements and force us
back to tho former state of things when youI
exactions were measured by the amount of rev.
enue that could be collected of us without alb
solutely stopping the locomotives that brought
| a vast business to your door.
We hope successfully to resist an effort
| fraught with such manifest injustice and
danger; beyond that we seek no controversy
with the Boston and Maine Railroad. Oul
! position is and will be defensive, from which
we shall not be moved by the threats of UinIen
| action or legal prosecution with which-you have
announced to the public through the press yor
| are about to visit us.
Very respectfully yours,
ANsoN p. MORRILL,,
President of Maine Central Railroad Company
The VARIETY TRoUPE.-Sheridan & Mack
have always been popular here, and San