Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-12-30
.cres making the total number of acre,

iohhS, oIitl ctboplcu measures UeSlSIpO
to prevent the public domains from
going into the hands of such combina-
tiCns. In 1854 the sales of lands
amounted to 250. Jag acres, at an aver
age price of AZ cents an acre Lands
passed rapidly from one owner to an
other, and many fortunes were thus ac-
cumulated
From the earliest history of the State
extensive depreiations were made up
on the lands in the northern and east
ern parts of the State, by lawless men
from New Brunswick. and their asso.
ciates. This led to what was known as
the ArCoStOok war, which happily
was settled without bloodshed, and re-
suited in the treaty of 1912. by which
the boundary lines between New
Brunswick and Maine was definitely
settled.
BY an agreement between Massachu-
SettS and Maine, the states were to bear
the expenses equally of building roads
ard bridges, and making other i'm
rrovements. At first Massachusetts
kept her agreement, but finally did 50
little that it resulted in great dissatis-
faction and disputes between the two
states So in 1858. through Governor
Hubbard, Maine purchased of Massa-
chusettS her lands, amounting to 1885,
$50 acres, the price paid being 1852, 500
or about so l-3 cents, per acre. A report
made covering the period from 1924 to
Dec. 81, 1855, showed that the entire
amount of land conveyed by the State
of Maine by legislative actions, was
1884, ,5Y7 acres, and the amount received
from the land and timber was 1892, 4S4-
~. The highest price received for
lands during that time was $166 cents
per acre, and the lowest, 90 cents
From 1860 to 1867 Maine disposed Of
lands by grants ana sales amounting to
944,019 acres. BY a Legislative act ap-
proved March 4, 1868. ten townships of
land, comprising 242,3GG acres, were re-
served for the common schools, max
ing TIE totals of land alenated from
and including 1860 to 1867, 1,1S6, 4S5
acres. In 1868 Maine had about one
million acNes of public lands In that
year the Legislature voted 100000 acres
of the public lands to the European
and North American railway, which
was practically the extent of all the
State had left. of the eight million OF
more acres which she had owned at one
time or another, since she was separat-
ed from Massachusetts.
For years there had been q project
under consideration for the building OF
a railroad to be called the European
and North American, to run from Ean-
gor to the New Brunswick line. In
1864 the state granted to this company
oil he 10 .,f bn 70 oi in,
building of a railroad from Bangor to
New Brunswick, provided the company
would pay the debt then due Massa-
chrsetts on these lands which with in
terest, in time of payment, would
amount to $2S0,000. The lands were
supposed to be worth much more than
this sum, and the road had the promise
of this aid and also whatever could be
secured from Massachusetts and the
general government. In the winter of
1868 the people of Bangor and Eastern
Maine generally who We're greatly in
teresrtd in the road, applied to tie
Legislature to remove these conditions
under which the land was granted in
1864 and let the company have the
same without paying the debt due
Massachusetts. "A
The senate passed the bill, but the
house refused to concur. and the mea-
sure was lost. In 1869 the matter again
came before the Legislature, and the
bin giving the lands free of charge and
compelling the State to pay the $2So.OoO
due Massa achuSettS paSeSd both branch
es, without a division upon party lines
This is the only instance in the history
of the State in which she directly aided
the building of railroad.
Governor Dingley in his inaugural
address of January 8, 1874 made the
statement that the State gave away not
far from 100000 acres Of land valued at
more than 100000. What remained OF
the States once great and magnificent
domain of over 100000 acres, was up
on a resolve on the Legislature sold at
public auction.
The conditions which existed at the
time Of these sales is given IN a con-
densed and comprehensive manner by
land agent Parker P. Burleigh, in his
report of 1873:
..By the act of March a. 1864, Chap
ter 401, and the subsequent act or
March 9, 1868, Chapter Goa, all the
timber and lands belonging to the
State situated upon the waters of the
Pcnobscot and st. John rivers, were
granted to the European and North
American Railway Company, to aid
in the construction of it's line of rail-
way, except the lands and timpers
granted by that Of previous legislatures
also, all lands set apart and designat-
ed for settlement under the existing
laws. BY resolve of March Il, 1864,
CHAPTER 326, the timber upon ten town
ships was appropriated for the perman-
ent school fund. with the right in the
State to take it off in ten years. the
term being afterwards extended to
1894.
"All the lands then belonging to the
State upon the Penobscot and st. John
rivers, except only those specially re-
served, passed to the railway company.
This grant embraced about 100000 acres.
A fcw small tracts alone remain locat-
ed in the northerly part of Oxford ana
Franklin counties. and containing, as
nearly as can be estimated, about 1900
acres in all. These are relatively or
little value, and a sale of them is ad-
vi;able, as soon as a reasonable OPP
portunity offers.
11,,