Daily Kennebec journal., 1890-11-15

\ Comnuuleation.
N. ESiter-Ia the JoUlHAL Of ~ iAtl
Inst. 10 an article with reference 10 the
Ksnasssc : Fasningson R. r., in which
eccufs the following;
..Gardiner people say that report Il
bsiag circslatsd to the eject that The pro
posed Keunebec a Fraaklin o. Farningses
railroad is to end 10 twe tsrn,nal points,
one u Ausasea and The other ss Gardner,
Such report they ny has no foundation
in fact. This report hasn't reached this
city - yet, though some may have thought
that Gar1ineP would desire . branch 70 the
road. which, according to present indica-
lions, will soon BE- built from Augusta "a
Farning1nn..
We defy The writer Of the above article
to hnd any party interested in The pro-
posed road from Gardiner to Farmiugton.
uho has stated that the above report hes
been circulated by Gardner people. The
statement in the article 10 man OF straw
Get up by the writer himself to knock down
for the purpose Of drawing attention ffom
the true statement that Gardiner people DO
make that the Augusta agsnts Who circu-
lated petitions in every town from Augusta
to Farmington Represented to parties oil
along the line .that the Gardiner and Au.
gusta parties had made an arrangement
that was satisfactory to all parties and have
the road run 10 both places."
H. = L.. 1t
in fact. Did il? 10 there an Augusta man
who says it did? Has the report reached
Augusta yet or had il yesterday, that the
above misrepresentation to gain petitioners
had been denied BY Gardiner peoples We
should judge from letter received from
Augusta yesterday from an Augusta party
that report Of such denial had reached
Augusta. not only from Gardiner parties
but from those along the line who were the
victims of misrepresentation. And II any
doubt exists In the mind Of the writer Of
the article in yesterdays JOURNAL % to the
fact Of misrepresentation ~ to an agree
ment between Augusta and Gardiner par
ties interested in the railroad to the Kenne-
bee, let him examine letters received by Ger
tain Gardiner parties from prominent men
from almost every town between Augusta
and Pennington. and such doubt will b.
quickly dispelled. Now II the parties who
circulated the petition between Apgusta
and Pennington deny the representation by
them made a. quoted above, let them deny
it like men, and place the contradiction
squarely in the face Of the men Who have
stated and written that they did make such
representations, not set up minor miarepre
sentations TO divert attention from the false
aud injurious ones. Gardiner parties arr
perfectly willing to leave this part Of the
controversy to the parties along the line
who claim to have been misled and the
parties who misled them.
The writer further says. "But further.
more, the Gardiner projectors claim tha,
Franklin county people regard that city n
the natural outlet of the road and will con
tribute to have il come there rather than to
any other place on the river. HeretOfoSs
the people of Franklin county hare been
considered capable Of doing their own
thinking on such matters"
We believe this to be strictly true. and
when the Pennington people at lste s'aes
of proceedings I'M the light of true, moi
false representations, give expression te
their "thinking," we hope the Augusta
writer will have the same high opinion
Of their ability to think independently and
correctly which he now entertains. Aud
this high opinion we would request moi
only for the people of Pennington snt
vicinity but for those along the whole line.
Again 1t is claimed that Augusts of sri
greater advantages for the proposed road
than Gardiner. True, Augusta has th,
Capitol, jail and Insane Asylum.
That an Insane Asylum 10 important IL
determining the terminus of . railroad IL
truly novel. and the only way In which We
can account for the Augusta writer's solici
tude on this point 10 that he thnks his rail.
road will have an important business in
transporting his petitioners. Augusta may
be larger city, but not . larger centre
than Gardiner, and If statistics are examin
ed it will be found that Gardiner, last year
WAS third among the cities of the State il
It's shipments Of freight. The writer sayi
Augusta has good facilities for tran,
shipment of freight. here. She can tsans
ship it twice before it strives on the BostoI
steamers or other large vessels."
But how about Gardiner We cain
and we think we can maintain, that Gar
diner 10 the natural terminus of the pro
posed road from Pennington.
This is no new scheme for the city O.
Gardiner and towns along the proposed
route, as surveys were made for the rou,,
several years ago, but an old and slumber
ing enterprise which has been brought t,
life and activity by the building of the
Phillips & Rangeley railroad, which OPEN
up an immense freight and passenger bust
ness to and from the RaDgeley LAX,
regions, whose natural outlet IL at the heat
of navigation at Gardiner.
The new road will be . marrow guaae
thus making through line from Rang. lie,
to water way without change.
The advantages Of this enterprise are ap
parent upon the slightest investi cation
First, it will shorten the haul to . waite
way from Pennington and all point
above. forty miles; second. it will give
through line from Pennington and al
points above without trar sfer Of freigh,
a. now 1t has to be done from narrow :,
broad guage cars third, II will secure niae
tenths of all the travel toto the Rangele,
regions. BY the proposed line, by the wa
of Gardiner, travellers can take the bost j
Boston. obtain good nights rest, take tn
train at Gardiner in the morning, and III
rive at Rangeley At one O'Clock, Gavin
seven or eight hours Of the fatigue Q
| travelling
Is Gardiner the proper terminus on ih
Kennebec for this proposed road? Tn
question answers itself Whatever els
may be claimed, this city is the head Q
all navigation and always will be for q
large vessels. The Boston steamers sto
here and all freight which comes by thei
from places further up the river has to b
Transferred to . smallsr boat. Gsrdine
10 without question the point at which th
new road should come to the Kenoebec.
"Neiiber the people of this or Frankli
county want = railroad on psper." W
concur with this idea thoroughly and bav
simply TO say ~ . criterion Of which cit
will buill the road, that while Augusta "a
building the Togus road on paper We bull
it on steel rails with Gardiner capital an
are nov running it with success. We hsv
only to say that if the legislature grants u
a charter, we ehaIl buiId the road ne,
season. GARDINER.