The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-07-31


lions for parallel roads, You can't serve
the public by impoyerishing one railroad
and starting another beggar Would you
take the Maine Central railroad and
parallel its lines where it is doing bust
ness at a loss? I admit the sentiment of
Gorham is overwhelmingly for this road,
and still say it is not right Here is the
Rochester railroad running six trains a
day at a loss; willing and anxious to
serve the citizens of Gorham. 1t is doing
It's Whole duty, and more than it's duty,
to the citizens of Gorham Are you going
to do thing, the direct of which must
be to take away large part of the re-
celpts of Gorham travel from the
Rochester road? I don't see why the
control of electric railroads has been
placed with this board except to take care
OF just such schemes as this. The
directors of this proposed road are also
directors and controlling stockholders of
the Portland Railroad company. I ap-
pear, besides the Rochester road, for some
-minority stockholders of the Portland
railroad company, who do not desire
their names mentioned, but who strenu-
ously object to this new road, feeling that
the new road cannot be success finan-
clally, and that the resources of the Port
land Railroad company must sooner or
later be used to bolster up this new corpo-
ration.
In closing, Judge Symonds said he be-
lieved in this case the commissioners
| hryo i,1Io
for the protection of invested capital and
the peoples money, and against the
deadly effect of parallel lines, for if this
petition in the face of the facts presented,
as to public necessity, and the volume of
travel there must necessarily be no limit
TO similar com petition in the future, and
any small community which imagines it
wants an electric road can have location
for the asking, no matter what the exist
ing conditions may be.
At this point Commissioner Peaks
called Mr.. Libbys attention to the fact
that in the artic les of incorporation the
corporation had named a specific route
instead of waiting for the municipal
authorities to select and approve route.
1
would not preclude the road from adopt
ing any other route in the future if all
parties desired.
Mr.. Libby replied that he had only
followed presidents established by the
board, and continued With his argument
for the petitioners as follows
Mr.. LIBBY'S REMARKS.
| Mr.. Libby said he felt a little embar-
raised as he was one of the gentlemen
who had signed the articles and also
director and stakeholder in the Portland
Railroad company, but he had signed his
name and it was in accordance with his
Judgement and belief. He thought he
detected in this opposition the same spirit
that opposed the first railroad in Maine
in 1874. The learned counsel in opposition
had exhausted his ingenuity to conjure
up arguments against this petition, and
his extremity had advanced some PROPOSE
tions which are utterly untenable in law.
1t is the old conservative criticisms that
objects to everything because the world
is marching on The question in this
matter is who is to be considered. Who is
the public whose conscience should be
consulted? The Portland and Rochester
railroad or the citizens of Gorham, whom
we have here today in large numbers,
and among the citizens of Gorham men,
women and children there is but one
voice, and that is for this road. Mr..
Libby said it was true that some delicate
since '93, by the same subtle influence
that is constantly at work upon railroad
legislation in Maine, but it was equally
true that SO far no charter for an electric
road had been refused. Mr. Libby en-
| phasized the fact that the public
that the board was created to protect
was not steam railroad corporation. We
bring the real public here today in the
person of these citizens who ask for this
road. 1t is often the case that when men
are fighting and have weak case if they
can't call the other fellow names to in
sinuate that they are laboring under an
| illusion, as the learned attorney, (Judge
Symonds) has done today. | prefer to
! fight in the open. Do you think these
gentlemen lfOu 0OFubill you nave mere
today are laboring under an illusion?
Are they not as hard headed as the
| learned counsel. I know something of
the stockholders of the Portland Railroad
company this is no new snap scheme
suddenly sprung and I most emphatically
protest at the observations of the counsels
tending to raise unmistaken notions as to
the integrity of the Portland Railroad
company, especially when he represents
gentlemen claiming to be stockholders,
but who are afraid to have their name
mentioned You gentlemen have seen
the territory we propose to traverse, we
have brought to you the public we are
trying to serve. Look at the effect of the
electrics at Westbrook and Deering. By
furnishing superior facilities for suburban
travel it has taken the bulk of the
passenger traffic there and Mr.. Wescott
does not want to see it go any further. |
believe, judging the future by the past,