The Portland daily press., 1885-02-23

| and were these matters easily dealt with In a
i public meeting and public discussion it would
all be very well. But enterprises Of this sort and
1 transactioEs involving business interests Of so
| great an amount, are not easily dealt With by
public meetings, where the matters cannot ne
| fully discussed, where all ears cannot be
| reached, where all sorts Of poison may b.
| poured into the ear without your being able to
offer the antidote, and where all sorts of rival
| interests may excite pre- ejudces. NV judgment
| Is, it is very much better to trust the men
| whom we are willing to trust with all the other
| momentous interests of the city than TO throw
1 this matter into public hubbub and scramble
| without any man knowing what he is doing or
| what is being done.
MR.. cHAPMAN's REMARKS.
Chas. ]. Chapman said:
L have been very much interested in listen
| ing TO the remarks of Judge Webb. l think
| the city OF Portland is to be congratulated
most heartily upon having such gentleman
| to act in the capacity OF a trustee in the PORT
land q Ogdensburg railroad. l believe he has
acted, as he states, in the interest of the city
| OF Portland, aud do not think there ia a
| gentleman in the city who DOUBTS but that
| is so, and 1t was entirely unnecessary for him
10 make the statement among people to whom
be is SO well and so favorably known. But,
gentlemen, cannot entirely agree with kim
upon one sutj sct. / cannot help noticing also
that Judge Webb himself is rather OF the
| opinion that it is good thing that legislation
| on the Portland & Ogdensburg has been sus-
pended temporarily at least ct the capitol He
has stated to you himself that the bill is not
perfect; that there are most serious and grave
defects in 1t. That being the case, it Is for
tunate for us that we know II, and no harm
| can result from public discussion OF the at
/ ter. Now, until he had spoken had supposed
| that this bill, framed by three OF the most
eminent railroad lawyers and attorneys in the
| State, was perfect bill. did not undertake
to crticise it, and in Offering my resolutions l
hAr fr1au .A.1 n
| Now we do approve of the bill, and the reason
| Why | inserted it was that the inference might
be ii We did not insert it, that by offering
the amendment disapprove of the
bill in general. That is not the case,
we approve of the bill We kaow perfectly
| well all of these facts which have been rected
| TO as this evening by Judge Webb We know
perfectly well that the Portland & O2densburg
Railroad Company must be reorgsnized ana
We know that under that reorganization as
proposed by the bill the city of Portland holds
the controlling interest in the stock. And our
ouly purpose in Offering these resolutions Is
that the city OF Portland shall hold the
controlling interest ia the stock until it dis
poses OF that road in such q way and such
manner AS the people of the city of Portland
after fall, lair and deliberate discussion shall
approve. New, the osly amend
ment that proposed TO offer to the bill suppos-
Ing II to bs perfect was this; that DILL provides
| that the city council of Portland shall have
authority to sell or LEASE to any foreign or do
mestic corporation its interest in the P. & o.
Railroad.
Now gentlemen believed that although the
bill was perfect so far IS It went il didn't 60
quite far enough; that the city council of Port
land should not be entrusted With the grave
responsibility Of disposiDg of the city's inier-
est in this road The responsibility is too
| great to put upon any body Of Inen chossn in
the manner 10 which the members of our city
government are chosen. They are men chos.
1 without r9fArauc6 nuhlie
men taken at Random, men not always of the
utmost independence of character, and men
not always of great will power. Very few
men can withs aud an organized pressure
brought uDon them, and If small body OF
| men, a sIn all minority in the city of Portland,
| Influential men, determine to carry a project
through the ci'y government, my experience
| Of five years service in that CRY government
convinces me that they can do 1t.
Now eighteen Years ago 1T was deemed Of
sufficient Importance by Judge Webb and by
our leading men that the city Of Portland
should mortgage itself to the extent of several
millions OF dollars TO secure new competing
line nj travel to the West We did SO. We
have secured that line Of travel. What was
the state of affairs at the time We voted that
money? It cost 20 cents per bushel more TO
lay down a barrel of Hour, and ten cents for a
bushel of corn in the city of Portland than in
the city of Boston. That road was built.
