Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-10-20
Gully gruatbee yournaL
GSlg ano Go,t,.lg.
The Link to coopor's Mills.

AL liz rScelpi OF your IL ttcr asking for
my views relative to the bull ling OF the
proposed railroad to Coope,'s Mills. Ii ia
with good deal of hesitation that / comply
with your courteous request for fear my
position may not be fully and correctly un-
dtrstood.
Let me say, however, in the bs ginning,
Vat am earnestly in favor Ut more salts
flctory connection with our eastera neigh
b,rs; thoroughly alive To the I'M
portance to large class of our
p'ople. of holding the trade of large
section of country contigu us to, and leg
innate feeder of, tnis city.
say holding the trade, for it seems to
me it is likely soan to become not so much
question of gaining more, as of holding
,chat tre ao,o haze. l said our eastern
neighbors; but I'll go farther, and embrace
every point of the compass, east, west,
north and south.
There's an immense trade, all around us,
that ought TO come, and might be brought,
here if the aodg were only made reasonably
easy.
And this brings me to the point of my
suggestions
How shall this trade be held? Shall
We build railroads or carriage-roa1s?
do not understand that it is claimed
that such road as proposed would cut NJ
appreciable figure except as tocd! road.
Now it is not my belief that merely 10.
cal railroad can ever be of great value, in
the line indicated. Among our farming
population | doubt if any considerable num-
Der csn be found who would, if they could,
t,ke the "iron horse" to carry them to mar
ket. They must, of necessity, transport
their own products large part of the dis
lance to market, and as u rule, think, pre-
fer tn make use of their own conveyance
for The entire distance, and consult their
own convenience as to time, rather than pay
the cost of travel by. and be subject to the
time table of, the railroad.
These premises may not be true, but if
true, the first question that arises is, how is
the road to be made to pay? From what
will it derive its revenue?
The history of railroad building in this
country, during the last % years. affords
many striking examples of the fallscy of
building roads on prospective growth, or
for the purpose of maintaining strategic
position" or for the sake of pre- -empdng
territory to the exclusion of other lines.
They we're born, not of necessity, but of
hope, or of fear, and in a short time they
became, many of them. only 1.-TWO stresks
of rust across the prairie" q plum for the
receiver, and a monument to the cIedulity
of their stockholders.
Sucb an enterprise ~ would rot meet
with the approval OF our citiz us. No man
would desire TO see q railroad or any other
undertaking set afoot here, and absorbing
tie money OF our people, Except the condi-
tions were plainly understood.
If a road as is proposed can be made &
profsa BILE investment, the funds with which
10 build it can be readily secured; p9SSb y
the money con be raised if it shall bid fair
to be anproftabie; but | shonld strongly
hope that nothing of the kind would be under
taken until the matter had been Thoroughly
inn. stigate9; and if subscriptions to STOCK
might legtimStely be considered as d0Rd-
tins let il be SO understood from the be-
ginning
should be glad if there might be found
men enough in our city TO make suhi
donations to build the rosd: but this can
hardly be expected. Unless il can be de-
monsirateJ that such road can be oper-
ated al profit, l have no hope of seeing
one built; nor do l care to see one butt
under day other conditions.
This may be ol1fogyism, or ultra-c N
servatism, but better be safe than sorry; 1t
may be that ''other cities will build their
roads and Augusta will be an island bus
better be an island than g fog bank.
| have spoken Of better connection with
oar neighboriDg towns. How shall we get
it? l answer by building not doubtful rail-
roads but good carriage roads. One quar-
ter part of the cost of this proposed rell-
road, jadiciously expended upon the high
ways leading into this city, would bring IN.
more trade in one year than the railroad
would in three. There isn't, today, first
class road five miles in length, approaching
this city from any direction. | don't
know of a country road where abominable
hills, or quagmires or sand patches are not
guilty of double robbery from every travel
err: rob him of his time and rob him of his
hauling capacity. It's the bills and boys
that take the time, that determine the size
of the load Let's look before we leap;
let's give up attempts at booming let's take
up the matters, right about US, that are cry
ing for our attention let's remedy "the ills
we have" rather Ethan fly to those we know
not Of" If it's trade we're after let's
adopt the best means for stimulating
traffic. If carriage roads, well and good;
if railroads then amen to that, also. What
ever we do let it be wisely done before we
call too loudly for railroad let US study
our needs and investigate carefully the con-
dirions; then we may more cheerfuily
abide the result.
c. S. HIcHBoRN.