The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1867-03-12
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Nv Nru9aiUent etlzf @N 81 tHe towns @a's1aA
fie Has q tie Bennington s Ratland
nasIresd. a,d vss address BY gentle
men usE qualified Is give their bearers
crrrct information concerning the mat
isrs winch had called ihsm Together
Prom the statements q those rentle-
men ,he to.loving important facts ap-
lsarL
/ Thc Bennington s Rutland Raul
road IS pow being run 8 a decided loss
and unless seme connection j. effected
must soon be abandoned
2 4 connection with tbs Troy 4 B9s-
Ton Railroad can only D. accomplished
81 ceiling tie Bennington 4 1Rutland
Railroad TO the RENSSELAER, s Saratoga
Company
3 The project q connecting the
Bennington 4 Rutland Railroad with
tho Harlem Railroad cannot be carried
out without some AID from The people
of the Western Vermont valley
Thus Il appeared that We could only
have d railroad rs selling ii 10 a foreign
corporation, OF by contributing some
thing 70 The building Of new line
Upon lhat showing the meeting unani-
uously resolved that the Bennington q
Rutland railroad ought not to be sold,
but that the Harlem extension should
be built We believe that position was
properly taken, and that the action thus
decided upon is demanded BY tho IN
forests Of Western Vermont.
II is well for the people Of this section
to remember that matters can never
again be adjusted as they were before the
rupture Our future railroad facilities
must be either better or worse than
those we have heretofore enjoyed. The
Troy 4 Boston company is, by the sworn
testimony of its officials, an insolyent
corporation. They have been compell-
cd by their embarrassments TO place
themselves wholly in the power Of the
Rensselaer, a Saratoga company. II the
owners Of the Bennington q Rutland
Railroad are forced to sell their line, it
viii pass under the control Of that cor
poration. In the hands of the Rensel-
laer & Saratoga company our interests
will be even less regarded than they
were BY the Troy & Boston company.
To tho Troy a. Boston company, the
Western Vermont line was large share
Of its business; to the Rensselaer, & Sa-
ratoga company, it would be nothing at
all Their only interest in holding the
road would be to prevent its use by
another corporation. They would only
know the Western Vermont valley as a
place in which to buy wood for half
what ii is worth, and from which to
freight marble for twice what it is worth.
The history Of the Rensselaer, & Sal
ratoga company is history Of railroad
ACKNOWLEDGMENT which may have pro-
crossed comparatively unnoticed by the
people Of this section, but which has
long been watched with anxiety by men
who are prominently connected with
the public interests of Vermont. A
company whose line extended only from
Troy to Saratoga, distance Of twenty
eight miles, conceived the plan of gain
ing control of the business of an i'm
mense section. To accomplish this de-
sign tEey began to lease and purchase
lines to the east and north. First the
Saratoga a. Whitehall railroad was alb
sorbed. Then the Lake line of boats
fell into their hands Next that part Of
the Rutland q Washington line extend
ing from Rutland TO Castleton was ta-
ken. Soon after the remainder of the
Rutland & Washington road, extending
to Eagle Bridge, was purchased. AT
last the Western Vermont road alone
remained. And just as that road was
ready to fall into their hands, it was
bought by Mr.. Park and leased by Gov.
Smith, men identified with the interests
Of Vermont Now if we Of this section
stand by and permit the Rensselaer, d
Saratoga company to force these gem
tlemen 70 give up the road, We throw
ourselves into the very trouble from
which they saved us. II the Rensselaer,
n Saratoga company gain possession
Of the Bennington & Rutland railroad,
they control every Inc leading south
and west from Rutland and Burlington.
and Western Vermont lies at their mer-
ey Then all the northern passengers
and freight viii pass over their longer
lines ID their onn State, and the Ben
niueton a Rutland railroad viii be used
a. long a. the people can stand the
enormous rates necessary to support a
hne through poor country on its local
business