History of Penobscot County, Maine; with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 175

Author: Williams, Chase & Co., Cleveland (Ohio)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Cleveland, Williams, Chase & Co.
Number of Pages: 1100

USA > Maine > Penobscot County > History of Penobscot County, Maine; with illustrations and biographical sketches > Part 175

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was a nursery of intemperance. Its bar was supplied with liquors of all kinds, and it was freely visited by per- sons of all ages."

Complaint was made that a few days before the finan- cial year commenced, from thirty to fifty thousand dol- lars of the bank stock in the Mercantile and Penobscot Banks was transferred to an individual in Boston to avoid its being taxed, and the question was whether such conduct was commendable, or even common honesty ? Suppose the holders in Bangor were indebted to the vendee to the amount of their stock, would that change the complexion of the transaction of April Io? The City Treasurer, Mr. Wilkins, communicated to the City Council the fact that he had received from the State the sum of $10,420.58.

The Council passed an order that the money which had been or should be received on deposit from the State be passed to the credit of the city debt and interest fund, and that what was not wanted to meet the present demands on the Treasury be loaned to one or more of the city banks that would pay not less than six per cent. interest.

At the April term of the Supreme Court in York county, Judge Shepley delivered the opinion of the Court that the "surplus money could not be divided among the inhabitants of a town according to families," in the case of Hooper vs. Emery.

In 1837, for the purpose of determining the proportion of the surplus revenue to which Bangor was entitled, a census was taken. From this census all foreigners who had not been in the country five years were excluded. Ward I contained 558; Ward 2, 1, 109; Ward 3, 1, 228; Ward 4, 1,170; Ward 5, 1,609 ; Ward 6, 976 ; Ward 7, 1,756 ; total, 8,406. The foreigners who had not been in the country five years were estimated to be 800; grand total 9,206. By the census taken two years before the population was 7,547, making the increase in two years 1,659.

The credit of the East was in such bad repute that a meeting of merchants in Boston determined that they would not sell goods to go thither on credit. This led to an investigation as to where the balance of indebted- ness was between Bangor and Boston, and it was found that Bangor was owing $300,000 to Boston, and that Boston was owing $600,000 to Bangor, making the bal- ance due from Boston to Bangor $300,coo. This, ac- companied by the fact that Bangor had on hand lumber of the value of $3,000,000, convertible as soon as Bos- ton and the other croakers were able to pay for it, would put Bangor in an exceptional financial condition.

On the 15th May, this year, in convention, the direc- tors of the Kenduskeag, Commercial, Bank of Bangor, Eastern, Penobscot, and Globe Banks resolved that as the banks in nearly all the large towns and cities in the United States had suspended specie payment, notwith- standing they were in possession of their usual amount of specie, it was for their own interest, and the interest of the business community generally, to adopt the same course. They adopted it, not from any want of means, and assured the public that they would not suffer loss

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HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.

and that they should, as before, receive on deposit or in payment of debts current bills of the banks of New Eng- land.

Dr. Jackson made his first report on the geology of Maine, which satisfied intelligent legislators that the sur- vey was of infinitely more value than the money expended for it. A Bangor writer expressed surprise "that any objection should have been made in our Legislature to the necessary appropriations for completing the under- taking." The objection came from a similar class of men who, from ignorance, or meanness, or jealousy, are every year doing their utmost to break down the State College, by refusing proper appropriations. They can see more beauty in a dollar than in all the good that can be derived from any intellectual investigation or scientific exploration or educational enterprise that will be likely to cost the State a penny. The pernicious legislation in this State, in such matters, will keep the State a "back- woods" State as long as it continues.

A complete geological survey of the State would doubtless bring to light coal, iron, and various other minerals that would be a source of vast wealth. In the course of Dr. Jackson's investigations a specimen of red slate came into his possession, covered with black oxide of manganese. This indicated to his mind, and he pre- dicted, that iron ore would be found in the locality which produced this specimen. On visiting the spot he dis- covered an extensive bed of the ore, fifty or sixty rods in width. Legislation which will bring people into the State would seem to be preferable to that which will drive them out of it.

