The morning journal-courier., 1908-01-22
BOSTON AND MAINE MERGER.

bOsIuN AM MAINE MEhUEh'
 The Hon. Butler Ames Is a mem Der of Congress from the Fifth dis trict of the State of Massachusetts. He is a native of the State, a grandson of General Benjamin F, Butler and a son of General Ames. He is a grad uate of West Point and of other edu- cational institutions. He is a veteran of the Spanish war and a man who has been active in the business and political life of the commonwealth These are facts in his life which should commend him to the consider they do patriotism with practical experience in life from more than two angles, but he has one more good point and that is his capacity to see the advantage involved to all New England in the proposed merger of the Boston ard Maine railroad with the New York, New Haven and Hart ford Railroad company.
 Unlike Governor Guild, whose chi if. not only objection to the proposed merger lies in a state of injured 5ani- ty that New Haven instead of Boston would remain the headquarters If :he company, and unlike the other gen. tlemen who have offered and contin- uel to offer objections to the merger for other reasons, MT Ames faces the as re;n etful as Governor Guild that the drift of things for the Boston and Maine is away from homo >wnrrshlp Rs-he does not appear to be afraid that the great State of Massachusetts will find itself deprived of all power to compel :he merged roads to study tl, welfare cf it's people and shippers. Theoretically he is for State control and home ownership but ill the ab- sence of those desirable posSassions he faces ''the real necessity of betterine the wreiehtd q service, both passenger and freight, which we who reside in the district served by the Boston and Maine are forced to endure" He says that nowhere in the United States is 8 community the size of Lowell so nis. erably served, while the interests ui the city of Lowell are of more pr .ss. ing importance than the names oc the owners of the railroad property. IT other words, MT. Ames declares tha the service given by the Boston ant Maine railroad is of such a wretcheG character that it must be abandoned as an instrument fitted to longer Der. form the serv.ce required of it. "Oat boarSs of trade" he says, "our mer chants, our manufacturers hay, pleaded again and again in vain fol better service and cheaper rate.' St much then for the uselessness of long CT depending upon the Boston an, Maine as an effective railroad corpor aticn.
 As for substitute service MT Ames turns to the New Haven rail road for reasons which he gives. I would be folly in his judgment to turr to the New York Central after tn, experience Massachusetts people hay, had with the Boston and Albany lease ~ nor are we ready to have it go int, the hands of Mir Hartman in the in terests of the Delaware and Hudson. He is equally opposed to have it g, into the hands of either the Canadian Pacific or Grand Trunk not alone be cause that would tend 10 the develop ment of Canadian ports but becaus in event of a disagreement betweel this country and Great Britain ant Canada how easy it would be for th, greater part of the rolling stock O the Boston and Maine railroad to b, found across the Canadian line whel trouble actually arose?'' He furthe reminds the people of Massachusett that they have shown a positive disin clination to possess themselves of tn stock of the road and that the maic ri ty stock has come under the owner ship of the New Haven railroad, no as a consequence of that corporation seeking it, but because the stock wa seeking purchaser in the open mar ket when the New Haven peopl heard of 1t and bought it to protec themselves and to bar out others. In der these circumstances he asks T not the control of it by the New Ha yer preferable to ownership hy an other interests If, moreover. tn merger is effected he looks to imme diate advantages, first in the way O better rates west of the Hudson, sec ond in better local rates, in whicl every shipper and merchant is inter ested. and third h additional powe