The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1867-03-26


ness, either Of passengers or freight.
should SO over the bennington and
Rutland railroad Is had been is wont,
but al such business should be forced
to 20 over the road Of the Rensslear aud
Saratoga Company to Eagle Bridge in
the State ef New York, and thence hy
the Troy aud Boston railroad to Troy
that if such contract is carried out, as
your memorialists believe il viii hd. the
bennington and Rutland railaoad could
not be operated bat at loss, even II
the connection now broken. were re-
newcd, and the value Of the same would
be wholly destroyed. Aud your memo
liahsts furtherrepresent, Chat by break
ing the connection at the State line, rs
before stated, the said Rensselaer, and
Saratoga Company are enabled TO force
and do force all the business from the
North to the South and West over their
said road and by preventing it from
going in It's best and accustomed chan
mel via the Bennington and Rutland
road, they create monopoly OF all such
business, and are onahled TO increase
the rates Of charge for doing the same
at pleasure, to the great detrimont Of
the business interests Of the portions OF
this State lying north and cast OF Rut-
land as well as those OF tho section on
the line of the Bennington aud Rutland
road, and also to the damage of other
Vermont railroads.; and said Rensselaer,
and Saratoga Co, have, in fact, already
since the breaking Of such connection,
US before stated, and since they have
obtained control of the Troy and Ben
nington road, advanced their rates OF
charge on freight from this State to
New York and the West more than
twenty-five per cent, and this your me-
moralists believe is but the beginning
Of the injustice winch the people Of this
State may well apprehcnd if this mo-
nopoly becomes permanent Torif the
connection is not renewed, or if the
bennington and Rutland road passes
into the possession, or under the con
troll Of the same Company which it is
believed is the only condition upon
which it viii be renewed then said
Company viii have the absolute control
Of every outlet by railroad from this
State to tho West, and from all Western
Vermont 10 the South.
Yom momorialists further represent
that, while in consequence Of the acts
Of the Troy and Boston and the Rem
selaer and Saratoga Companies, other
Vermont railroads VIII be seriously IN
jured, and the business interests Of the
State North and East Of Rutland will,
by reason Of the cxorbitant charges for
the transportation Of freight and pas
sengers, greatly suffer the effect Qi
these acts upon the line Of the Benning-
ton and Rutland railroad will, unless
relief can be obtained be ruinous, and
will be seen in the dimuition Of bust
ness, the disappearance Of valued bust
ness men, the general decrease Of popu-
lation, the decay Of our villages and
great reduction in value Of taxable prop
erty.
Your memcri. SITS believe that the
only remedy for those great evils is the
construction Of another railroad Civ.
ing the State another outlet to the
South and West; that such route car
be opened, and win make, when com
pleted, the shortest aud best route from
Montreal to New York, passing through
the entire length Of the State, and Sc
curing the people in future against the
gross impositions of the Troy and Bos-
ton and Rensselaer, and Saratoga Com
panies Under this sudden and extreme
pressure, your memorialists, and those
they represent, require some Legislative
action, such as was not necessary, and
the necessity Of which could not be fore
seen at your last session, to enable
them to carry out this project at an
early day. With such action at the ex-
ira session now called, it is expected
that the new road viii be completed the
ensuing season.
Your memorialists therefore pray
your honorable body to consider our pc
cular and most unfortunate condition,
and TO enact such laws as shall afford
relief to this section Of the State, while
they shailpromote the general interests
Of all parts thoreof
The committee report THAI they have
added to their number the following
persons, who have acted with them -
II. Il. Bradford. 4 Booth. I. M. Park