The Mercantile Bank, one of the deposit banks, fol- lowed the fashion and stopped specie payments. The other deposit bank,-the People's,-it is said, took ad- vantage of the fashionable condition of affairs and pressed a great quantity of its bills in circulation, while it retained the people's specie. "A Democrat" inquired where the specie was which people ought to have had when the surplus money was divided? "In the People's Bank," he answered. "It is a fact, and the people know it ; and when their several agents called upon that bank for their money, it urged upon them their bills, and were thus the means of putting in circulation a great many thousand dollars of paper instead of specie."

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The financial difficulties of the day were a God-send to the Whigs, and they could not do otherwise than make them do duty in their behalf. They insisted that the troubles all grew out of the action of the Government in overthrowing the United States Bank and depositing the national moneys in "pet " banks at first, and afterwards, deeming them unsafe, depositing them in the United States Treasury. In vain did the Democrats insist that the stringency was due to overtrading and speculating ; the people were told it was the Government tinkering with the currency. And the people will believe anything against the Government, even though by a little exertion of their own mental faculties they will perceive that the fault lies at their own door. But they prefer that the newspapers should do their thinking ; especially the op- position newspapers !

The first number of the Bangor Journal, a weekly lit- erary paper, edited by Rev. Dr. Curtis* and his son, and published by Mr. S. S. Smitht, appeared on June 2, and continued a year.

This paper contained much valuable matter, but it was not a popular paper. It contained favorable notices of Dr. Jackson's Geological Report, and an early number contained a sermon from Dr. Curtis, in which he made a reference that may have touched a tender spot. "Spec- ulative habits," he said, "when most successful with the individual, are most corrupting and deleterious in the community. That in many instances they have succeed- ed is true ; and what has followed, generally speaking ? The cultivation of the mind, the economy of time ob- tained by wealth to enrich the intellectual or train the moral powers? Has it brought into the country large libraries ; enabled any ten eminent artists to live here within the last ten years, who could not live here pre- viously ; inspired even a better taste for any single liberal art or science ? Have not the fruits of this success been expended, in plain truth (in many cases), rather on the body than on the mind ; on costly entertainments, showy furniture, and ostentatious personal display, rather than on learning, the arts, or anything mental, or moral, or benevolent? Did education become remarkably solid while whole classes of the community were growing re- markably rich ?"

This Scotchman could put his questions more calmly than the speculating classes could answer them. There has been at no time in the Bangor history anything like the numerous and "costly entertainments"# that were given in the later period of the "speculation times "; and the ambition that existed in the matters of "showy fur- niture and ostentatious personal display " had not before or has it since been so dazzlingly manifested.

The "Suffolk Bank system" was now complained of as operating injuriously to the business community. By this system the bills of the banks in Bangor were current in Boston at par. By an arrangement of the banks the Suffolk Bank, in Boston, for a consideration, redeemed their bills. Without such an arrangement their bills would have been at a discount out of the State. It was said that the "course of trade " was carrying all our bills to Boston, and they were going immediately to the Suf- folk Bank, and, notwithstanding all our banks could do, the balances against them were increasing. This, if con- tinued, must end disastrously .; and, as specie payments were stopped, we should have no currency at all. Better have a depreciated currency, which would result from breaking up the Suffolk system, than none; for with that we could buy the necessaries of life, pay debts, and trans- act business in the State. The question was freely dis- cussed, and several of, if not all, the banks withdrew from the Suffolk management.

The appropriations this year were for highways, $5,-

* Dr. Curtis was a learned Baptist clergyman from Scotland.

+ Mr. Samuel S. Smith came to Bangor from the office of Glazier, Masters & Smith, of Hallowell, and was a famous job printer and pub- lisher for more than a quarter of a century in Bangor.

# Large parties were given almost every night in the week, and the reigning belles had not sufficient time for sleep.

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HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.

400; common schools, $5,400; high-school, $1,100; paupers, $4,000; watch, $1,500 ; fire department, $2,000; salaries, $4,000; contingent, $5,000; total, $28,000.

Dr. J. G. Brown having resigned as City Physician, Dr. Daniel McRuer was elected to that office.