What was the condition after it was built and
up to few months agO? A barrel OF -four
aud bushel of corn could be put down ia the
city of Portland and even in the city of Lewis
ton at the same price as in Boston. 1t gave
our merchants the advantage OF competing
wi the city OF Boston and it enlarged our
trade. Consolidation took place between the
Boston and Maine and the Eastern and what
is the state of affairs now? 1t costs ten cents
more to lay down barrel or flour in Portland
than in Boston and five cents more for bUshel
OF corn. Whv are not all rates advanced in
the Same way? The Ogdensburg is serving its
purpose, it is competing road.
Nov, a few months ogo we had an interest
in the Portland Il RocnesteIs IA lroad. Then
we could snip a barrel Of -four to Lowell, Mass
for ten cents, and We could e. to Boston half
dollar cheaper than We co1la by the Boston &
Maine and Eastern. We could ship a barrel
of -four to Concord, N H., cheaper than B0s-
ton could. We had fast freight line from
New York bringing stuff through at low trans-
portation rates. Ii made competition and it
hurt other railroads. Notice the result! 1t
was quickly and quietly obtained by the Bos-
ton q Maine and Eastern. How, openly? No,
under cover. was in the city government at
the time that railroad was sold and it was sold
BY public aaction and venture the assertion
without fear of contradiction that there was
not single man in that City government and
not twenty i've in the city of Portland who
knew who were its purchasers. We know now.
Now, suppose the same course should be pur-
sued in reference to the Ogdens0urg, where
should we be? We should be the sister city of
Portsmouth and Salem. The Grand Trunk
would advance their rates whenever they had
no Cut in any other direction.
Now am one who believes in the will of the
people. l know the argument is used that
nothing should be referred TO the people be-
cause they are bought up by railroad rides
and by money. admit there is too much OF it
but have not lost nv confidence yet in the
coed sense and good judgment of the people.
The only trouble is, The people are deceived,
but when they know what is right they will
act according TO their conviction
Now, bslieve that this sale or lease should
not be entrusted to the City government with
out ratification by the people, and if l was a
member OF the city government, / should pre-
fer to have my action ratified by the people at
the polls, and let them share the responsibility
of it. Should we consider it safe Tor the city
government OF any City to have the authority
to vote large sums of money without a ratifca-
ton by the people? Should the city govern
ment of Portland, III your judgment, be
authorized by the legislature to vOte two mil
lions and half Of dollars to bnild a railroad?
You say no. Then why should it be author,z-
cd to convey away two millions and half ia
vested in railroad, and all our other interests
without the ratification aud consent OF
the people? 1t TOOK a two.thirds vote to
carry the loan, and why should 1t not take
tWo-thirds vote TO get rid Cf the result of the
loan? Are We going against history ia recon-
msndiDg this thing; are we going contrary 10
precedehts? challenge any gentleman in this
audience 10 point out single Case in the State
oi Maine, in any city where the interest of the
CITY has been conveyed away by the city couu-
Gil without ratification by the people, except IN
single instance; aud is that precedent one of
which We are 80 proud thai We wish to repeal
1t?
Bath, when the Maine Central wished to
loan its credit to the Knox & Lincoln was not
contented TO let the city council vote upon it,
bat required the consent OF the people, aud Vet
Senator Kimball denied the right OF the people
TO vote upon similar question. Does he con-
sder the people of Bath more intelligent than
the people of Portland?
Ii seems tn me that these things mean some,
thing, but they may not mean anything. l
have no charge to make against anybody. l
believe the trustees of the p & o. Y. r. have
done their duty in every respect, aud every-
body connected with the road, from The officers
down have doUe their best for the interest of the
city OF Portland. But, we are making leeisla-
ton and When we make 1t we want to MAKE n
right. We want to N Ike il so as to protect
ourselves, and, therefore, knowing the feelings
of the business men of Portland, | went to
Augusta TO ask the railroad committee t.
throw around this bill sn additional safeguard
so that when its interest should Do sJd or
leased by vote Of the city council, their ac-
tions should be ratified by the people of this
city. But for some reason or other which |
cannot understand. the