The Portland daily press., 1879-09-05
BLAINE ON STATE ISSUES.
What He Says About the Railroads of the
State.

In the hurry of condensing the report of
Senator Blaine's Gorham speech some omis-
sions and inaccuracies were made. Our re-
porter's full notes show that what Mr. Blaine
did say about the railroads of the State was as
follows:
Twenty-Five years ago when the "Republ-
can misrule" began in this State there was
single line of railroad from our principal city
running west. What is now the Maine Cen
tral ran toward the east, and the Grand Trunk
to the north with western connections To-
day we see four great lines of rail running
from Portland to the West and South,
and to-day, counting the Maine Cen
trail, as it may well be counted, as
three lines, one to the upper Kennebec, one to
the Penobscot, and one with its connections on
the coast line, Portland is to-day the entreport
of seven great and important lines of railway
In 1856 in those ancient days of Democratic
prosperity to which we are invited to RETURN
you could not visit half the counties in Maine
You could not then enter Franklin County by
rail- nor Lincoln, nor Knox, nor Waldo, nor
Hancock nor Washington, nor Aroostook nor
Piscataquis. You had just grazed the edge OF
Somerset, and you had barely entered PenoD-
scot. To-day every county i'll the State is
reached by rail and all of these lines been built
during the twenty-five years of 'RepuDlican
misrule'' as it Is termed by Mr.. Eben f. Pills
bury!
Mr.. Blaine's review of the financial condi-
ton of Maine twenty-five years ago-when the
Republicans came into power in Maine-will
bear to be repeated.
cat that time, in 1885," said Mr.. Blaine,
''the people of Maine were without surplus
capital They had very little on hand that
represented gains and profits. They had eleven
small Savings Banks with aggregate deposits
of about 5000, ,OO0-never reaching SO high
as single million. To-day counting in
their Government bonds, the Savings Banks
of Maine have wellnigh twenty-five millions
of actual savings ON deposit, all OF it belong
ing to the people of Maine, and divided be-
tween 81, 900 depositors Look at the Portland
of 1856 and the Portland of 1879, despite the
calamity of the great fire of 1866. The one
savings bank in Portland then had but little
over one hundred thousand dollars OF deposits.
To-day the savings banks of Portland and the
county of Cumberland have nearly eight mil
lions of dollars on hand. And it is just the
same differing only in ndegree-throughout the
State. Look at the marvellous growth OF Au-
burn and Lewiston, and look at the increase OF
wealth in every direction i'll Maine. The State ON
the aggregate has gained more property during
the twenty-five years of so-called Republican
misrule" than it had gained during its whole eX-
istence prior to that date. This may sound like
an exaggerated statement, but | appeal to the
sober test of facts and figures. There is not
man of intelligence who will not admit that
the valuation of Maine is considerably more
than double--indeed one hundred and fifty
per cent greater than 1t was i'll 1856 And all
this under Republican misrule" Of such
''misrule' the State of Maine cannot have too
much, and they will return to it by i vote OF
Monday next in the election of Daniel e..
Davis"