Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-02-24

soy the statistics to be put In on the Othe
10 draw, and when these statistics are al
In. Ii there Is any truth to be placed il
The reports of public officers acting in
public capacity, think We can presen
them to you SO that you will feel tina
:hese people, demanding what they de
mand here in these petitions, in the man
ner In which ] say they demand 1t. b,
petition, supplicating you as a genera
court. ask only what is reasonable. ant
proper. As | have said before we know
how unwilling 1t is for these requests t.
be granted. ! had hoped from the time
| was first consulted in this matter tha
this might be settled and that there
could be an amicable adjustment between
the railroads of this State and these peti.
toner's by meeting them and not coming
to the general court and asking these ia
vors; getting on to our knees here be.
fore this general court and asking these
favors of these corporations which WI
say ought to grant them amicably and
wwithout coming to this general court
ssition. when l have seen the effort which
mas been put forth, and i will mention
that later gentlemen l stopped right
that has been shown within the last week
since the adjournment Of this hearing,
am not to be taken by surprise II there
y evidence which comes in here, showing
importuned and supplicated and have
oeen required by some means or other.
don't know how. to give letter saying
shat they wish to change their views
from petition to a letter; l might think
OF one reason but won't state it now.
Mr.. Carter opened the case for
Tie defence, as folIows:-
Now gentlemen Of the committee. hav-
ing testified for Judge Foster, l want to
say Few words for myself
ana l want to say to you that We ap-
mon interest, so far AZ the railroads and
me people Of this State are concerned.
u Is a matter of vital Importance to us
De operated except for the benefit of the
state and of the people, fairly and judi
ciously. so that the people may feel that
they are properly cared for, that their
interests are looked after in the manage
ment of the road. and that the road, on
the other hand may have fair return
for the money invested and the time and
care spent upon II.
do not think that We should any of
us disagree as to the results which are
desired to be attained. We all OF us. no
doubt, will admit that the capital in
vested in this road is entitled to "A fair
income. Under our system Of construct
ing highways the towns and the coun-
ties construct the roads that We travel
on in carriages. and most of the bridges;
the turnpike and the toll bridge. are a
thing of the past in this State. but the
great highways that lead through the
State, and on beyond, to the markets of
New York and the West, are construct
ed by private capital. II the roads were
constructed as the town ways are. by the
State, little different question would
be presented. for in such case the State
might. If II saw fit. owning the roads i'm
pose such tariffs as it thought best under
all the circumstances, and, In case of IA
deficiency. make II up out of the taxes,
but with the roads managed as they are.
every one will admit that the capital in
vested is entitled to some fair return, and
that the road should accumulate and
may accumulate a sufficient sum of mon
ey to cover contingencies. and TO furnish
not only the transportation itself. but
the necessary auxilliaries in terminals
and stations.
Leaving aside all questions of constitu-
the roads come here. today. to
meet this thing fairly upon that issue.
upon the merits of this case. and upon
that rule that the stockholders are en-
titled TO a fair. reasonable compensation
for the capital invested, and that the
public is entitled to the rest of il, 20 the
of this State to regulate the roads in re-
lation TO their business management
They have been built up from very small
beginnings and developed into large sys-
developed. and its business And I believe
that policy will be continued. do not
believe. gentlemen, that the members of
this committee, or the members of this
i
interfere with the business management
of the railroads of this State, unless it is
clearly shown to them and proved beyond
question that there. is an abuse of the
franchise granted these roads, or that
they are acting oppressively. M
1t is a great problem just what to do
in the management of these roads, ii Is
a great responsibility for the gentlemen
with the management of them.
And ii is to be undertaken under certain
fixed conditions. which no man can con-
troll A town situated on tide water has
certain advantages which cannot be over
come. 1t is entitled to those advantages.
Towns in the interior perhaps. have some
others. but when you meet the railroad,
you meet it with railroad on tide water;
it can send its goods by tide water in
stead of rail In the next place. the roads
meet with the competition of electric sys-
tens. which do IA certain amount OF work.
and which must do it. The minute that
the trolley road comes in competition
with. in contact with. the steam road in
certain conditions. Il takes business. and
you can't help 1t. The steam road is not
the competitor for certain kinds of bus
mess.
But next, and more important than all.
is the competition which you may call
that of markets; it is not the competition
of one road with the otner: 1t Is the
with New York and Michi-
Boston market. And the rates
which must be made upon this
freight are fixed by conditions beyond
the control of the management of the
Maine railroads.
Now SO much for the conditions under
which these roads are operated,
With these conditions existing these
gentlemen come here as petitioners for
two-cent mileage. which in the first place
took the form of a bill, which has been
which was introduced by MIR.
Gardner And i'm the next place in the
form of a bill introduced by Mr.. Webb
Now, what do these gentlemen present
here as an argument in favor of this bill?
Now in the first pace. the question Is
asked right OFF, they say this is done in
1t is true. upon the Bos-
ton l. Maine, the Fitchburg. New York.
New Haven & Hartford. and upon other
roads.
In Massachusetts all these roads You
speak of have d very large suburban
travel. Take the Boston l. Maine Rail-
road, they have $780, or in that neigh
on trains for 80 miles or more. at rate
not exceeding two cents mile So far
as all that travel is concerned. 1t dOeSn I
affect us one iota. because the population
is SO great and the number of trains run
is SO great that the roads sell single tick
cts for two cents and there Is no reason
why "a man should keep mileage book
stances 1t wouldn't save him anything.
What is the condition of things in Maine
to compare with that? Here Is the Maine
Central Railroad starting out in the
morning beginning with train made up
down to Belfast on the Belfast branch
or a train made up down on the Bar Har-
Dor branch, and the train coming out Of
out with a small beginning and finally
Turning in towards the main line and fol-