Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1828-04-01
For the Lancaster Gazette.
THE NEW COUNTY.

MEssRs. EDIToRs,-The proposition to
divide the County Of Worcester is no new
scheme, 1t has been tried before; but the
good sense of the people rejected it at once.
We are nov called upon again to try the
question the frat AS~---1-s- ;,.sA ,,ril, and
to decide it one way or the other for many
years to come. 1t is indeed very impor-
tant matter, and calls for much sober de-
liberation. It should excite more interest
than has thus far gathered around it. On
this account was glad to see in your paper
of last week, under the signature Of " "A
Citizen" a communication in favour of form
ing New County because it is impor-
tant, on so grave an affair, that all sugges-
tons and arguments that may exist on either
side should be brought forward, and be fair
ly and distinctly urged. At least, it may be
said with confidence that those of our fellow
citizens who are opposed to division of
the County of Worcester need not fear the
result of such discussion.
AS you invite communications upon the
subject, | propose making a few remarks.
and taking notice ofthe "Citizen's" observa-
tons, which probably contain, at least sub
stantially, al of the very little that can be
brought forward in favour of the project.
Probably it will not be denied as a true
remark that county should not be divided
unless case of great necessity is made
out. What is the necessity in this case ?
The "CitizRn," who, it is fair to suppose. is
one of the Petitioners, and speaks their
opinion, because he writes as furnishing
forth the reasons which induced them to an
ply to the Legislature, suggests" several
OF those reasons. The first IS, the distance
of the county buildings from the petitioners.
and that they are obliged to travel from
thirty to fifty miles, "to transact all such
business as can be done only at the shire
towns.n
Mere distance, unless it be very great, is
not an argument Of much weight; unless il
be practicable to carry the shire town to
within few miles of every individual. or so
near as the precints of his own school Dis
trlct But in point of fact the writer states
the distance In too round numbers; at least
as it regards the, towns in this county. to
which my remarks will be chiefly confined.
Athol, Royalston, Winchendon and Asburn-
ham, may be little over thirty miles from
Worcester as the roads now run. while all
the other towns are much nearer, viz. Tenn
pleton, Gardner, Westminster, Fitchburg.
Leominster, Luneaburg, Hubbardston, Phil
llpston, Harvard, Lancaster, Bolton, and
Prlnceton,-the three last of which are upon
an average not over fifteen miles. And
now let it be asked, what has Athol, Roy
aston, or Phillipston, to gain by division ?
Nothing, it may beanswered, but the saving
OF few miles in distance, and experiencing
the inconvenience of bad roads to Fitch
burg, out of their usual line of travel, and to
a neighbourhood with which they have but
little or NO communication. Perhaps it NAV
seem to some Of your readers rather antici-
patlng matters in designating Fitchburg as
the shire town of the county in embryo; but
there is no need of winking matters out Of
sight; the truth may as well be told now as
at any other time. The petition it is well
known contains somewhat over an hundred
names. A large proportion of them are from
Fltchburg, where the petition originated, and
Lunenburg. Some names from Westmin-