The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-02-13
The Competition OF Canadian Rail-
roads.

The argument of General j. II. Wilson,
formerly president of the New York and
New England Railway, before the Senate
committee on interstate commerce, in favor
of shutting out Canadian railroads from
American freights, embodies several inter-
esting points. General Wilson showed that
when the laws and regulations protecting
American ships were first made, railroads
were unknown and rnthought Of The traf-
fic between United States ports is preserved
by law exclusively for United States vessels,
and it is this wise law that keeps alive to-
day our magnificent coasting marine.
American railroads, however, are not SINH
larry protected The Grand Trunk has long
carried freights from western cities of the
United States to eastern cities of the same
country. On more extended scale the
Canadian Pacific Railway, its lines of
steamers from San Francisco to Port
Moody, and by alliances which it is making
with the railroads from the Canadian border
to eastern cities of the United States has al
ready become powerful competitor to
American railroads for the earl iage of goods
between the East and the West. The Cana
dian Pacific has two advantages which more
than c0unterbalance the greater distances
r over which it must haul: the aid of govern
ment subsidy, and the disadvantages at
which the 'long and short haul''of the inter-
State commerce bill puts its American COM
petitors. The Canadian competition, thus
favored by circumstances has begun to be
felt; and when General Wilson asks If it
can be contended that our commerce up and
dnxUu fhQ AflaDfi0 onacf or o1ap0 ho Graaf
Lakes between points exclusively within our
national jurisdiction, have any better right
to protection than commerce between other
points within our boundaries, the question
by itself seems hard to answer in any other
way than in the negative. But the ques-
ton is not wholly one between American
and Canadian railroads. From the coasting
trade Canadians have been shut out for many
years, and the law which has done this has
been definite barrier between Canadian
interests on the one side and American in
terests on the other. But a law shut
ting out Canadian railroads from car
rying freights between American points
would not divide interests entirely
Canadian from interests entirely American.
The traffic which such law would aim
at has been the growth of years. Many
Americans are interested in it, and much
American capital has been joined with the
foreign capital TO bring 1t about. A consid-
cradle portion of the line operated by the
Grand Trunk railroad was built by Portland
capital, and. the city of Portland to-day
draws revenue from this capital. More
Portland capital is invested in another road,
the Portland & Ogdensburg, one Of the OBJ
iects OF the building of which was partici-
patton with Canadian partners in through
traffic from the West. Another Maine rail-
road, the Bangor q Piscataquis. was built
as part Of the original Canadian design to-
connect the Maritime Provinces and the
West by short line. To-day Bangor is be-
ginning to see promise Of return for the
money she invested through participation
with the Canadian Pacific in Western traf-
fc. In Maine alone, without looking at all
TO the great Massachusetts and Vermont
systems that radlate from Boston to the Ca
madam border, there are important vested
interests which are not Canadian, but which
would be involved in any legislation aimed
at the Canadian roads.