The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-19
A CANADIAN RAILWAY GRAB.
Sharp Scheme Which Enables the Canadian
Pacific to Reach the Seaboard in Winter.

NEW YORK, Feb. 1a-Double loaded. and in
thesmost conspicuous position its editorial
page, the Sun this morning prints the following
'On the I'd of February. 1871. the State OF Maine
chartered company TO build An east and west
line OF railroad across its northern territory,
named the Penobscott & Lake Megansic An
amendment of its charter made on the 25th OF
February 1881 thorized the corporation TO lease
or sell it's line of road and property to any oter
railroad company, domestic foreign The
purpose of this amendment was to enable the
Canadian Pacific Railroad Company build
and operate portion of its transcontinental
act of amendment changed the
Maine conpany's to the Inter
national Railway. Company of Maine
March. 1857. extended to the roads lessees
purchasers the time in which it was 70 be COM
pIeted TO the lst of January, 1882 The road,
property, and franchises of the Intern ational
railway Of Maine were sold to the Canadian Pa
cifc company, and are now owned by that COM
pany, and this British corporation is building
in n hurry the most important portion of its
tire line on and across United States territory,
without the permission. and almost without the
knowledge Of our Congress. The Gulf of ST
Lawrence 10 closed by ice for nearly six months
in the year. It is the commercial necessity OF
rhe Dominion of Canada to have free access to
tn . winter harbors Of her maritime provinces A
map OF North America shows that the con-
structed aud located line of the Canadian Pacific
railway is the straiehtest and shortest from the
Pacific to the Atlantic Tho railroad
system Of the State of Maine connects with all
the great winter harhors of the Dominion's
maritime provinces The shortest and cheapest
particularly to Louisbure, the island
of Cape Breton, is by the line Of the Interna-
tional railway of Maine. from Lake Meeantic
to the Mattawamkeag river. OF all the ports
on this continent, Louisbnre is the nearest to
Liverpool The Canadian Pacific company has
already published the trip-distance through this
erpool, IN England, to be only eleven days.
Therefore the Canadian Pacific, which is the
Canadian government on wheels encouraged
by the past and confident of the future, has de-
termined TO take and use a sx-rod- wide strip OF
the State OF Maine in order to ac-
complish this shortest route and BEST
diplomacy and American politics for sanction.
Of this seizure Of the soil of the United States.
thorized ono of her railroad corporations to sell
its propcrty and franchises to a foreign corDor-
alton, to be used and enjoyed within her bounds-
ries. Only the federal government, acting
through the Congress and the President, can
confer such authority on foreign corporation.
Commerce between any of our States and a for
of tho States, are exclusively within the power
and control of the general governments The
States cannot deal with such foreign commerce
at ALL It Is the veriest exaeeeration of lawiess-
ness the part Of the Maine government and
the Canadian Pacific Railway Company,
under which this Britlsh corporation
e operas. railroad on United s.stss s territory Il
has not tho shadow of right TO do it. So
wholly destitute or right is this pira,ical corr
poration that it, stead of buying and finishing
an uncompleted Maine railroad for it's
merce with Europe, it had leased such line, it
could not lawfully have transported goods over
1t to Halifax. Pictou, Louisburg The fret
paragraph of tho, as yet. unabrogated twenty
ninth article of the treaty of Washington covers
imports into aud exports from ports of the
United States, and not Canada. The right OF
free transit from Canadian ports through our
territory. conferred by the second paragraph OF
that article. attaches only to importations des-
tined for the United States, and
tainly this right of free transit does
not confer on Great Britain the privilege of
building railroads constructing canals within
the territory of the United States In like man.
ner, no authority can be got by the Canadian
Psciic railway to build and operate a road in
Maine out of the thirteth article of the treaty
of Washington. which was killed by the partial
abrogatou Of the treaty and the Treasury order
OF Daniel Manning, but resurrscted and
held to be in force for the benefit of the Domin-
cortrivance to enable Canadian railroads par
ticipaie in the inland commerce of the United
States, to carry freight from one point our
territory through Canada to another point in
our territory, but not to q Canadian port and
thence to Europe.
"No: the State Of Main has more authority
to legalize the operation by Canadian corpora.
tion Of 3 railroad within her territorial limits
than she has suspend the navigation laws OF
the United States on her coast, and admit Do
harbors. Indeed, If it be conceded that. under
existing treaties and laws, the Canadian Pacific
can build or operate railroad across Maine.
the right of that corporation TO build branches
from its trunk line southward into all Of our
States and Territories must also be conceded.
We call npon government to summariR
suppress this invasion of United States territory
by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company"