Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-18


cles thrown in the way OF its development and
the difficulty in getting to it its progress is
marvellous Having some business here took
the $40 I'm. express train from Bangor, trav-
eled IN a northeasterly direction for about
eighty miles, then in q southeasterly direction
about thirty-ive miles to vanceboro on the
state line, where, after spending an hour with
the custom house officers, who dug down to the
bottom of our satchels, though we showed him
through tickets to Houlton, we were'
permitted to travel on six miles fur
| ther to McAdam Junction. where, after
enjoying for three hours moonlight inspec-
| ton OF the bouiders left there by some meteoric
showers we proceeded in q northwest direction
Al miles to Debec Junction, then after chang
ing cars again rode due west eight miles, reach
ing Houlton at q. m. making the distance of
1863 miles on express trains in about ten hours,
or about IL miles per hour. which IL about one
third the speed now made between Washington
and New York. The people of Houlton when
they 60 by rail to Bangor are obliged to travel
So miles throug a foreign country to Vance
| boro Junction, where, after having expended
81. 80 in what should be unnecessary railroad
fare, wasted from two to five hours time and
been overhauled by a custom-house officer they
| find themselves about 10 miles further away
from Bangor than when they started. For
twenty years the people OF Houlton have been
| subjected TO this unnecessary expense and
annoyance, with
NO IMMEDIATE PROSPECT OF RELIEF.
Over 200 carloads Of potatoes arc shipped
from here every year, besides three times as
many more from the town above, all Of
| which, after being hauled from IS to 120
miles through foreign country, returns to tho
United States to be distributed in largo
cities at an unnecessary expense of at least S15
per car, or say $4,000 per year. 1t is estimated
| that the citizens Of Houlton and vicinity are
| required to pay over goo, 900 per year in I'M
| necessary freight and passenger charges to the
Canadian Pacific railroad for the privilege of
| going out OF their way through the woods and
among the rocks OF desolate foreign terri
| tory. The time the people are obliged to waste
| in this unnecessary travel probably amounts to
$50, 900 or more annually, all OF which unneces-
sary expenditures would i'll ten years pay the
| cost of a railroad from Houlton to Bancroft
station on the Maine Central railroad, a dis
lance of less than fifty miles. Either the state
| of Maine or the United States should come to
tho relief of Aroostook county and construct
this much-needed railroad.
! This town was incorporated March g. 1891. 1t
| takes its name from one of the early settlers.
| Though i'll wilderness it is older than most Of
| the cities east of the Mississippi river. Dur
ing the Madawaska wars in 1889 the govern
| ment built u military road from Bangor
| through Houlton to Madawaska, which has
given the settlers an outlet and been of great
service to them. Judging from the present
| temper of the Canadian press and people our
government may soon find it necessary to
CONSTRUCT MILITARY RAILROAD
through the same territory.
1t is rare that one sees so en.erprising q
town as this. After leaving Matawokeag juno
| ton on the Maine Central road with Mount
| Kotohdin looming up in the northwest we exc
| cute a half circle of 100 miles when it looms
| up again in the southwest, as we emerge from
! a wilderness into O high state of civilization
| a town with eight churches, graded schools,
opera house. four hotels, electric lights, sewers
| and q system OF water works with pressure
| sufficient to eXtinguish fires.
| Last week the Canadian Pacific gave cheap
J excursion to the st. Johns fair. The tickets
being only sl.5O for the round trip. good for
| five days, there was general turnout from
| both sides the line. Desiring to get the views
| gate the crops l concluded 10 join the crowd,
| composed of about one thousand men and
| women. about one-half being Canadians, and
all refined, temperate and intelligent people,
Nothing was talked Of but the tariff. McKinley's
name was on every tongue and was sometimes
preceded by an oath. Both the Canadians
| and the Nova ScOtiaps hold Mckinley response
BILE for the tariff. II he were an autocrat, with
sole power to make and execute laws. he could
| not be held more responsible. Neither the
| President nor Senator Aldrich, who had charge
| of the tariff bill in the Senate, are taken into
| account at all.
| IT IS ALL M'KINLEY
| and the Mckinley bill with the Canadians. I
found myself In hot water all the time. The
excursionists being composed Of people living
close to the line on either side, many Of whom
| have intermarried and are near neighbors, it
| was interesting to hear them discuss this vexed
! question. Learning that was from Washing
| ton the Maine farmers took it for granted that
| / was tariff man. and having potatoes to sell,
| on which the duties are increased to Is cents
/ hal 1an nha1 ont in Of NIX I'm
! ley and ecstatic congratulations on the passage
| OF what they call his bill. On the same seat
| would be a cousin or an uncle who lives just
| over the line on the Canada side who also has
potatoes TO sell and nothing but curses for Nc
| Kinley. wish he had been along. He surely
would have enjoyed the scene. "You have de-
prived US OF our Market" says one. "What
shall we do with our potatoes?"
| l answered, Send them to the starving
| Irish"
But the Irish have no more money" was
the reply.
We'll, England has plenty Of money; let
| her invest in your potatoes some of her sur
\ plus that she is putting into syndcates to COB
BILE up every profitable business in the United
States, and then send those potatoes to feed
her starving subjects in Ireland"
"But England is too selfish to buy our pota-
| toes TO be given away to the Irish; she wants
! interest every dollar of her money. What
shall we do2 Our potatoes will rot in our eel
1
bushel duties"
Then" 1 replied, 'send your potatoes to
| Ireland on your own account, rather than let
them rot in your cellars, and follow this up by
| cutting loose from England and joining the
United States. Do this and you will always
| have a market for your potatoes
"Oh, we can never think Of that" was the
| answer. I'VE can mover give up our allegiance
| to the English government"
Then" l said, ''get out OF you dilemma the
best way you can; but suppose you examine
your own tariff law before casting any more
| stones at Mckinley and see il you are not now
| taking a little of your own medicine" Then
producing copy Of Twins hand book OF the
Canada tariff which was revised at Ottawa last
| year, long before the passage, or even intro
duction, OF the Mckinley bill proceeded to
| read the duties
ON ARTICLES OF AMERICAN PRODUCE,
as follows: Potatoes, Is cents per bushel; ap-
Piles, 40 cents per barrel admitted free into the
United States previous to the passage Of the
Mckinley bilD, butter, cents per pound;
cheese, cents per pound grapes, cents per
pound; dried apples, cents per pound;
peaches, cent per pound; hay, 40 per cent ad
valorem; poultry, 20 per cent ad valorem;
beans, 10 cents per bushel; oysters, 8 to 5 cents
per can; oysters in shell, rs per cent ad valorem
live hogs, 2 per cent ad valorem; besides 8, 600
| other items, among them dogs, on which there
is duty Of 20 per cent ad valorem.
Now, my friends" I said. do you not think
| IL would better before indulgiug in any further