The Portland daily press., 1878-03-15

attention and both will be published. OWNS
to their length, it is impossible to publish then
in full here and their nature precludes an alb
stract.
Resolutions of thanks to both Mr.. Washburr
and Mr.. Talbot were unanimously adopted.
| EVENING SESSION.
| At the evening session Gen. John Marshall
Brown, chairman of the committee on the no
menclature of Maine. reported they had had az
interview with Captain Patterson of the coast
survey, who promised to render every assist.
ance in his power to help along the work of
the committee. At the suggestion of Gen.
Brown resolution was passed authorizing the
committee to continue their labors aud to ap.
point persons other than members of the So
ciety as subcommittee to assist in preparing
perfect map of the state. The Legislature is
to be memorialized for an appropriation to help
carry on the work.
The first paper of the evening was read by
Rev. @. @. Hayes, the subject being can early
experiment with Railroad" being an account
of railroad built by his father in 1927 in New
New York state.
Hon. William Goold Of Windham next revd
very interesting paper upon "John Taber 6
Son of Portland and their paper money" The
following is the paper in fall
JOHN TABER AND SON OF PORTLAND.
John Taber, tanner, came from Vassalbor-
| ough to Portland about the first year of the
| the present century, and went into commercial
business in correction with Samuel f. Hersey
| and Isaiah Hacker. They were all Quskers,
The firm was dissolved, and Taber took his son
Daniel into partnership. The father had es-
tablished good reputation as a merchant
The firm were extensive shippers to Europe of
ton timber and slaves, importing foreign goods
in return. This business required large cap
ital
In 1899 the General Court of Massachusetts,
passed an act prohibiting the banks of the
state from issuing bills of less denominations
than five dollars. Silver was not plenty, and
the small bills of the banks of other states
formed a laage part of the circulating medium.
Doring this state of the currency, merchants
and Others Of the Commonwealth issued small
bills in the usual form of bank bills. There
was one bank in Maine only. the Portland
Bank, incorporated in 1899, up to 1902, when
the Maine Bank, also of Portland, was estab-
lished. By law these institutions could issue
no bills of less denomination than five dollars,
until the repeal of the law in 1906 In 1904, in
this crisis John Taber & Son issued private
bills for the sums of one, two. three and four
dollars. These private bills were the only ones
issued as currency in Portland. The reputation
of the Tabers for integrity and peeuniary abil-
ity to redeem their obligations at sight was
so we'll established that their bills were sought
for in preference to the smsil bills in other
states. OF which there were numerous counter
feits, and 'Tabers bills" formed very large
part of the circulating medium Of Cumberland
coun9y. Portland, and indeed all the CONNER
cial towns of the Common wealth, were then in
the enjoyment of a profitable mercantile, and
of course good mechanical business,
This season of commercial prosperity con-
tinued until 1906, when in November Bona
parte, the imperial ruler of France, being at
war with England, from the palace Of the King
of Russia, whom he had dethroned, he issued
his famous "Berin Decree" declaring the
British Islands in state OF blockade. 10
November, 1907, Great Britain retaliated with
her "orders in council" interdlcting all trade
with neutrals, not in amity with herself. The
British Kiog was hard pushed for men, aud he
ordered his naval commanders to seize his
subjects 10 whatever foreign service they might
be found, the officers to ba judges of nation
atty. This arrogant claim of the right to
search their vessels and impress whom they
pleased embittered the people of the United
States, and 10 December, 1907, Congress laid an
embargo on the shipping in ali the harbors of
the nation, thinking that this non.lntercourse
would starve England and France into better
manners, but its first operation was to starve
their own people and bankrupt nearly the
whole business community.
During the first year of the embargo about
thirty mercantile firms of Portland failed, and
among them was that of John Taber & Son,
who had come to be commonly called John
Tsberson." Probably this abor0vation of the
firm name was because the son was not so
much respected as the father. Daniel was a
sportsman and pursued pleasure in preference
to business. An aged gentleman of the city
informs me that when boy he often accom-
panied Daniel on his shooting excursions, to
pick up the birds, and never failed to receive
Taber bill for his services, which passed as
silver coin. 1t was said that when Daniel
wanted money, witch was often, he filled out
and signed new batch of bills, unknown to
the father, who never lost the respect of his
fellow citizens, except those whose standard OF
responsibility was money.
| will relate one amusing anecdote OF the
many have heard, of which the capital was
Taber money. After his failure, John Taber
called on his former partner, Samuel r. Hus
sey, who had not failed, for a settlement,
knowing that there was balance due to Taber
The settlement showed balance Of sixty dol
lars in Taber's favor. The debtor deliberately
counted out the amount in Taber's bills, and
handed them to the creditor. Taber was dis
appointed as he needed the money, and uu-
doubtedly thought this was sharp practice for
thee knows friend Hussey, this money is not
good now" Hussey retorted, swell, well,
that is not my fault. Thee ought to have
made it be tier" The large amount of Taber's
bills, in the possession of the working classes,
tress. By the care of my ancestors am en-
abled to show samples of these bills. They
have on the margin Latin notices, of which
this is translation: "What are laws without
morals" Rather restrain than punish" Tnis
is the form adopted in the bills On the ends,
Massachusetts. One dollar"
No 43O.
We promise to pay Hugh Mcclellan or
bearer on demand, one dollar at No. 10 Union
Wharf, Portland.
of 1914
JOHN TABER & Son.
= Attest: N. PRATT.
Pratt was the cashier and book keeper, and
redeemed these bills with silver on presenta
ton, until the failure. He married Taber's
daughter. There was large and respectable
family Of daughters and sons, except one son
who attempted to rob his father. In disguise,
he waylaid him in the night, and demanded
his money, but the father knew his voice and
sad "Reuben is this thee" which disar med
the would be robber and he fled. Joshua
another son was lost in the private armed brig
Oars of Portland, in 1914.
: John Taber first lived in Portland, in two
story wooden house, which s4o0d on franklin
street, near the east corner of Federal street.
His last residence was in a house which stood
on the north corner of Congress and Wilmot
Streets formerly occupied by Parson Smith.
In this house Mr. Taber died in 1911. Both of
these houses were burnt in the great fire in
1866.
The next paper was one by r. K. Sewall,
ESQ, entitled, Assistance rendered by the
Maine colonists to the Plymouth colony during
their famine in 1621--2. The burden of the
paper was to show that the provisions furnished
the Plymouth colonists could not have come
from the fishermen. but must have come from
Maine. He also dwelt at some length npon the
evidences found at Pemaquid that there was
large village and place OF business there several
centuries ago.
81. W. Richardson, Editor Of the Advertiser,
read paper on
THE PEMAQUID COUNTRY UNDER THE sTUARTs.
Three manuscripts, curonsly illustrating the
condition of the Pemaquid people in 1886, have
recently come to light, and deserve place on
the records. though the owner does not yet
surrender them for the archives of the Maine
Historical Society.
The grant of Sagadahoc bestowed by King
Charles III on his brother the Duke OF York
was defined in the charter as "all that part of
the main land of New England beginning at
certain place called and known by the name