Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-04-18
Augusta and the Maine Central.

Augusta and the Maine Central.
Editors OF the Kcnnebcc Journal
The building of the Maine Central
branch from Augusta to Winthrop is
| still 50 much Il matter Of doubt that
although engineers have been upon
the ground fog more tAan week past
Il large number of people do not be-
hcve the road will ever be built: ard
another large number do not believe
if it is built to follow the route in
dicated by the survey now in progress
that it will ever be of any particular
benefit To Augusta.
| Nothing is positively known bout the
| plans or purposes of the company in
constructing the new line: but the
consensus of reports is that several oh
| i"cts are in view: First. to get direct
| communication between the main and
back routes in order to facilitate
| freight traffic; second. to foyestail the
proposed Augusta Lewiston electric
railroad: third. to cut off the pro-
| jected marrow gauge line from either
| Augusta or Watcrville to Pennington:
and. fourth. to prevent the further ex-
| tension of the Quebec & Wiscasset
| line.
| Now. any one of these rumors may
| be false perhaps none of them is true.
Nevertheless there is a characteristic
common to all. which is this: TIE
| first object is for the advantage of the
| Maine Central Railroad Company: the
second object is for the advantage of
| the Maine Central Railroad Company
so is the third-and the fourth is like
! wise.
But which of them"is for the ad-
vantage of the city of Augusta?
Is any?
! There is something curiously and al
most touchingly selfish about all this.
Usually, when railroad is to be
| built between two towns, the princi-
nal business men of each are con-
| suited as to which route. If there be
more than one. will best serve the in
| terests Of the place. Next. the line Is
so planned as to accommodate es-
tablished industries along its course.
Finally. announcement is promised
| to the founding of new enterprises on
the proposed route. Very often the
company's representatives appear be-
fore citizens meetings. explain their
plans. receive suggestions and avail
! themselves of what they have learned
so as to help al once the new road
and the communities; which it is to
| connect.
| Nothing of the sort in this case. 80
| far as is known, not single citiZeo
Of Augusta. Manchester or Winthrop
has been approached by any Maine
Central official for any Information
| about the needs or wishes of any OF
| the three places. For all the atten' i"n
maid to us. the survey might be pass
| ing through an unpcopled desert. II
| ,,rrsta were one of the lost cities ~
| Yucatan. Manchester an up-to-ddte u
! deserted village and Augusta the
scrintural Tadmar in the wilderness
thcv could hardly have less influence
| unon this self-centcred corporations
one is reminded of the little Slri VINO
| feeling sighted because she had h"'
been asked to a certain fcstvitS' aH-
| nounced that she meant to nave
marty of her own. "and wasn't Soiis
| to invite nobody to II.
| The Maine Central can argue-and
proba would. if it ever con 'c-
| scendS to argue Mt all:
! I'VE shall build. if we build. or not
build. if we don't build, because we
| want IA and not because you want W.
20 We shall use our own money iof
| o,, ou.n n,,rnoses and in our own way
yc os,, YOU for nothing and intend 70
give YOU the same. biici!' -
of your business.
| But we can reJoin:
] ..tf vo, are to cut off every means oi
intercourse with the natural sou' II
| Of o,,r trade: to take the place vi az
othcr corporations; to constitute YOU.
Golf orr sole link with the ou,Hiu'
world-if YOU are to do TINS the" '''
noust make it worth our whlie-So'
must consult our wishes, study our III
,o,.sts and generally render TO US
rr,1 equivalent for all which you pre-
van. ms from obtaining otherwise.
Nou then. suppose we are aske'
,,. vo want. What do we want
am sure | speak for many OF ou'
anla when | say that for one thlni
W.. want this new line to give US "'it'
connection with the granite qu:t"fie
,;o s,utheast OF this city. DufHh-
~ oo,inp season it is said that pc
t,voen 1900 and 1900 men will be en-
,,,vad there. Averaging their "eeh'
ZOO ~ SO per man for workih'
,.aar or six months Ga very low eS'l
,,cte, we get the total of from SZee'o'
20 sa12 coo paid these workmeh II
. c,sh Assuming that they come
,uyusta to make necessary pu'
c,,.ses and each spends one-ffth o
. ,is wages tanother very low es''
,,,ate, would not our storekeepe'
nanaft thereby? And would we not
horafit indirectly? Why, 1t would
~ Good as a great new factory run
ming half the year. -, !,
,rbon again. we want this road I
,tar Augusta by the approach whic
: ,,;ves Ms the best chance-to develop
! a., territory and serve the require
,,.,ts of the greater number OF u
rh;s is a question which almos
a,.arvbodv has already instinctivei
,a>.;5a5 Tor himself. When we mrs
,'ard that we were to have a stear
I ,oad from Winthrop we all though
matter of course. that it woul
~ .he Kennedy brook, and ther