The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-03-27
COL. MOORE OPPOSED TO THE CHARTER
Senate Refers the Westbrook Rail-
road to the Next LEGISLATURE.
Major Dlckey's Pet Scheme Vigor-
ously Sat Down Upon.
Odds and Ends of the Tax Matters
Gathered Up.


morning voted to refer the matter of the In
corporation of the Portland and Westbrook
Street Railroad Company to the next legis.
lature. The House several days ago adopted
the minority report of the railroad commit
tee in favor Of granting the charter and the
papers came to the Senate from the House.
When the matter was called up, Senator
Moore in moving non-concurrence with the
House and the acceptance of the majority
report against granting the charter. made a
strong argument In support of the position
of the majority of the committee. Senator
Hunt of Waldo, who signed the minority re-
port, briefly stated his position. Senator
Libby of Androscoggin followed. Mr.. Lib
by pointed out why he regarded the charter
as perhaps being the cover for a stock spec
ulation and spoke convincingly of the dan
gers attending the granting of the charters
unless the rights conveyed by them were
carefully defined. Senator Libby, at the
conclusion of his remarks, moved that the
matter be referred to the next legislature.
Thts question took precedence over the mo-
tion of Mr.. Moore and the vote on 1t was
taken by yeas and nays, resulting IL In favor
and II against. The Senate had accordingly
voted to refer the matter to the next legisla-
ture. The Senators stood as follows on the
vote:
YEAs-Messrs. Adams, Grindle, Libby of An
droscoggin, Mallet, Mehan, Moore, Nash, Nut
Swanton, Thatcher, Walton, Warren.
NAYs-Messrs. Gilmore, Haines, Harper, Hunt,
Mayo, sherman, Smith, Spear, Stewart, Wadlin,
Wilbur.
Messrs. Chaplin and Giles were paired.
Mr.. Libby of Androscoggin then moved
the reconsideration OF the vote, the usual
parliamentary procedure TO settle the ques-
tion, but as Messrs. Ryder and Walton OBJ
jected to this as not being compatible with
the dignity of the Senate the motion was
House and should that body adhere to its
former action it will request committee of
conference.
The bill was sent back TO the House this
afternoon, and that body voted to insist and
appointed committee consisting of Messrs,
Allen, Noble aud Hiscock. The Senate has
not yet acted on the matter.
The following is Colonel Moore's speech
In support of the majority report
SENATOR MooRE's SPEECH.
Mr.. President, move to take from the
table the minority and the majority reports
of the committee on railroads, telegraphs and
expresses. being House bill No. 70 and House
bill No. 273, and that the Senate non-cOncur
in the action taken by the House upon the
bills. also move the acceptance of the ma
j0rity report of said committee, and upon
this motion wish to offer few remarks.
Among the large number of bills referred
to your committee on railroads, during the
present session, were number of charters
for electric railroads. Many Of these char
ters contain the names OF one or more Of the
same gentlemen, whose names will be found
In House bills No. 80, 65, 1873, 1856 and Senate
bills 174 and 1856. who have been asking the
legislature to g. ant them exclusive and per-
manent rights to the streets and roads of our
cities and towns throughout the state. These
charters are very similar to the one referred
to the committee in House bill No. 20. If
adopted they would grant valuable fran
chises, which belong to these cities and
towns, without consideration, to gentlemen
who have no personal or property interests
in the cities and towns where these roads are
to be located, merely to allow them to make
profit out of their prospective schemes.
