The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1846-11-12
THE VOICE.
BRANDON:
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER IL, 1916.

the Voice will very naturally anticipate some remarks
respecting the disposition of the application for the
charter of Bank in this town. at the late session OF
the Legislature will drop few words on the sub
ject.
An application was made last year for a charter of
this Bank accompanied by statement of facts, en-
bracing the amount of business annually done, show
ing the necessity and the just claim upon the Leg
stature for the said Bank charter. The Bank Com
nittee, after full hearing on both sides, made
favorable report to the House, and that body, after
most thorough and full discussion before it, voted by
yeas and nays, Al majority in favor of the charter
The Bill then went to the Senate, and was there de-
| feated.
The application was this year renewed, and upon
full hearing before the committee of the House and
before the House ITSELF and with the most strenuous
opposition made by the President Of, and the Attor
ney for the Bank of Rutland the bill passed by
yea and nay vote of nearly three to After the
passage of the bill by the House, it went to the Sen
ate and was there passed to be engrossed by vote
of II to 10. Reader, don't you almost think the
charter of Bank for this place was granted? lfyou
do, just hold bit, until you hear the sequel of the
matter. As am informed, when the Brandon Bank
bill had progressed thus far, Geo. T. Hodges, Presi
dent of the Bank ofRutand and Sias Hodges, the
Attorney for that Bank, this important occasion
left no stone untumed, which could in any way be
used to deprive Brandon of home banking facil-
ties
The main arguments used were, that to charter
Bank at Brandon, would bring too much banking
81 4 IL.
Bank Attorney argued before the Bank Committee
at this time that there was redundancy of banking
capital in Rutland county, and stated ,ftct that
the Rutland Bank had had 100000 in deposite in
Boston, lying soiGom interest A proposition was
subsequently made to reduce the capital stock Of
Rutland Bank, lit being now $100,000) but no, says
President Hodges, we cannotspare tive have none
too much now. The assertion of Elk. Rev. Silas H.
Hodges being referred to as testimony against Presi
dent Hodges position, and the Bank Attorney being
called upon for a reiteration Of his statement re
plies-"I did not say hoe long the 100000 lay with
out interest-it might have been but fcsc days. Rut
land Bank has no more capital than it needs to do
business with" Can any one deny that O. rcum
stances alter cases?" WE'LL could Senator Hodges
vote for re-charter of the Bank at Orwell? 0 yes
Could he vote to increase the capital stock of that
Bank? Certainly! How much? Forty thousand
dollars! How much capital stock did the Brandon
men ask for Fifty thousand dollars. Soft appears
that if the Bank at Orwell had been re-chartered
with the old amount of capital stock, and Brandon
Bank had been chartered with capital Of $4,000,
there would have been just ten thousand dollars too
much invested in banking capital for this section of
the State! Who ever saw such disnterestedness
and clearness Of vision in Bank President Senator
But bark ye! Orwell is twelve miles farther from
Rutland than is Brandon, and had Brandon Bank
been chartered, and Orwell Bank re-chartered the
enormous sum Of ten thousand dollars overplus would
have haunted the dsinterested and immaculate
King George in his nght-visons and had Brandon
Bank been chartered and the re-charter of Orwell
Bank refused, the business men of Orwell might |
have obtained Bank loans nearer than at Rutland =
the Brandon Bank too, might have had some of the
Pittsford custom which now goes to Rutland-hence
the idea popped into Mr.. Hodges mind to strike up
bargain with the Orwell and Middlebury interests |
on this wise" Mr. Chttendenf you will 20 against |
Brandon Bank, by absence or vote, we will 90 for |
the re-charter you ask, and the $4,000 additional
stock you want, that is not the dangerous Ten
thousand the Brandon folks ask for;-and you |
Messrs. Rich and Nash know full well that if the
Brandon Bank is chartered, you will lose portion
of y0ar custom, and there is no telling what the SUI
pcrnumerary ten thousand" would do if placed in |
Bank at Brandon mo knowing how many of the |
Banks at Rutland, Orwell and Mddlebury it might
ruin therefore, the only safe course for us to pur-
sue is to be unitedin keeping from becoming Bank
capital! Do you take?" "Why, yes" respond
Messrs. Chtenden, Nash and Rich, and sing as fol-
lows: