Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1868-12-03
bennington = Rutland Extension
sENARKs ur uoN GNENE- EEi'"it, Oh
P1ELTNEY, ~ THh HpUef, or REP
RLsLSIAVIVls, oN HoI-I ti'L
NUNEEE s!N

NJ NAlsAH So
Al A., authorizing tn B-un,g '.a y
Eutapa company % extend 'f
road % West l,B'''u'
H.. Sa.1ksr ,-lu my present eaHd,uoh
.f f.,lti. / should hardly venture upon
., .u..f.u Of ID matter OF the import
ms yhleh ,h,, extension project il as
,gm5gg. hut tar the deep interest my con
.t.tart. have in H. The Rutland X
NJ. gst,u Railroad, now operated by
fl. E,a,,.aer Il Saratoga corporation,
ran. ,l.r...h the town Of Pgu,'uey The
...lIt. If ,a.t town Contributed largely
g..ft- la..llng, ana in fact the road owes
as i>truee 20 the energy and per-eyer'
su.. -f a ~ her CinE.uS The rad IN
t.ru .-- contributed LARGELY 20 the
.srav.b o.. Pauluey, Tho population Of
tas west village az Paultney, through
which he road rurs, has doubled in bust
ness generally, has increased very much,
Slate quarties have been developed in the
toxin, which arc sending away from one 10
three carloads OF manufactured slate per
lav and TIL, slate business too is rapidly
Increasing. Tor this growth ard our
present prosperity, We are indebted % the
Rutland & Washington Railroad, and for
our future surrc,s, and especially for the
further development Of our numerous and
y.,u thlc slut" quarFio7, va must rely upon
that road. - 1t will hc seen that the in
,erys,s al the town of roultnoy are, to Il
large extent, Identical with the interests
- the Rutlsnd n Washington Railroad
We are under obligation. then, 20 look
after the interests Of that road, TO guard
aul protect it, night, and privileges and
in dong this. We ask nothing moro than
we would grant 20 other railroads in the
State-put our road on an equal footing
with other road, in the state OF Vermont,
sni W, vii be content.
acknowledge, Mr. Speaker, that have
a deep feeling IN this matter, aud IT is for
the reason that ii this extension is granted,
J., Is blow upon our road which must Sc
riou,ly affect II, and Of course will cor.
rcspondingly afFrc, the interests of the
people w1um have the honor to repre-
sent IN this House AS well As the interests
Of all the people on the line or lines of the
two roads now operated by the Rensselaer,
4 Saratoga corporation in Vermont And
there i another cause for this feeling and
the carue-tness that have in opposition
n this extension, and that is that such q
project would not have been attempted
upon any other railroad in this State, e1,
crp' upon this rnad. | may be- mistaken
in this. but | think not | ,huk9I hav,
the best OF reasons for believing that NJ
attempt would have been made to run an
other road over the route of the Rutland
L Bennington, tho Rutland X Burlng
Ton, the Vermont Central, or over an
other road in the State. Suppose tn,
goutlcmln from Fairhaven, or myself, haC
introduced bill in this House for the ex
tension OF the Rensselaer, Il Saratoga u
. Suthcrlmds Falls marble quarrie-, sly
mules north of Rutland, ON the Rutiane
Il Burlington road, or Ia the marble quar-
rles in Dandy, Dorset. and Manchester or
the Rutland X Bennington road; thinl
you that such n proposition would hav,
been listened 10 with any favor by any
member of this House Certainly not
everybody knows IT would not.
do not like to find fault, or charg,
any one with discriminating in relation
~ Vermont roads or Vermont interests
But ] cannot shut my eyes 10 the fact
that there is u strong prejudice existing
towards the Rensselaer, aud Saratogs
road, and whenever the interests Of tha
road come in competition with the inter
c-ts of,othcr roads, there is u cry abou
foreign corporations, Hs though, from Tn
fact that that road j. now owned and op
Grated by foreign corporation, it is no
entitled 10 the same rights. privileges an'
franchises. md the same considerations
,hgt other Vermont roads are.
There are over forty miles Of that roa
on the soil OF Vermont, and this fort
miles Of road runs through fine agricu
,nral reyi m. one Of the best in tho State
and buslde- the rich and inexhausti5le d,
post of marble at West Rutland, on il
line, there are numerous slate quarries i
castlcton, Furhavrn and PouItney. ais
in Hampton and Granville, in the Stat
II New York These quarries are alis
cAhuustiblr, and will soon, if they d
not already, rival the marble interests
the State in importance.
Now, then, is il not important TO Il
State that the interests on that road thri'
and proper, rs much "a it il that the il
screst- Of any other section Of the Sta
DO 80 1t il TO be hoped. then, if that
-, that the Legislature will not unne
sarily trammci that road with any bu
asus or hindranCcs, to ob+truct or paraiy.
the has.ness on its route.
The hi' proposes 10 extend the Bel
nington and putland road distance
i've miles from ~ northern terminus
Rutland to the mnrb.n puarrie. at We
Rutland, and the amendments to the bi
propose to allow the Bennington and Rn
land rold to 60 ~ onc" with th,.r cq
and engiucs upon the track of the H.
land < Washington road 10 those qugrri,
II * serious question, III my min
whether the Legislature has c0nstit
tionh right to give one corporation 4
power Of going upon road owned bv n
other corporation in that but |
GOT propose 10 discus, that question. Fl
Legislature have already granted cha
ter to the Rutland ma Washington rnu
and it is now proposed 60 take away fro
them part OF what was so granted al
give 1t TO another corporation. To =
nothing Of the constitutional question.
seems like bad faith on tho part Of I
STATE The Rutland and Waehingt
read invested their money in the bnildi
Of H. road and furnishing it, and tn,
was at least an implied understanding
the part of the State that they should h.
and enjoy the franchise 70 granted,
IT, Railroad Committee, ia taeir
port. say that the extension would in
sense be a parallel road, and the gent
lnan from Bennington has taken up e
siderable time in his argument to prove
II seems to mo that this idea Of paral
roads is entirely without meaning VIII
applied to this extension question, or.
deed, to any other question Of charter
road Two roads might be parallel
be a hundred miles apart, or they may
parallel and not over ton feet apart an
,riIl IL.