The Portland daily press., 1889-02-21
[From the Kennebec journal. !

Mr.. Payson Tucker is the Superintendent
of the Maine Central Railroad, which was
Eastern Sections Of the State, and for the
convenience of the entire people. We have
always considered him an honorable an
fair-minded man, who would scorn to use
his official position for one locality, for sec
tional scheme, against the rights and inter
ests of other sections from which the Maine
Central Railroad draws its support. We be-
lieve he understands official properties, and
has a clear appreciation of the fact, that the
public of Maine would not tolerate that the
position of chief manager of the Maine sys-
tenn of railroads should be turned to the uses
of political boss, and we defend him from
the implication until conclusive facts show
to the contrary We cannot believe that he
IS willing to use his railroad authority in the
manner the following document plainly indi-
Gates. Regarding him gentleman and a
man of honor, we den0unce the following
manifesto as forgery, of which Mr.. Tucker
had no knowledge until it appeared in print.
lFrom the Biddeford Standard, Feb. 1871
The following despatch was received by Iris
tram Goldthwait, Jr.. this afternoon from Payson
Tucker, which is self explanatory:
A delegation from the Portland Board of Trade
will leave Portland next Monday at pm. special
train for Augusta to attend The hearing on the
question OF removal OF State House to Portland.
II delegation OF your citizens aud Of the Board
OF Trade OF Biddef0rd and Sac0 would accompany
us we shall be glad, and the favor at this time
would never be forgotten Will you do me the
and come yourself, and bring with YOU deIeea
tons. All OF the boards of trades in Cumberland
county will be largely represented. and we have
York county. Lewiston, Auburn ana Bath are GO
ing; Don't fall TO give us delegation from Saco
and Blddeiord. The committee ON train will sup
ply tickets and pay expenses, Lunch will be sery-
ed on the train, and your party can return by the
night Pullman train to their homes.
We have no personal knowledge In regard
to the despatch printed by the Standard but
presume it is genuine. But genuine or not
there is nothing at all in it on which to base
any charge or insinuation that Mr. Payson
Tucker is using his position as superinten-
dent of the Maine Central railroad to
further the project Of moving the capital TO
Portland. Mr.. Tucker was appointed Janu-
airy 10 one of the members of the committee
of the Portland Board of Trade to take
measures to secure the removal of the capt.
tai to Portland. Did the fact that he was
superintendent of the Maine Central railroad
disqualify him from serving on the commit
tee or make itimproper for him to do SOP Be
cause the Maine Central railroad was chart
cred by the State and built partly by the
money Of residents of Eastern and Central
Maine, is its superintendent debarred OF the
privilege which every other citizen OF Port
land has Of advocating the removal of the
capital to this city and laboring to that end?
We de not believe that the propretOrs of the
Kennebec journal, who are also the State
printers, deriving large revenue from the
tax payers of the whole State, will be incon-
sistent enough to take that ground after
ha
cular containing the insinuation that
Portland proposes 100000 capitol, de
signed and Intentionally designed, to pre-
judice the people OF the State against the
removal scheme. We do not believe that the
Hon. William Penn Whitehouse, judge of
one of the State courts, who ably argued
Augustus cause before the legislative COM
mittee will be likely to take that view But
this constitutes the sum and substance of
Mr.. fuckers offending. All he did in re-
gard to the Biddeford delegation was done
in his capacity as member of that committee.
There is not a word or syllable in the despatch
to Mr.. Goldthwaite that intimates, even in
the remotest manner, that the Maine
Central railroad, or himself in his capacity
as superintendent of the Maine Central rail-
roao' was at all interested in the removal
project. On the contrary the language clear
~ negatives any such idea, and the Kennebec
Journals insinuation that Mr.. Tucker in
this despatch or in any other wav
has used or attempted To use the
maii.e oentrai railroad or, his position
as hs SUPERINTENDENT to further the
removal project is born of either stupid