Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-09-09

dies.
NORTHERN RAILROAD---MR.
WEBSTER'S SPEECH.
On Friday, Aug. %, the Northern IN. H. rail-
road was opened for use as far as Grafton, on
which occasion large party passed over the
road and dined at Grafton. Daniel Webster was
in the company, and being called upon, spoke as
follows:
The people from the many adjacent towns had
assembled at Grafton for the purpose of witness
sing and participating in the ceremonies of the
OCCASION After the collation-c conducted on the
strictest Temperance principles in the most lib
eral manner-i. being ascertained that Mr.. Web
ster was present. there was an unanimous and
most enthusiastic call for him. He came out,
with his overcoat on his arm and in an easy and
familiar manner made las far we could hear)
the following remarks:
| 81 am very happy, fellow citizens, to ue here
on this OCCASION to meet here the Directors of
the Northern Railroad-the Directors of various
other Railroads connected with it below, and
such number of my fellow citizens, inhabitants
of this part o. the State. Perhaps my pleasure
and my surprise at the success Of this great en-
lerprise so far, are the greater from the fact of
my early acquaintance with this region and all
its localities.
But, gentlemen, see the rain IS beginning
to descend fast, spd' pray you 10 take shelter
under some of these roofs. (Cries OF $50 on,
60 on, never mind US e')
ain my youth and early manhood have trav-
ersed these mountains along all the roads or pas
SEES which lead through or over them. We are
on Smiths river, which, while in College, had
occasion to swim; even that could not always
be done; and | have made circuit of many
rough and tedious miles to get over it. At that
day. steam, as motive power, acting on water
and land was thought of by nobody; nor were
there good practicable roads in this part of the
State. AT that day one must have traversed this
wilderness on horseback or on foot. So late as
when left college, there was no road from river
to river for carriage fit for the conveyance of
persons. well recolect the commencement of
the turnpike system. The granting of the char
ter OF the fourth turnpike, which led from Leb-
anon to Boscawen, was regarded as wonderful
era. The champion in the Legislature of this
1 great enterprise was Benjamin J. Gilbert, then
lawyer at Hanover, always most amiabe and
excellent man. and now ENJOYING hcallhful old
age in the City of Boston. | think he is 81 years
old He is well known to the elder inhabitants
of this county, and am glad of an opportunity
to allude TO him as highly valued friend Of long
standing.
u 81 remember TO have attended the first meet
ing Of the proprietors of this turnpike at Ando-
yer. 1t was difficult to persuade men that it was
possible TO have passable carriage road over
these mountains. was too young and too poor
!, to be subscriber, but held the proxies of sew
eral absent subscribers, aud what lacked in
! knowledge and experience, made up in zeal
and as far as now remember, my first speech
after left college was in favor of what was then
; regarded as great and almost impraciicable in
. terna improvement, 10 wit the making of
smooth though hllly road from Connecticut river
Al. "a.
= rimack at the mouth of Contoocook. Perhaps
, the most valuable result of the making of this
/ and other turnpikes was The communication of
knowledge upon road-mnking among the people
for in few years afterward, great numbers of
the people went TO church, to electoral and other
q meetings, in chaises and wagons, over very toll
cradle roads. The next stage after turnpikes
= was canals Gov. Sullivan, DIR. Dexter, Col
B Baldwin, and other eminent citizens of Massa-
!. chusetts, had planned the Middlesex Canal, con.
: Meeting the Merlmack river at Pawtucket Falls,
$ near where Lowell now IS, with Boston. And
Q a canal was bulk round those Falls also to com
pele water conveyance to Newburyport.-
= Great expense was incurred aflerward in locking
0 the various falls higher up the river until at
length the river was made nayigable for boats as
= high up as Concord. This was thought 10 be n
great anG most useful achievement, and so indeed
f 1t was. But vastly greater was now approach
: ing, the era OF steam. That is the invention
q which distinguishes this age. The application
e of steam to the moving of heavy bodies on the
water and on the land towers above all other in.
ventons of this or the preceding age, as the Car
: digan mountain now before us Ills itself above
= the little hlllocks at its base.
4 "Fellow citizens, can we without wonder con-
= slider where we are and what has brought us here;
0 Several OF this Company left Boston and Salem
n this morning. They passed the Kearsarge on the
. left, the Ragged Mountain on the right, have
: threaded all the valleys and gorges and here
they at two o'clock, at the foot of the Card-
r gan Hills. They probably went to the market
> this morning, ordered their dinners went home
TO leisure breakfast, and sat out. Here they
now are, enjoying the collation. of our hospitabIe
, friend Mr.. Cass at the hour when their families
, are dining ut home. BMihe way ii they had
thought ft-and it would have been happy
I thought-they might have brought US few fish
taken out OF the sea at sunrise this morning, and
: we might here enjoy as good fish dinner our
friends are now enjoying at Phillips Beach or
Nahant. This would have been rather striking
, "a chowder at the foot Of the Cardigan Hills
would have been thing to be talked about
, "Fellow citizens, this Railroad may be said to
bring the sea to your doors. You cannot indeed
snuh Its salt water, but you will both snuff and
taste its best products. as fresh those who live
on It's shores. | cannot conceive of any policy
more useful TO the great mass of the community
than the policy which established these public
Improvements. Let me say, fellow citizens, that
ly one SO we'll calculated as that of railroads 70