Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-11-06

tiUn but he could not see that it conficted
more with the bin Of rights in this particula
case than in all cases where money WAS voter
for town uses, which often promote private
interests at public expense. lie should ia
vor the passage Of the bill, believing that the
interests Of the State demanded that every
facility should ,e given 10 all portions of the
State for developing its resources. Mr.. Glaz-
icr OF Strattun, thought he had proper re-
gard Tor the interests Of the State, and was
i willing 10 leave the question of constitution
! ality with the courts. But he was opp Ised
to the bill ON the ground Of lis oppressive
character, and sroke at length against the
| provisions Of the bill, preierrlng that rail
roads should be built By private capital and
that ii any aid Is 10 be given 10 them, 1t
should he given bv the State, and not by
! particular towns, that method being less OPP
presSiye.
Mr.. Converse OF Woodstock said he took it
! for granted tiat the bill was as we'll Is il
could he. He had questioned whether we
should allow towns 10 raise money Tor any
purpose except for strictly town purposes ;
but in looking over the acts OF the past few
wears, we find acts which would come I'M
der the came objection rs, ior instance, the
act Of 1852 allowing towns 10 rasie money to
pay soldiers, ia 1865 10 raise money TO pay
drafted soldiers, and t. build monuments to
deceased soldiers in 1864 Ia allow towns to
raise money 70 pay substitutes, and u raise
money to prepare soldiers records Ill lSG6
providing that every town may build Jaiis :;
and ut the present session & bill allowing
towns to procure libraries. He never heard
OF 4 man raising objections 70 these bills and
yet they were bling acts : as much Is
the bill under consideration. Now We're we
wrong in passing these bills? II - let US
stop it, and set a good example. Il we were
? Il. -, q
ever allow towns 70 raise money. when aud
for what shall such privilege be granted =?
w rule il, where a town asks u privilege
10 make an appropriation, and ifit Is 70 be
beneficial - the towns. grant them the priv
ileee asked.
VIII this bill be damage u the towns
asking il? 1t is not for me, away down in
Woodstock, - say u these towns that, al
though in ordinary business transactions YOU
are shrewd enough, vet in this matter you
are fools. No man can say but railroad
through the fertile valley of Lamojlle will be
q great benefit, and he was willing they
should have one He answered the argu-
rnent that such bill would be oppressive to
ninoritiez. and that If done ri ali should be
done by the state, by saying that in that case
even naiorities must rule the Ininofitie5.
lie hoped the bill would pas, and the towns
be allowed the privilege asked ~ them
selves.
Mr. Rounds Of Chester rchc4rsei the his
tory Of the passage Of the bilI thus far
through the House, and stated that in the
outset it was referred u ! committee OF It's
friends. who would Of course report in favor
of IL Il has not Ieon considered bv any
other committee than such as have - railroad
On the brain. - Nv opposition II this bill
comes from 40 desire - cripple the develop
..Fr rk,a
least. but = desire 10 see the best interests CT
the State promoted. lie Ia erred ia the leg
slation since 1862. enabling towns 10 raise
money. and said the s. per month paid by
the State NCs right, and evers dollar paid 10
soldiers ought II have been paid By the
State. He always opposed the bills allow
ing tow nH u raise money TO pay bounties,
and had. whenever the subject was before the
legislature for consIde alton, urged 10 the
best of his ability that the towns should be
limited in the amount of money that our out
burst of patriotism then allowed them TO
r:.ise. He cited eases where large sums had
been paid 70 furnish men 10 ill quotas of
towns where tne money was oF little avail 10
the service. lie was always willing 10 pay
the soldiers 1--WE can never pay them N dol
lars and centel, bat he questioned the legis-
latiun that had been had on thai subject
lie explained The bill he had introduced the.
present session 70 allow the town Of Chester
10 pay substitutes, that II was the Sase Of 4
very worthy man, and b. had been promised
the 81 per month bv the stlectmcn. and N
good faith n the man, the town OF Chester
simply asked she Legislature 10 allow them
TO keen good faith with the soldier. As -
this bill, he supposed that the bill had been
perfected by its friends, aud zone OF the IlOst
Questionable features of 1t had heea strick-
en- out. - ;hat in discussing it he must take
it as lie finds it perfected hy its friends
But there il .;ili no limit 10 the amount chat
towns NAV raise, which he thought very oh
iectionable in that It beneiitled certain
parts Of towns II the detriment and perhaps
ruin al the other parts OF the towns. lie
thought this hill oppressive upon The poor,
and, although their property II enhanced in
value, it WAS no n"peft 10 shtn, fer they
wanted it as = home 70 live in, that they
might die and le buried with their kindred.
and the fact that the property IL enhanced in
value furnished them no better home than
before i was a. enhanced. He thought
there should he some limit to the amount al
lowed t. hc raised. Railroads hal never vet
paid in this State. and the Iuouev drawn
from these towns ~as 80 ,uucii sunk in build
ing them The manner of obtaining the as
sent Of the towns lie also thought very oh
iectionahle, and had always opposed that
provision in MI bills cf this kind.-fhere
would bc corruption under il, and the only
true course was 10 have the matter fully dis
! cussed IN open town meeting He was 0p-
/ rfsed to the hil both in detail und princi-
pie.
Mr. Alien of ir,,sburx'. said it Is claimed
4 thaG we must pass this bill because the
towns through which it passes ask for it..
! He thought that argument amounted 10 just
nothing. The raising money TO build rail
!
where money was raised for public uses, fog
railroads are private corporations, and the
raising money for them would involve the
same principle as though towns We're asking
TO build factory iniil iu their midst.
! He thought every man should be allowed to
do what he liked with his own. Ii is true
! he had property in Lamoille valley, and he
opposed the bill for that reason. but ne also
! opp sed it principle, and believed it
wrong to allow towns - tax themselves Tor
such purposes.
Mr.. FeFrin Of Montpelier said that the ar
cuments that had been raised against the
| bill had but confirmed him in the opinion
that it WAS not only right, but that it was
I the bcsf method OF accomplishing the object.
/ lie conceded with the views advanced by the
gentleman from Woodstock, and thought
they covered the whole ground. None but
| the people OF the towns named could know
what they wanted. and it was not for the
gentleman from Chester, or the gentleman
| from irasburgh, to say that 4 unanimous re-
quest OF these populous and wealthy towns
shall not Se granted. He referred TO the fact
that the request Of the towns in Bennington
county had been granted unanimously, the
gentleman from Chester, member Of the
| legislature then. raising no objection. Had
be received any new light on the subject that
would deny to the people OF Lalnoiile valley
| whar had Lean IMAM innuslx ..r-,nIel Il, the