The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-12-17
AT GORHAM.
Public Discussion Of the
Railroad Question.
lion. c. 7. Libby Explains The Pres
ent Situation.
Pointed Alluslon to
Boston & Maine.
How Gorham Has Been Denied
How Gorham Has Been Denied
Its Rights.

At Ridlon hall in Gorham on Satur.
day the first gun in the three.cornered
railroad light which will come before
the legislature this winter. was fired and
in no uncertain tones. Hon. Charles +.
Libby, attorney for the Portland Rail-
road, stated the position of that corpora
ton in this fight and appealed to the oiti-
gems of Gorham for their endorsement
and approval. The support pledged to
the Portland railroad was almost unani-
nous and the enthusiasm displayed by
those present WINS unbounded. Judging
from the talk and expression Of opinions
at this gathering, the Gorham people are
practically a unit In wanting an cleo
trio railroad from Westbrook to Gorham
and the greater part of them seem to
want the Portland railroad to build 1t.
sThls meeting was called BY the Port
land railroad because their position
was not fully understood by the citizens
OF Gorham. The Westbrook, Windham q
Naples railroad has signiiled Its inten-
ton of asking the Legislature to grant
them a right to extend their present line
from Moshier's corner to the village of
Gorham, and some persons in Gorham
have signed their petition. A petition
Of the Portland Railroad or Portland
railroad Extension company, which has
been circulated has also been largely
signed and the citizens OF Gorham, not
fully understanding all conditions, this
meeting was called in order to tho
roughly explain the situation.
There were perhaps 500 men and wom-
en-, the greater number being men, in
Ridlon's hall, when the meeting was
called to order by MIR. Henry johnson
and Hon. O. f. Libby introduced. lie
said that in the first place he would tell
why there had been delay In getting
an electric road built into Gorham. He
went on to gay that in 1895 the directors
Of the Portland railroad thought it would
be n good thing to build an elentric road,
or rather to extsnd their road from West
brook to GoIham. They assumed that
nublic convenience required the building
Of this road and the sentiment IN Cor
nam seemed to be almost unanimous
in favor of 1t. AS their own charter dill
not permit of their building this extsn-
sion to Gorham it was necessary to orGa-
nize anuthsr corporation which was
called by the Portland railroad directors
who formed it, the Portland Extension
Railroad company. When the articles OF
Incorporation were presented q tbs rail- :
road commissioners it was found that
the Boston & Maine railroad which then
controlled the Portland & Rochester
railroad, would oppose this plan. In Ju-
ly OF 1895 the railroad commissioners
granted a hearing on this matter at the
Vest End hotel In Portland which was
attended by many people from Westbrook
and 9ornam. Judge Symonds appeared
for the Boston and Maine railroad ana
argued that the public convenience did
not require the construction of any cleo
trio road to Gorham and the railroad COM
missioners took this view OF the matter.
why they did this you can Judge as
we'll as l." said MIR. Libby, "and though
only one interest In the state, and even
that not In the state, but the Boston and
Maine railroad which centers in Boston
and which we all know discriminates
against Portland, opposed the building
OF this road the railroad commissioners
said that it should not be built. But the
Portland Railroad appealed from
PETER DRUNK TO PETER SOBER.
"PetitIons were circulated and 1 think
that nearly every man aud woman in
Gorham signed them, all favorlng the
building of this road. The first hearing,
which 1 aforementioned, was ON the ap-
prevail of the articles OF incorporation and
The question OF public convenience was
discussed only by consent of all parties.
The railroad commissioners had to ap-
prove the articles of Incorporation of this
company because they could do nothing
else. A hearing was given by the rail-
road commissioners in Normal Hall in
this village, on the petition OF this road
to build the proposed extension, and the
ham. My learned friend, Judge Symonds,
when he had heard the argument which
was made as strong as possible for the
building of this road and which had the
backing of the entlre village, said that
thers was nothing new in any of this
talk. He practically said; 'l'u admit
that you want this road but we don't
want you to have it, and again the pub
lie officers Of this state turned down the
railroad which you, the people, wanted
to be built. Again they re fused to take
the wishes, tn views of the people and
evolved from their inner consciousness
somewhere the decision that steam rail-
road was good en- ough for the people of
Gorham."
MIR. Libby then went on to tell how the
legislature OF 1897 passed the act granting
the right OF appeal from q decision of the
railroad commissioners The Portland
Railroad had followed the course laid
down by law in an endeayor to get its
rights but could not get them and the