The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-02-11
A one Sided measure.

IL Is curious how much more care is taken
In the act which Col. Moore says has been
agreed upon by the Portland a. Rochester
Railroad Company and the city government
of Portland to protect the interests of other
railroads than the interests of the peo
pie OF Portland. In the first section it is
specifically provided that the location
shall be subject to the joint use by other railroad
companies In such manner and upon such terms
as may be determined by the Mayor and Alder
preme Judicial Court as provided in section one
hundred aud twenty, chapter hfty-one of the Re-
yised statutes.
That Is to say if any railroad company
feels aggrieved at the conditions the Port
land q Rochester may impose it may apply
to the Board Of Aldermen for modification
OF them. Indeed it may go to the Aldermen in
the first instance. But suppose the citizens
OF Portland feel aggrleved at the uses to
which the extension Is put, what remedy
have they? None. They must grin and
bear 1t. The railroads are all carefully taken
care of. but the people are left entirely with
out "a remedy. But it win be urged
that the Portland & Rochester road is under
obligations to file before the vote is taken "a
full and complete description Of any such in
tended extension, and statement of the
terms and conditions upon which the same
shall be constructed and maintained II
granted" How definite Is this Statement
OF terms and conditions" to be madeP" A.
definite, apparently, as the Portland & Rocb-
ester Company sees fit to make II and No
mere. 1t is easy to see that this arrange
ment gives the company a tremendous ad.
vantage. To the great mass of the people
the question voted on will appear to be
simply the question whether the Portland &
Rochester shall extend its tracks along the
Park and through the poor farm. The width
OF the location, the uses to which it shall be
put and many other details, which deserve
the most careful consideration, will be entire
ly lost sight of. Indeed there is no provis-
ion in the act which makes it obligatory on
anybody to give the public any
information whatever regarding the
Portland Rochester's intentions
concerning these details The act
simply provides that the location and the
terms and conditions of its use shall be filed
with the city clerk. The Portland & Roch-
ester Company is under no obligation tn
submit them to the public, neither is the CITY
government. Apparently all that the peo-
pie have to depend on for knowledge of
these terms and conditions is their voluntary
publication by the newspapers. But ey-
en- II they get before the public the chances
are that great many Of the voters will never
read and many more not thoroughly under
stand them. AS was said above the majority
ofithe people viii vote simply on the general
question whether the road shall run along the
Park and through the poor farm, and the
practical effect Of the present bill Will be to
permit the Rochester railroad to get its ex-
tension If it gets it at all, on whatever
terms and conditions seem good to 1t. II it
wants to have the privilege some time in the
future Of using the extension for
railioad yard, IL has simply got
70 describe the proposed uses in general
or ambiguous language. Suppose it says the
extension is to be used for trafic. That does
not preclude its use for other purposes. Sup
pose IL says the extension is to be completed
In reasonable time. Who is going to deter
mine what reasonable time tsp WIN
should the city. in all these collateral ones.
lions, be left entirely to the mercy 81 tha