Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-09-02

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THE RAILROAD QUESTION.
The pressure Of other matters upon our
attention and our columns, has prevented as
hitherto from attending to some remarks on
Railroad topics which appeared in the Bur
lington Tunes a few days since. Wcnow, at
our first leisure, viii notice them briefly.
They occur chiefly in the Times OF Aug. 18th.
We recur to them now, not at all for the
sake of maintaining a controversy with that
paper, but because the important questions
involved in the discussion, seem TO us To de-
mand consideration now, as they Will soon
demand aoiou on the part Of the people and
their representatives.
First, however, we will remark, that we
ha. me TO spend on the railing, which
ma the Times railway article is 50 literally
bestowed on our correspondent '' Honesty"
further than to say that, with decent and
considerable people, PLAIN attempt on the
part of the Times, to overcome the force of
the undeniable fats stated by our CORES
pondent, and his arguments thereon, would
Doe much more to the purpose, than ever 50
long string Of sneers and abusive epithets
Having freely nburthened itself IN that way,
to begin with, the inns proceeds:
"Our own opinion has been from the beginning,
ami the course of the Fire. Press has strengthened
IT, that what Burlington and Western Vermont
have to do, Is to INSIST that the EQUAL ana lNbE-
PENDENT connection of the Vt. and Canada Road,
with the K. and b., in the Village Of burlington,
required bv the Charter Of the Vt. and c., SHALL
BE MADE, according TO the letter and spirit Of the
law.
Itmay be doubted, We think, whether all
the readers of the inns have understood 1t
to have had. sf,adily, and from the beginning,
the opinion which it lays down SO explicitly in
the sentence Just quoted If the Free Press
has helped to give clearness to the views OF
the Times. We are glad of it. We find no
FAULT with the remark of the Times, accord
ing to its obvious import; and only say that
the Free Press looks at what the Legislature
should "INsIsr upon, as Jllst, and for the
pubhc good rather than at what any portion
of the community not having legislative
power shall - INSIST on in the case. Rail
road Corporal. ms have some fear of the lar,
but not much of individuals or Of neishbor-
hoods
As to what the Times calls ''self-evident
propositions whether true or false in their
terms, they have no practical bearing on the
main point,-whch is that the Vermont Il
Canada Railroad ought to have complied in
good faith with its charter provisions regard
ing a connexion with the Rutland 4 Bur
lington Railroad in the village of Burlington
winch it has not done . and moreover that
it now stands in the attitude Of having re-
fjlsod to comply with the legislative provis-
ions enacted to that end, taking the conse-
quences, rather than to comply, ofletting its
charter expire, in the hope of bringing the
Legislature to consent to an essential relin-
quishment Of the charter requisition referred
to. or to leave the corporation in a sortof sus-
pended existence, to be managed under legis-
lative suferance for an indefinite time by the
same parties who nor control it, and who
are understood to be very directly concerned
in the act Of refusal above spoken Of Yet
one of the propositions so triumphantly laid
down by the Times. is 50 entirely faIlacious
as regards the case IN hand, that we will no.
tice it. 1t is this:
Now a thing that has to be done by two or
parties will always be best done. in the man
that shall enlist the interests and co-ope ration
OF all the parties concerned
This one Of the "selt-eyident' propositions
which the Times says is excluded from the
insane reasoning Of such vindictiye and fe-
rocious disputants as Honesty, who al
ways commence an argument by asserting
the scoundrelism and dishonesty of an OPP
ponent." Letting the Times abuse 20,
what does its remark mean? Who are the
fco or more parties who are required to do
anything in the present case? We know Of
but one-and that is the Vermont q Canada
Il. r. Co. Moreover. the ''self evident
proposition Of the Iimies lays aside as of no
account the interests and ,oefare Of the public
and implies that if two or three sets of
railroad managers can come TO an agreement
among themselves, although their agreement
may be purely selfish and in total disregard
of the public loeLfare, it is no concern of any
body else-least of all of the Legislature, al
though by the circumstances of the case the
whole proceeding may be fairly and properly,
as in the present case, under Legislature con-
troll The experience of the world has not
shown thus far that the selfish interests of
one, two or even three sets of railroad mana
gers can be safely trusted in erery thing, so
far as their doings are to affect the public.
But the Times proceeds
awe have good authority for saying, in rela-
ton to this Railroad connection, ESQ much and so
Unexpectedly written and talked abouD that both
the Vt. & Canada and the Vt. Central Company
and who shall tell US that they have no interests
to be consulted WILLING to bring their roads,
and run their trains, into the Village of Burling
ton, EACH BY SEPARATE AND INDEPENDENT |
TRACK OF ITS OWN, and by route that shall tun-
mel or cut the bank near the Fair Ground, and /
shall be much cheaper and more easits than any that