Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-24

are acting in behalf OF this bill. Personal
considerations have no place here. This
~ :, an important and serious question
anecttng the whole business interests OF
tnis state. Let us treat 1t fairly. True,
II has been discussed in the newspapers
more or less, but these great Interests
nave waited patiently. knowing that the
time would come when they would have u
fair and impartial hearing before the
legislative branch of this government
That time has come. And now let all de-
be banished. and let us consider this
question; and let the spirit of strife be
banished from our midst let all prejudice
disappear. and let us consider this ques-
ton as becometh the people of this COM
monwealth and let us do what we believe
TO be for the great interests of this State.
When the Legislature shall have done
that it will have performed its whole
duty. Your State has always encouraged
railroad construction within it's borders.
At no time has it discouraged private in
vestment in these enterprises. but 1t has
encouraged it for years among the people
and great facilities have been offered ana
great transportation companies have been
created. 1t has developed the great in
terests of your State, and it is not neces-
sary for us to inquire here whether these
Investments have been wisely or unwise-
~ made. It is unnecessary Tor us to IN
| made in advance OF the notice
of your State. They have met
with the encouragement of the
1SSio anu YOU IidNC C'hSti utiSN
| railroads through your vast forests and
| over your hills and your valleys and
across your rivers and streams, ana you
nave constructed railroads through your
sparsely settled communities and into re-
mote places and encouraged and Stimu-
lated the industrial progress of your
State. You have developed the great re-
sources of your States water ways. GU
have built up cities and towns for the
construction of your railroads and devel-
| oped the prosperity of your STATE, and the
development of the prosperity of your
| State is dependent on the development
| of your railroad systems. l look with
establishment and pride upon the great
progress which has been made by our
| people i'll railroad construction. In IoJ5
and 1894, enterprisng people of Aruostook
county constructed the great railroad into
the heart of that county, amid the most
| discouraging circumst ances at time
when financial ruin was sweeping away
the railroad securities In other parts of
your State. ] stood with my friend the
president of the Washington County Rail-
road, and General Leavitt, one of your
committee. less than three years ago, in
the city Of Calais. and it was then the
| expressed hope of that people that
| would have railroad facilities through
| their county, and not be compelled to
cross foreign territory in reaching the
city of Calais. That time has come. En-
tcrprsng people that county have
CONSTRUCTED Isl miles of railroad, and you
| can start, today. from the western border
of your State and travel through the
| county of Washington TO the city of Ca
| lais and you can travel on american rail-
| roads, built by American capital. and you
can travel all the way under the protec-
| ton of the American flag. without cross
| Ing foreign soil. or any other territory
than your own. Within the next decade
you will witness In that ccrlty and in
the county of Aroostook all the advance
that has been made by railroad capital
in building railroads. and the advance of
ineir commerce you have witnessed in the
last 20 years. because. gentlemen. bust
ness and commerce and enterprise and
good SCHOOLS ana good citizenship follow
railroads as they follow the flag. The
railroad has penetrated through the hills
to Rumford Falls within the last few
years and capital has harnessed the
forces of nature creating new manufac-
tories and giving TO the people employ
ment, and they have built up. there,
through the extension of ale railroad. a
thriving, growing. progressive commu-
nifty. adding to the wealth and growth
and prosperity of your State. When you
strike at the railroad interests of this
State you strike at the Industrial prog
ress of the whole State. Business inter-
ests and commercial interests and me-
chanical interests and railroad interests
all depend each upon the other for pros
perity. You cannot strike down one with
out njurng the other, and you cannot
strike mortal blow 10 one industry with
out injury to the other. they walk to-
gether. hand in iIaild. side by side, along
the same pathway of prosperity. Every
mill you locate upon the soil of Maine
every industry you start, every manufac-
tory you encourage, every farm you cui
tivate, every man to whom YOU give en-
pioyment. adds to the great aggregate
that makes up a happy and growing ana
contented people. such as you find with
in your own State Any railroad property
in this State is just as much entitled to
be protected under our law as any other
kind of property. When you undertake
by legislative act TO take control of that
property and the business interests of
this State out of the hands of its directors
and make il a football of legislation. you
are destroying mans property just as
much as ii could be destroyed by contis-
eating a farm. | say under our constitu-
property in this State and to railroads
as we'll as any other property If you
take a mans lot, if you take his house,
if you take his farm under the right of
eminent domain for public purposes he
must be paid for it. If you take the prop
erty of a railroad and appropriate it for
public use it must be paid for it, and the
same rule of law and the same rule of
equity and the same rule of right and
justice applies to Legislation of the char
acter that is here asked for. Railroad
property, the money invested in a rail-
road. cannot be destroyed or impaired by
a law that will deprive that corporation
of receiving reasonable compensation for
its services When the legislature by
legislative act, under claim of legslatng
for public purposes, undertakes to deter
mine what shall be a fair compensation
Tor carrying passengers over our faliroauS
under the circumstances existing in this
State. as is within its power, it has just
as offcc:ually destroyed the property as
if you had passed an act of confiscation.
1t is against the settled policy of the
State that has existed ever since the FIRST
rail was laid or the first spike driven in
the State of Maine. II is contrary to all
fairness, and when the Legislature OF
Maine undertakes to start out with the
purpose of wrestling of property from the
hands of the owners anu directors and
takes the management and direction upon
itself to the extent of fixing the rate of
compensation that shall be paid, it is
travelling upon experimental and danger
Gus grounds. For. gentlemen, expert
mental legislation, illy-advised legislation,
is worse than none at all; too much leg
iSlation is worse tuan too little. Good
legislation, just legislation, wise lcglsla-
ton, can never flow from the fountains
of prejudice or from error. 1t has been
suggested that the Maine Central Rail-
road might be issuing so many passes
that it was seriously affecting its revenue.
The president of the road said to you,
gentlemen, that he would like to have you
send member OF your committee or your
subcommittee, if you desired to do it.
and all the books and information would
be omen to you. He asks You to examine
it If you desire and you will find that the
number of passes issued by the Maine
Central Railroad is insignificant and in
no appreciable way impairs it's income.
We invite an investigation if anyone de-
sireS 1t. The books are open to you and
all the information shall be open to you
that you desire. Many years ago. when