In the spring of this year the salmon, shad, and ale- wives prepared a representation to the Legislature to the effect that although at their last session they had passed a law whereby they "could more easily pass up the river," yet that they had not half done their work. They now could not get up the river by reason of the obstruc- tions, which they could not see till they got to them for the sawdust; they therefore requested that all the saw- mills be annihilated, as their (the fishes') greater value "as a source of wealth was well known."

Had Commissioner Elias M. Stilwell and his coadju- tors been here in that day, the poor fishes would have been induced to let the saw-mills stand, by having secured to them fish-ways for their own especial use, not- withstanding they still have to run the gauntlet through hordes of thieving poachers.

The citizens were again incensed because Mr. Greeley the agent appointed by the County Commissioners of Penobscot County, to take the census of Madawaska, had been a second time arrested and committed to the jail in Fredericton.

The editor of Zion's Advocate, of Portland, wrote from Fredericton on June 17, that he had that day visited Mr. Greeley in the jail; that he was a citizen of Dover, Maine; that the actual dominion of the disputed territory was under New Brunswick; that there were British magistrates there; that there were a few Americans set- tled there who wished to come under American laws --- but the great body of the people were French, to whom the two Governments were indifferent; that Mr. Greeley proceeded to take the census until he reached the house of one of the magistrates, where he was entertained for the night and permitted to go in the morning; that he reached the other magistrate who caused him to be ar- rested and sent him to Woodstock; but the Sheriff re- fused to commit him and let him go, and he returned to complete the work of taking the census. A messenger was sent with the information to Governor Sir John Harvey, who, after consultation with the Crown officers, caused him to be arrested and sent to Fredericton jail; that he (the editor) saw Mr. Greeley in an apartment in the jail writing a letter with the door open; that he saw neither jailor nor lock, and that he understood Mr. Greeley was allowed to go about the jail, but not out of the yard unless he would give bail; and that the magis- trate who caused his arrest said that the American Gov- ernment had "stipulated that the actual dominion should remain as it is until the final establishment of the bound- ary."

This would seem to have been the understanding from the letter of Mr. Livingston, Secretary of State, to Governor Smith in 1831; but the military functionaries were on the alert for an opportunity to distinguish them- selves in maintaining the dignity and integrity of the State at all events, and the incarceration of Greeley led

the Adjutant-General, A. B. Thompson, to sound the note of alarm by General Order No. 57, dated Augusta, June 27, 1837. It began:

Fellow-soldiers, the soil of our State has been invaded. One of our citizens, while in the performance of duty required by law, was arrested within the territory of Maine and carried to an adjacent foreign province where he now remains incarcerated within the walls of a prison. .

The integrity of the State must be preserved. . . Our citizens must be secure within our limits.

The Commander-in-chief therefore calls upon the militia to hold' themselves in readiness to obey such orders as the security of our citi- zens and the honor of the State may require.

Whereupon Lieutenant-Colonel Colin Campbell de- clared it his duty to issue what he termed "Militia Dis- trict Orders" under date of "St. Andrew's, July, 1831, as follows:

The First Battalion of the Charlotte county militia are hereby ordered to be in readiness to march at an hour's warning, either to Fredericton or such other point as may be directed by his Excellency, the Lieuten- ant-Governor and Commander-in-Chief.

Then followed the response of Major-General Isaac Hodsdon. After referring to the call of the General Or- der No. 57, and the cause of it, in his Division Circular, under date of July 12, 1837, the Major-General says:

To this call of the Commander-in-chief the Major-General heartily responds, and has great pleasure in believing that the troops of this Di- vision would give a cordial welcome to any orders from the proper au- thority which would authorize them to establish, in double-quick time, the Northeastern boundary of this State, so far easterly from the "Mon- ument" as to include Fredericton jail. It is a subject of regret that any existing controversy respecting the boundary of this State should be used as an apology for not protecting our citizens in the enjoyment of our liberties against the kidnapping and piratical at- tacks of a mere province to that Government whose whole national :| force has more than once been humbled by the military power of the United States.

