Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-11-11

nda Railroad shall be constructed on tie most
favorable route between st Adams and Burng-
ton, and shall not form connection with the
Rutland or Central road at any other place than
Burlington.
Mr. Miner inquired if the object of the amend
ment was 10 confne the southern terminus of the
road to the village Of Burlington. His vote up
on the bill perhaps depended upon the answer
Mr. Kimba replied that such was his design.
He desired that nothing contained 10 the present
bill should operate unlavorably upon the Rutland
or any other road
Mr. Miner expressed doubts whether the pro.
posed amendment would affect the charter al
ready granted, and requested the Senator from
Wlndbam to add to his proposition a provision
repeating all acts heretofore passed by the Leg
slature authorising the Vermont and CANADA
railroad to connect with the Central road, at any
other point than the village of Burlington, Mr.
Kmball so modified his amendment
Mr. Hodges took the floor against the bill and
remarked that he believed that the minds of Sen
ators were already prepared to vote on the ques-
ton, and that elaborate discussion would be al
together surpcrhuous. He would however sub
NIT few objections against the passage Of the
bill. He believed that they had no power to leg
isate upon the subject. The friends of the bill
should have applied to a higher source. Con-
gress was the only proper authority to decide this
question. The Constitution had invested 1t with
VIC SolS pIcIO8atINe, llIlSlCl us IL Huu plVGl IT.
the exclusive power of regulating commerce;
and that privilege Congress had always cxercs-
Ell on the waters Of lake Champain, by erecting
llght houses ny removing distractions from tie
channeb and by facilitating in all practicabHn'
methods the prosecution Of commerce through llEss
great thoroughfarc 1t was NOT the people of
Vermont only TINT wvrr Interested in this nVvi-
CATION The people Of New York, of The en5Ee
country, and also the subjects Of an adjacent
province were deeply concerned The lake
common highway through which all might PISS :
and it ought to be controlled by power only that
could protect the interests Of ALL That poFe-
was Congress, e. its authority is penary and par
amount to all others. There was no provision in
the bill that Congress should be inquired Of not
even the slightest iccognition that it had the
least interest, or ought to have the least vo:e in
the matter. He had another lnsurmountablc oh
lection TO the passage Of the bill at the present
time. There vast amount Of property on
the lake and on its shores, that would be seri-
ously and perhaps fatally affected by this meas
urc. Yet no notice had been scasonably given
that bill of this nature was to be acted upon
by the legislature He did not believe that one
hundred persons IN his county had ever heard of
the project before it first made its appearance in
this chamber. They could not, without breach
of good faith, take final legislative action upon
this matter, if no notice had been gwen TO the
more or less affected, to appear and protect their
interests and vndcate their rights Again, for
whose benefit was The bill ? clearly for the benC-
fit Of foreign corporation. The Legislature Of
New York was the proper authority for that cor
poraon to apply to- He had heard Of no such
application made 70 that source. 1t i'll becane
the Legislators of Vermont to sacrifice the rights
and interests Of its own citizens, TO crafty the
OGdensburgh or any other foreign corporation
n n no hat
the net should not go into operation unless New
York should make a similar grant. But this
manner of legislating was highly undignltied and
improper. They might well pass law pro-
tecting the rights of fugitive slaves, making its OPP
Grafton to depend upon simllrr action in Louis
lana or Mississippi. Vermont was a sovereign
State, and it became her 10 legislute ndepend
emily, and with a sole reference to her own in
teress. At all events there was no necessity for
this hot haste. The project was one Of stupen-
dous magnitude in It's results, ard the people
ought to deliberate upon its policy He would
close by moving the indefinite postponement OF
the bill.
Mr. Foster remarked that it had always been
the policy Of Vermont to encourage railway en-
terprzes, and the Introduction Of foreign capital
into our limits. The charters we had hth-
erto granted were uniformly marked by liberal
provisions They had been passed without Sc
rous opposition No such clamor a that they
have now heard about want of timely notice
was then thought Of The charters gave the
power to confiscate every mans homestead for
the public interests, and yet there was then no
complaint. This ou.cry he believed was only
got up for the occasion. Besides there pdS no.
tice, and abundant notice. The subject had
long been canyassed by the people. 1t had been
discussed in the public prints; and every ina
ginable interest that could be in the least de-
gree affected hid been fully and properly repre-
scented before the committee, who had had the
matter in consideration. The provisions of the
original charter for this road had been purposely
left indefinite At the time it was granted it
was not known what route the Ogdensburg road
would finally decide upon. This was now
determlncd and it became necessary for them
to alter their former grant as to make it oper-
} tive and beneficial. This grant of the night to
bridge the Lake was nothing new. 1t existed to
a certain extent in the original charter 1t now
was only proposed to extend its operation a little
further This was matter OF deep concern to
the citizens of this State. most important
avenue of communication hitherto closed, to the
: region of the great lakes of boundeSs extent
and inexhaustible fertility, was offered to be
opened to us. 1t would greatly cheaper all the
products of the west, and It's benefits would be
felt by every inhabtant of the State. To be sure
British interests were arraycd against it, and
they for the purpose of defeating its success
nau devised u FAMOUS CuHdl PROJECT, WHICH lney
pretended was to supcrccde its necessity. But,
i to say nothing of the evident design of the pro-
: ject which was concoctcd to operate against this
bill, and which would never exist except in the
brains of its originators, who would pretend
that even if carried into execution it would ever
be of such benefit to the people of Vermont as
the present measure would afford? A circuitous
and dangerous water communication Us miles
in length, by way of the St. Lawrence and St.
Johns. could never compete successfully with a
railroad only | 10 miles in length, with grade
Q of only 20 feet at the highest, and on which one
/ train of cars could transport 255 tons from Og-
!; densburg to Lake Chauiplain in ten hours, 1t
F.. was idle to think of it.. A canal too, woulG be
e constantly hampercd BY inspection laws and
T. custom house rsgtfatons, and in the time of
. war we should be totally excluded from its ben
i, efis. The region Of the canal was regarded as
the great base of military operations in the event
of war between America and England. 1t
t was of the greatest national Importance that we
J.. should have a means of communication along
{ the northern frontier, not within British limits,
d but where it could be protected by American
soldiers and American bayonets.
n But it is said that ,ransshlpment from Bur-
linglon to Platlsburgh would answer all practical
purposes But can II be supposed for moment
that the great expense, delay and Inconvenience