In the bill under consideration, we are
asked to give these gentlemen valuable and
exclusive rights to the streets and roads of
Portland, Westbrook and Deering. without
the consent of the citizens. or the municipal
officers of the cities and towns. as to what
streets or roads they should occupy for their
railroad. All of these charters should not
only be subjected to the consent and super
vision of the municipal authorities, but to
the consent of the abutters along the streets
where the roads are to be located.
l wish to call the attention Of the Senators
to the New York law on this subject which
reads as follows:
Every such street surface railroad company
shall hereafter first obtain the consent of the To-
cal authorities having the control OF the portion
of the streets, avenues or highway included in
said railroad, or any extension or branches there
of, to the construction or operation of the same,
and also upon the condition that it has heretofore
shall herea first obtain the consent of own
OF one half in value of the property bounded on
the portion of the streets, avenues or highways
included in the route of said railroad, or any eX-
tensions or branches thereof"
Among the charters for electric roads re-
ferred to your committee which have been
-f1A rx.t~f 30 Hall NN
not to pass" are those of Bar Harbor, Cam
den, Warren, Belfast, Bangor, suburban,
and othsrs which your committee have
deemed 1t wise and in the interests of the
peoplet0 report adversely upon, as they were
not made subject to the approval of the citi-
zens of the cities and towns where the roads
were to be located, and as The legislature
had already granted in some of the cities and
towns charters to local parties for steam and
electric roads over the same territory which
these electric charters covered.
The legislature has accepted the recon-
mendatiOns of your committee in every in
stance except the one under consideration,
and l trust they will accept the majority re-
port of the committee under the present
charter. Two charters for electric street
railroads through the streets OF Portland,
Deering and Westbrook were referred to
your committee on railroads, the Suburban
Street Railroad being Senate bill No. 48, and
the WestbroOk Street Railroad being House
bill No. 20.
"A public hearing was had upon both of
these charters. There appeared before your
committee a number of the c0rporators
named in each of the charters. These gen.
tlemen asked that their respective charters
should receive favorable report from the
committee, and the Portland Railroad
Company, and the Portland & ROca,
president by letter. The selectn 9n
of the town of Deering and Its rep.
resentatlye appeared in opposition to grant
ing either of the above mentioned charters
then before the committee. The city Of
Portland, under its last administration,
through its mayor and other city officials.
have requested your committee, through Its
chairman, to report ad Yersely upon all char
ters that asked for rights in the streets OF
Portland unless the same were MADE strictly
subject to municipal control The corpora,
tors In the suburban charter were men OF
ample means, and mostly residents of Port.
land and Deering, and the Senators will no.
tlce by Senate bill No. 48, that they were
subject, as to the route, to the consent Of the
municipal officers of the cities and towns
through which the road was to pass.
The Suburban charter was also opposed by
the Portland Railroad Company and the
Portland d Rochester Railroad Company.
The committee, believing that no new char
ters should be granted over this territory, re.
ported adversely upon the suburban CHAR
ter: Senate bill No. 49,
Seven of your committee have report.
| ed adversely upon the charter asked for
| by the Westbr00k Street Railroad Comnanv
| for reasons given above, and for the fnrthes
| reasons that the corporation ask the lepisIa.
| ture to grant them authority to locate their
| road over and through the streets of port
| land, Deering and Westbrook, without the
| consent of the citizens of the cities and
| towns through which this road is to pass.
That the construction and maintenance of
| their road is not subject wholly to the will
of the municipal officers of the cities and
| towns through which it is to pass. That the
cOrp0rarOrs should be restricted in the issne
of their bonds TO the actual amount of their
capital stock subscribed for ard paid in On
as to prevent speculative use of their char,
ter. Neither should they have the right to
change their location, after the same has
been accepted, without the consent of the
citizens of the cities and towns and the leo.
islature,
The Portland Railroad Company have
been granted authority by the present legis.
| lature to increase its capital stock for The
| purpose of extending and equipping its road
with electric plant into the town Of Deerino
| and the city of Westbrook. The granting M
| charter to cover the same territory covered
| by the Portland Railroad Company would he
| unjust to the people who have invested thei,
| capital in this enterprise. Further. tina,
| there is no pressing demand from the peonle
| of Portland, DeeriDg and WestbrOok for On
| electric railroad over the route named in the
| charter presented by the minority of the
| committee; and that that portion of the city
| of WestbroOk which would be served bv ths
road called for by the Westbrook charte,