The Portland daily press., 1897-06-08

laborers will be employed, as far as posi-
bic, in its construction. The desirability
of retaining locssa control Of the road, the
probability of q utilization of the latent
water power along the Presumpscot, and
the diverting of summer travel in this
direction. thereby enlarging the market
for farm produce, were principal points
advanced in favor of the proposition.
The debators who favored the opposit-
ion laid stress on the point that at the
present time Windham's debt is only a
little more than one per cent. of its total
valuation, and that it would be hard
ship upon the property owners to have a
debt of $50, 900 saddled on to, the town.
They also argued that transporting
freight by trolley line, such long dis
tance, in section of country that in win
ter is buried under huge drifts of snow,
is in the nature of an experiment., and
there is no positive assurance that the
town will ever realize on it's investment.
An attempt was made, in the midst of
the speeches, to choke off debate, but was
overwhelmingly defeated.
At 1890 the speech making was con-
cluded and a motion made that the meet
ing proceed to vote on article third, as
amended. Some of the opponents en-
deavored to stave off the balloting, but
a majority of hands showed thatsthe meet
ing was ready to settle the question at
issue. Selectmen C. N. Morrill,, Charles
H. Anthoine and Thomas j. Mann were
selected as committee to receive and
count votes.
The balloting continued till 8 O'Clock.
At the beginning the leaders of the rail-
road faction feltsure of victory, but as
| the vote from the more remote sections
| of the town began to come in the result
looked doubtful. AS the time for the
closing the polls approached the closeness
of the contest had impressed itself on
both sides. Nearly everybody remained to
see the end of the contest.
| The count showed that 531 ballots had
been cast, of which 254 were in favor and
277 against the proposition to make the
loan.
A triumphant shout went up from the
throats of the opposition, and a motion
to indefinitely adjourn was promptly
made and carried. The crowd surged out
into the yard, and there the contes was
informally prolonged. "We will have
another meeting and vote on this ques-
tien again." was the declaration of the
disappointed ones, but that was met by
the statement that under the State law
there is no possibility of again bringing
up question, once defeated, till the next
annual town meeting.
"Does today's action defeat the whole
projectt" PRESS reporter asked Mr..
Russell d. Woodman, president of the
Westbrook Trust company, and one of the
foremost projectors of the Westbrook,
Windham and Harrison road
''No SIR" was his reply. "You may
say that the company will go ahead, re-
gardless of Windham's negative vote, and
put the line through. We can raise money
somewhere, even if we have to go outside
the state for it.
a Another prominent representative of the
company indorsed this statement of Mr..
Woodman, but added that the contem-
lated building of branch line through
Windham Centre to Gray will be aban-
doned. In all probability. he said, the
road will follow the Presumpscot river
as closely as possible from South
Windham to the northern end of the
town.