Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-03-25

lcaf commissions, nor will It be found
tactful to hold up discussion in or out
of congress. 1 do not believe that
much of the competition that we have
i'll telephones, and such costly parallel
railway lines as have been invoked in
the neat OF corporate competition, are
for the public we'll being. l believe
that our electric railway lines should
be i'll cordial and businesslike relations
with our steam roads, and that to pro-
hibit ownership of electric lines by
steam roads is to repeat the mistake
which Speaker Reed saw and corrected
long before he died. know of electric
railways whose freight service is
rather in cooperation with that of
steam roads than in competition with
them, and it is certainly in the line
OF public economy to suggest that
there should be traffic agreement to
exchange carloads without change OF
freight cars between steam and cleo
trio roads. In my own State there
would be great economy of freight
traffic if we had gentlemans agree
ment, based on fair play, under which
freight could be taken from factories
along urban trolley lines and passed
over without reloading charges to the
steam railroad service. r."
j am aware that in our State we have
not had to meet many of the public
questions which have embarrassed the
electric railway lines and the steam
railway lines in southern New Eng
land. I confess that / can see many
arguments in favor of a community
of interests and to some degree COM
munity management between the
steam aud the electric roads, evenwhen
the two are parallel. l am aware that
on some of our New England railroads
we had to wait for electric COMPETE
ton to get low tariffs but in these days
when the expert refcrmer's finger is
in nearly every pie, l am persuaded
come none the less.
But 1 am not here to discuss the
problems which confront you, rather
to convey to you my good wishes and
my assurance of keen interest in
the welfare Of the street railway SER
vice of New England and of it's great
humanizing and helpful influence upon
the people. 1t affords the poor man
his outing and saves the business man
his time and his physical and nervous
force. AS factor in the growth Of
states 1t cannot he over estimated.
The rural communities Of Maine are
now hitchinSh on to the termini of
electric roads which protrude fairly
into the wilderness, like the branch
ing arteries Of the human system, to
whose circulation the railroad service
of the State is properly analogous.
The street railways and the interurban
electric railways are feeding the steam
railways until all business feels their
quickening influence. For the first
time in her history Maine has begun
to advertise her advantages as a State,
and our chief railway system has es-
tablished an industrial department for
the proper setting forth of these ad
vantages. AS we grow in wealth and
population, through the medium o.
better Transportation VIC feel nat
ural pride in being a part. not only
of the New England movement but
also so far as our railway systems
go. of the great railway merger which
brings us closer into touch with the
world itself. In short. we in Maine
prefer being merged to being SUBJ
merged, and in that spirit do I bring
to you, representatives of one of the
greatest enterprises of this day and
generation, my fluctuations and my
assurance that you have a warm place
in the hearts of the people, and that
tic State of Maine stands ready at
all times to do exact and even justice
to the street railway interests.