By the law of nations, the sovereign power may grant letters of marque and reprisal on all persons grieved in time of peace, after request and refusal : of satisfaction within convenient time, and by virtue of these may attack and seize the property of the aggressive nation, with- out hazard of being condemned as a robber or pirate; and if these premises are correct as to the injuries done to property, with how much more propriety may we seize, by way of reprisal, so many subjects of his Britanic Majesty's province as will insure the immediate discharge of Ebenezer S. Greeley, Esq., from his unjustifiable and illegal impris- onment in a British province?

The whole of the circular, which is somewhat lengthy, is replete with the military fire and wrath of the Major- General, who insists that "it is the business of military men to obey orders," and not as soldiers to settle "na- tional controversies and diplomatic questions."

The effect of the various orders promulgated, and ar- guments embraced in some of them, kept the public mind inflamed, and prepared the way for the demonstrations that culminated, a year or two after this, in that great general muster, and marching and counter-marching, and general drill and general camping-out, called the "Aroostook War."

The matter between the proprietors of the Bangor House and Martin S. Wood was referred, and the award of the referees, as published, was: To Mr. Wood, eighteen months' rent of the premises ; a promissory note of $4,000, given to the proprietors; half the amount of taxes on the premises ; $1,700 for use and depreciation of furniture; $500 costs. To the proprietors, $85 and half the costs of reference.

Charles G. Bryant and forty others made a petition to

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HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.

the Mayor and Aldermen to call a meeting of the voters to determine whether they would instruct the City Gov- ernment in relation to the disposition of the surplus revenue, and if so, what disposition the inhabitants would vote to have them make of it.

The committee, to whom the matter was referred, through Bradford Harlow, Esq., its chairman, made a report that, as the Legislature had deposited the money with the city in its corporate capacity, and held its prop- erty liable to the repayment, and forbade the distribution or loaning without actual and bona fide security, as the Supreme Court had decided, they were unanimously of the opinion that the board was not by law obliged to call the meeting; that such a meeting would be inex- pedient, and that they had no doubt that all reasonable people would be satisfied with their decision. The re- port was long, fully discussed the question, and was pub- lished in the newspapers, and doubtless "all reasonable people " were satisfied.

Although Colonel Carpenter was scotched, he was not killed ; for at the Van Buren convention at Augusta, on June 28, he appeared as a delegate from Chester, where he did not reside. He claimed to be admitted as his right. Jona. P. Rogers advocated- his claim, but the convention, by a vote of 81 to 101, refused to admit him, and thus the ex-Sheriff was scotched again.

Having disposed of the Colonel and "old 'Squire Vance," the convention proceeded to vote for a candidate for Governor. At the first balloting there was no choice; at the second Gorham Parks received 167 votes and Rufus McIntyre 137; whereupon Mr. McIntyre expressed his gratification that he was not selected, and moved that the convention make the vote for Mr. Parks unani- mous. It did so; whereupon Mr. Parks, in a graceful speech, expressed his regret that the convention had not selected a better man. The nomination of his friend, McIntyre, would have been much more gratifying to him than his own nomination.

The small-bill law had become odious. It was one of those enactments that the people could not sustain. A medium for the transaction of business they must have. Small bills were as much a necessity as coin, for coin in sufficient quantities could not be had, except at a premium, and that made it impossible for many people to have it at all. Small bills, therefore, were a necessity, and as necessity knows no law, the small-bill law was inoperative.

There were two celebrations on the Fourth of July- a Sunday-school celebration and a military celebration.

The former was at Hammond Street church. The spectacle of the large assembly of scholars was very attractive and inviting. Speeches were made by Mr. Kent, who thought that Sunday-school teachers should instil in the minds of their pupils the principles of temperance, and by appeals to their love of their parents and friends and hopes of future usefulness, to convince them of the necessity of making total abstinence from all that can intoxicate a matter of principle; and by Hon. Mr. Red- ington, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the State Temperance society ; and by Jacob McGaw,

who said that it was upon the Sunday-school that we must depend in a great measure for safety against such evils and miseries as existed in France at the time of the Revolution in that country, when ignorance and vice of every description prevailed, the Sabbath was abolished, and the country was deluged with the best blood of the nation; and by Rev. Mr. Curtis, who said that the great cause of the Christian religion depended for its future support and glory upon the Sabbath-schools, and enforced the proposition by an exceedingly interesting speech.

