Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-11-09
RUTLAND HERALD.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER .. 1865.
The Rai,road Controversy.

A the readers OF the DAILY hhhALp
are aware that controversy has arisen
between the managers OF the Rutland
and Burlington railroad and the Western
Vermont, and as We have heretofore
rfyen the substance OF the complaints
in behalf of the latter road, 1t is no more
than simple justice that we should give
the other side a hearing, leaving our
readers TO draw such differences and
conclusions in respect TO the merits OF
the controversy as they may think just
To this end we present in this article
the substance of memorial to the Leg
islature, signed by Messrs. Birchard and
Page, the managing trustees of the Rut-
land and Burlington railroad in reply to
that of Hon. Hiland Hall and Others in
behalf Of the Western Vermont.
Messrs. Birchard aud Page first repel
the charge of hostility towards the
Western Vermont, and especially toward
the public. They say they were selected as
the trustees ofthose interested as bond
holders for the management of the Rut-
land road, under the sanction of the
Court of Chancery, to whom they are
answerable for the manner in which
they manage the trust, and that they
have regarded it "their duty, in all legi-
innate and fair ways, by connections
and running arrangements with other
roads, to add to the business and gains
of their road, yet always in due subor-
dination to the purpose of the Legisla-
ture in granting the charter, viz service
to the public"
The memorial next proceeds to state
that the document in behalf of the West
ern Vermont, however honestly intended
by the respectable gentlemen whose
names are attached to it, is based upon
unfounded reports, and is calculated to
produce wrong impression by marked
omission to notice other important facts;
that it is not true that there are only
two railroad routes from Rutland to
Troy, nor that the Rutland and Burling-
ton and Western Vermont form the
shortest route nor that the travel and
business have uniformly taken that
route that the Rutland and Washing
ton was put in operation as early as the
Western Vermont, and has>sinCe been
operated as a competing line, being fully
as short and desirable a route as the lat
ter. and has taken an equal share OF
trade and business, and they notice the
fact that the map accompanying the
document in behalf Of the Western YER
mont omits to notice the Rutland and
Washington line. They further say that
the curves and grades of the Western
Vermont possess no advantages over
those of the Rutland and Washington
road that the Western Vermont, by
foreclosure of its first mortgage, passed
into the hands of it's bondholders; that
the bonds have since been purchased In
at discount, costing the present own
ers about $3.50 900; and new corpora
ton has been organized called the Ben
ningtor and Rutland Railroad Company,
and that it is row under lease of the
Troy and Boston Company, to be kept in
repair, and pay an annual rent OF $685. OO,
being an interest of nearly 10 per cent.
on'the cost of the bonds that the lease
will expire Jan. 16, 1867 that so long as
this lease continues to foreign corpora
ton, no proprietor Of the Western Yer
mont can be injured by any running ar
rangements of the r. g. 3. road with
other roads, unless possibly as affect
ing its value as q speculative stock !;
that the Troy and Boston Company's
road is designed to connect Boston with
Troy by the way of North Adams and
the Hoosac Tunnel; that when this route
Is opened it will be the shortest and
easiest route between Boston and Troy ;
and said company is under a perpetual
contract with the State of Massachusetts,
that upon the completion of the tunnel
it shall turn out its business over that
route; that it's use Of the Western Yer
mont is therefore designed to be only
temporary, and until it can assume its
natural hostile attitude TO the Vermont
roads In respect to Eastern business
That last May the Rensselaer, and Sara
toga, and Rutland and Washington roads
were consolidated, and are managed by
common Board Of Directors, with q
view of putting an end to ruinous
competition between the two roads, and
injurious to the public; that the pro
prietors of the Western Vermont entered
into negotiations with these two roads
to take the former into the consolidated
arrangement, but they failed or were
suspended because the proprietors Of thu
Western Vermont could not, during tn
continuance of the lease to the Troy anC
Boston, control their own road, and be
cause they demanded larger price fol
their road in the common stock than tn
other party was willing to allow; tina
after this consolidation, and with thu
expectation that the Western Vernon