The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-02-20
WILL NOT SHOOT PIGEONS JUST YET.
The House Votes Against the Bill,
Ten to One.
All About the AroostSok Railroad
Plans on Paper.
Cumberland commissioners win
Have Salaries Instead Of Fees.
Especial to the Press.1


AUGUSTA, February 19.--Away up almost
at the northernmost point In Maine is the
little village of Van Buren, which, accord
ing to the census of 1880, had 1856 polls and
estates valued at $i11.670 Van Buren, is on
the st. John river. Opposite. on the Cana
dian side of the river, runs the line of the
Canadian Pacific road. But it is not as
way station on this great Canadian line that
Van Buren, hopes to secure the benefits Of a
railroad connection. AS Van Buren, is at
the extreme end of the garden of Maine, it
will be towards this town that the builders
of the Bangor & Aroostook railroad will
push their line. There has been so much
said about Aroostook railroad schemes be-
fore this legislature that what is now a mat
ter Of the construction Of one road may
seem to one who has read, from time to time,
dispatches concerning the PenobscOt e
Aroostook and the Bangor & Aroostook
rather confusing.
Hon. Albert A. Burleigh. leading citizen
of Aroostook, was the father of the scheme
to build the Penobscot & Aroostook. which
was to reach Van Buren, and have connec.
tion with Hoult0D, Presque Isle and the 9TH
er leading towns of the prosperous region
from which it expected to ct its business.
Now the citizens of Aro0st00k county are
largely farmers. They are prosperous, and
live In a land Of plenty. but few of them
had any large amount of money to invest in
railroad. So, MIR. Burleigh's pan was for
the county to lend its aid to the project Mr..
Burleigh ask ed a charter for his line from
the legislature. At the same time numerous
petitions were sent In, signed by ArOosto *
county people, asking that the county might
lend its aid in the building of a railroad.
All this had been done when a new plan ap-
peared.
The City of Bangor once helped build a
railroad, the Bangor & Piscataquis, and as
has been the case with cities which have
gone into the business of railroad construc-
tiOn. did not find the venture particularly
profitable. The new Aroostook road must
start from somewhere, and it was the opin-
ion of number of Bangor men that their
little road would serve admirably as the
first link Of the new system. So they came
gor q Aroost0ok Railway Company. under
the general law. Then they concluded a
tr de with the Ar0osto0k people. who were
backing Mr.. Burleigh's scheme, and they all
decided to 80 in together and merge the Pc
nObseot d Ar00stoOk in the Bangor d ArOos-
took. The matter was considered during a
protracted session of the Aroostook corDty
DELEGATION, and everybody finally agreed to
the scheme.
The county aid was still to be obtained.
agreed to sell to the county $5O0.000 in pre-
ferred stock and a bill allowing the county to
buy this stock and thus aid the road is now
before the judiciary committee. In order to
make this road complete, the Bangor and
AroOstook people introduced bill giving
them certain powers In addition to those
obtained bv their organization under the
general law. This bill has been reported
iavoraDly by the committee on railroads. 1t
authorizes the Bangor and Aroostook to ac-
Qulre the Bangor 81 Piscataquis road by pur-
chase or lease and also to buy out the inter-
est of the city of Bangor. The bill also ex-
empts the r0ad from taxation for term of
20 years after 25 miles have been construct
ed, and further forbids any other company
from paralleling its line for 20 years.
Years ago Maine men undertook to open
up Aroostook county by railroad, and a
charter was granted to the Northern Maine,
covering much the same territory as that
through which the Bangor u AroOstOok is
projected. This road has not been balls but
its charter still holds Opposition from it
was somewhat expected by the friends of the
new scheme. but yesterday. but Hon. Geo.
P. Wescott Of Portland appeared before the
railroad committee and said that the North
ern Maine would raise no objection.
1t would seen then, If the legislature pass
es the bills in its favor, that the new Bangor
& AroOstook road begins life under bright
star. With the county aid, no objection from
competitors and exemption from taxation,
these gentlemen largely representing the
wealth of the Queen City, and the prosperity
should make this long talked of venture a
success If anybody can do so. Their
field of operations will be one where now the
people are almost wholly deprived of rail-
road communication being obliged in getting
from some parts of the country to central
and S uthern Maine to make short foreign
tour through the possessions of Her British
Majesty. The hopes of the promoters OF the
line, however, are not entirely confined to
what moy be done in this section OF Maine.
Like nearly everybody else who has built
railroad in this state they see a glorious fu-
ture for their line through a possible con-
nection with one of the great Canadian
Trunk Lines. In this case it is the Grand
Trunk railroad, which in Its warfare with
the young giant of a rival, the Canadian Pa
clfic wants to build to Moncton In New
Brunswick in order to get direct line to
Halifax from that point. From the City of
Quebec, Iextending along the Gulf of st.
Lawrence to Riviere du Loup Is section OF
the Inter-Colonial road witch was built by
the Grand Trunk and leased to the Inter Col
onial with, however, the reservation that
the Grand Trunk might at any time run
trains over this section of the Inter- Colonial.
From Riviere du Loupe running in south
easterly direction the Grand Trunk
has a line to Edmunston. From
Edmundston another Grand Trunk line runs
OLs
to point opposite Fort Kent and work has
been done preparatory to extending this line
further to the st. Francis river. The Grand
Trunk, besides building up the St. John,
want to build down it to a point called
Grand Falls. This line would parallel the
Canadian Pacific line mentioned above and
pass Van Buren. to which the Bangor and
Aroostook people hope to build. Then from
Grand Falls, striking due east. the Grand
Trunk hopes to build to Monct0D, N. b.,
about half way to Halifax in order to secure
direct and short line to that seaport.
This would complete great eastern Ca
madam Grand Trunk system. and Of this the
Bangor ana Aro0sto0k would be valuable
feeder, besides being also connecting link
with the American railroad systems to the
South. Whatever may be the outcome the
scheme is an attractive one on paper.
The Pigeon Law.
Mr.. Noble Of Lewiston, in the House this
morning, devoted thirty minutes to an ora
torical effort to show that the trap shooting
of pigeons is an elevating sport, calculated
to stir the heart of the true sportsman. But
Mr.. Mobiles eloquence could not change the
views which the good sense of the members
told them were the right ones. and the bill
to repeal that section of the law which pro-
hibits the shooting of pigeons from traps
was defeated by majority of 113. Twelve
members voted In its favor, and lis against
1t The bill was taken from the table and
given its third reading on motion Of MT.
Noble. The question then came upon its
passage to he engrossed.
Mr.. Hawes of Deering opened the debate
saying that it didn't seem that any remarks
were necessary in regard to a bill OF this na.
ture, but as he had understood that there
was sentiment in favor of the bill in the
House he would say something about it. We
hav passed In this House, said Mr.. Hawes
bill requiring the teaching of Kindness tn
animals TO pupils In the public schools. The
same bill has passed the Senate b mani.
nous vote. What shall we say when the
teachers ask us how they. can teach princi.
pies of kindness when they find us bv our
action setting an example of crueltyP Al
the conclusion Of his remarks, Mr.. Hawes
asked for yea and nay vote on the bin
Mr.. Stearns of Caribou said he had no in.
tenton of making speech on this subject
He did not now propose to insult the under.
standing of tie gentlemen of the House hv
attempting reply to the frantic
Efforts of the gentleman from
Lewiston.
The vote was then taken. There are the
70 who voted for the bill: Messrs. Callahan
Crocker, Cummings, Dickey of Lewiston
GeptIeman, Noble, Osgood, Penley, Sewali
Skolfeld, Trafton, Vaughan.
The Clascn Bill.