This celebration was spoken of enthusiastically, and those who attended it were very agreeably entertained.

The military celebration was by the military companies, and abounded with patriotic ardor. The oration was by Frederick H. Allen, Esq., and was pronounced "able." The Declaration was read by Major John L. Hods- don. Dr. Hedge made an impassioned and eloquent prayer.

Speeches were made by George W. Cooley and Elisha H. Allen, Esqs., and were cheered by "three times three, particularly the allusion of the latter to 'planting the American banner on the lines of '83 !'"

Sentiments relating to the Northeastern boundary were abundant and spicy. That by Mr. J. C. Haynes was comprehensive enough to suit all. “Northeastern Boundary-We will be King of all the Hither Lands, and old John Bull may be King of all the Further Lands."

The celebration was non-partisan, and the local po- litical hatchet was nowhere visible. A "good time" was provided for and enjoyed.

A meeting of the citizens was held on July 8, in which, by resolution, they expressed their dissatisfaction with the law of the last Legislature "restricting the loaning of money to those who can give safe and ample security, [as it] confers a benefit, upon the rich while it defrauds the poor of the patrimony which our father's blood and treasure secured for the benefit of all;" that they were opposed to nullification, and therefore requested their next Representative in the Legislature to endeavor to secure the passage of a law distributing the money among the people." Among the resolutions passed was this admirable one:

That we will not, under any circumstances, require an officer to sup- port the laws, and afterward instruct him to violate them.

Doubtless this referred to the attempt to induce the City Council to distribute the surplus money without re- quiring security, as had been done in some other cities.

The Northeastern Boundary was constantly agitated. A letter from Caleb Cushing, Member of Congress, to Edward Everett, Governor of Massachusetts, containing a very clear statement of the American claim, was pub- lished in the Bangor Daily Whig and Courier of July 18, 1837.

The letter stated that in one of the committee rooms of the Capitol at Washington, there was a very large map of Lower Canada, ten or twelve feet in length, pur- porting to be published in England, August 12, 1815, by W. Faden, Geographer to His Majesty, and dedicated to

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HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.

the Prince Regent by its author, Colonel G. Bouchette, his Majesty's Surveyor General :

At one extremity of this British map, stamped all over with the seal of official authenticity and royal authority, is a country marked off as usual, and occupying one-half of the width of the map, designated as the "Province of Maine." The words Province of Maine run across the River St. John, and also north of the St. John across the River Madawaska. Towards the St. Lawrence there is depicted a range of highlands, thus designated on the map, " Northeasterly ridge or height of land-and projected where the United States claim the line to be." South of it (this range) entirely, are the River St. Francis, a main branch of the St. John, on the Canada side; Temiscouta Lake, which is the reservoir of the Madawaska, another branch of the St. John, on the same side, and numerous lake streams flowing into the Temiscouta Lake.

You perceive that on this map the head-waters of the great river St. John and its upper tributary streams, and the extensive region of coun- try watered by them, are placed wholly and universally within the limits of the United States.

Mr. Cushing adds :

Great Britain wants this territory, and having failed once to obtain it by conquest, she is now endeavoring to obtain it by diplomacy, and tc transfer the boundary highlands from the northerly to the southerly side of the head-waters of the St. John, and take six million acres of land from the United States.

We of the United States maintain that, from the ascertained point of the source of the St. Croix, the river runs due north to highlands ad- joining the tributary streams of the St. Lawrence, and thence south- westerly by such highlands, to the head-waters of the Connecticut. We claim this tract of highlands to be the traditionary line, and the only line which fulfils the requisition of the treaty of peace .*

Major Simon Harriman, whose name has been some- what conspicuous in these pages, died on the 29th of July, at the age of seventy-five. He was a soldier of the Revolution.

On July 31 plans for a market-house were reported to the City Council, and the report was accepted.

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History of Penobscot County, Maine; with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 175

Author: Williams, Chase & Co., Cleveland (Ohio) Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Cleveland, Williams, Chase & Co. Number of Pages: 1100

Author: Williams, Chase & Co., Cleveland (Ohio)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Cleveland, Williams, Chase & Co.
Number of Pages: 1100