The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1828-04-02
FOR THE MASSACHUSETTS SPY.
NEW COUNTY.
MANY.


Mr.. EDITORIALS the time is at hand when
the counties of Worcester and MiddIesex will
be called upon to express their opinion of the
expediencv of forming a new county out of
the two just mentioned, beg leave, through
the medium OF your paper, to suggest, very
briefly some of the reasons which influenced
the petitioners to apply to the Legislature for
this object
A prominent reason, which all will anticipate
me in naming, is the distance at which thew live
from the shire town. 1t has long been felt, and
talked OF as hardship, to be compelled to trav-
ell th'rty or e0en fifty miles, to transact all such
business as can be done nowhere else but at the
SHIRE town; and they must be allowed to say,
(tor they know besD that this hardship is but
very partially alleviated by the Consciousness
tnat they 1--we In large county, whose terrific
rial limits extend from one side to the other of
the Commonwealth It may appear to others
like spirit of Vandalism to attempt to dismem
Der county of such towering size, which can
boast OF territory larger than the whole State
OF Rhode Island. But this sort of reasoning has
not had great weight with the people of this
Commonwealth in times past, and the result
has shown its fallacy Look at the towns,
which, from time to time, have been divided
into two or three, and even more Shrewsbury
once embraced within its boundaries Grafton.
Westboro', Boylston, West BoyIston, and part
OF Sterling The ancient town of Marlborough
extended over the whole of Westborough and
Marlborough. Was it vandal spirit in our
fathers to carve up these wide spreading towns
into so many smaller ones Let those say so
who feel no pleasure in seeing the multiplied
villages springing up in every quarter of this
territory, each with its temple for the worship
of the living God, associated with all the en-
dearments of compact, refined and Christian So
cieties
At later period in the history of our Com
portion of our fellow citizens in
the neighboring county of Hampshire, sought
and obtained of the Legislature relief from a
similar burden to that under which we groan,
though by no means equal in degree No part
OF Old Hampshire county was forty miles dis
tant from its shire and though the contrary
has been intimated, ii Is fact, that, since the
time that Franklin and Hampden counties were
Incorporated, there has never been day, when
the inhabitants of these counties would not have
given full vote in favor of the division which
was made At period still later, the Common
wealth itself has been dismembered, and the
new and fourishing State of Maine formed out
OF part of its territory. Is it vandal spirit
that has wrought all these changes
Another reason, which has had great weight
with the petitioners, is the delay and hindrance
Of the citizens in obtaining right and Justice in
The Courts OF law. This is an. evil which press
IS equally on the citizens in all parts of the
county The division of the county, by divid-
ng the same business among several Courts.
which is now crowded into one, will afford
certain remedy for this inconvenience and, as
Ill will be partakers of the benefits resulting
rom such division of the business of our
Courts, all will be, or, at least, ought to be- sat
shed with the measures taken to bring it about. |
Indeed, 1t is not easy to discern any dsad- |
vantages, that result from this measure, to
my portion of our county
The towns to be set off probably occasion
about the same amount Of expense which they |
annually pay; therefore, no alteration will be
ound in the county tax upon any individual !
md it should not be overlooked by the petition
Rg tolDnS, that the expenses of erecting county
buildings will doubtless be betrayed, as they al (
ways are in such cases, by the town which shall
De designated for their location No additional (
will, consequently, be imposed upon
hem, should the division take place
1t is said it will impair the influence of this
great county, and dissolve old connexions, to
break it up into two. This objection would de-
serve weight, and, by no portion of this commu-
nifty, would be more fully appreciated than by
the petitioners, if it were founded on fact But,
uhIh ~ ID hido0 " appear thdC HVe senators
from Worcester county more naturally coalesce
on any question of National or State politics,
than any five Senators from as many different
counties in the State, they cannot find great
weight in such an objection.
On the whole, if no evil can be pointed out,
which will result to any party from the forma-
ton of the contemplated new county and the
benefits to all, and especially to the petitioners,
are so great and obvious, it would seem to be
but an act of justice in the remaining towns in
the county to give their consent to the separa-
ton of the petitioning towns ; and but an evil
dence of sanity and reason in the latter, to man
ifest the interest they feel in this subject, by
such an unequivocal expression of their wishes
on the first Monday Of .4pril, as will be heard
in the halls of the coming Legislature.
ONE OF THE PETITIONERS.