The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1867-03-22

''iNN - ".'liy hiiiiiS oui laiii W liii weep
ING, suffering, Imprisonment and death
The passage OF a law licensing the sale o
Intoxicating drinks in the leading state in
New England will carry sadness and sigh
inc into thousands of families all over
New England, and greatly injure the cause
Of temperance throughout the whole
country"
Extra Session Of the Legislature
We are authorized to say that his Elk.
cellency the Governor will Immediately
issue a proclamation calling the legislature
Together on Wednesday, the 9th day O
March instant, to relieve the railroad dis
abilities of the western part of the state
and particular Y Of the counties of Ben
nington and Rutland The Rensselaer, &
Saratoga Railroad of New York first OBJ
tanned control of all the railroads from
Vermont to New York city and the West
by way Of Troy, except the Western Yer
mont road, which runs from Rutland tC
Bennington and then, for the purpose OF
controlling the latter road, deliberately cut
its connection with it. Thus the Western
Vermont road can do only local business.
which will not pay the running expenses,
and the people dependent upon it are
forced to send their freight to Rutland,
and thence by the Connecticut river route
to New York, an extra average distance
for the " estcrn Vermont of more than a
hundred miles-or via Rutland ana this
New York monopoly line, an extra aver
age distance of ei@hty-iive miles, and
ninety-tive miles at monopoly rates.
The district accommodated by the
Western Vermont road is by far the most
important manufacturing district in the
state, the town OF Bennington alone pro-
duciNg one third of the taxable manuf:sc-
lures of this Congressional district The
loss to a single establishment in year. If
it continues business, will be more than
three times the cost OF an extra session,
and there are several branches of manu-
tdcture III which business must be entirely
by sta9nation i'll business, de-
probation III property, and the ruin of
valuable business enterprises, the New
York monopoll>ts are making their tracks
in Vermont; and we hardly need ai,!
that, ii the monopoll,ts are not speedily
brought to terms, the tax payers of the
state will feel their weight in Il reduction
OF Tie Grand list We must add howev-
er, that the people OF the whole of West
crn Vermont, from tie southern boundary
tc the northern, and even of large por-
ton of eastern Vermont, are now sub
lcCted to enormous eXtOrtlOn on all freight
bound to New York OF tie West by the
way OF Troy, and are therefore interested
in this matter. But were Bennington
county alone Interested we think the peo-
pie OF tho whole state would say, that the
cost OF an extra session., perhaps $4,000,
Is not worth counting against their calam-
ity. We remember nothing in railroad
management 50 cold-booded and attro-
ciOus; and only one thing in history that
has 50 stirred the blood OF Green Noun
tain boys against their neiehbors in NV
York and that was when New York
sought to grasp the very soil, whose own
ers her monopolists would now ruin, and
her mlnionS were repulsed by Allen and
Warner and Baker, or caught and pun
ished by the application OF 1.-THE beecl,
seal, or suspended upon a Bennington
sign post.
But what can the legislature do? The
Western Vermont people propose to work
out their own safety and independence,
by building fifty miles of road. making u
direct connection between Vermont and
New York city, and also with Albany and
the West, via Chatham. The Harlem
road. and people in New York on the pro-
posed line. have raised :s500,OOO, and it is
proposed 10 raise the remainder bv a
mortgage OF the Western Vermont road
and subscriptions by Vermont towns in
tere>ted. Ali that is asked of the lccisla,
turc IS an act to authorize this mortgage
and subscriptions by the towns. If this
aid Is promptly granted by the legislature,
the road will be built and running this
year; whereas, if an extra session bad not
been called, the work would have to he
postponed oae full year, and the people of
the state subjected for that year to the ex-
actions Of the Workers. We think it more
than probable that, when the legislature
has @rantel these powers, the monopolists
will be clad enough to resume business on
decent terms with the Western Vermont
road. Ii not, we trust Vermont will have
rods in pickle for them that will be quite
As effective is the ancient beech seal.
Gov. Dillingham;. as we'll a. many
Others. doubtless, reluctantly contemplated
the Inconvenience and expense OF an extra
session. In that we fully svmpathized
with him: but vixen we learned the ne
coSsities Of the case. we were fully salts
fed, rs We think the public will he. that it
would have been cruel 10 refuse the rea-
sonabie petition that was presented to him.
.)j,aton's D0iy.
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