The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-04-29
The LamoiIIe Valley RaiIroad.

A communication dated at Montpelier and
signed d. W." appears in yesterdays Argus,
respecting the prospects of the projected rail-
road through the Lamoille valley. Montpelier
Is hardly the place from which we should have
expected authentic intelligence concerning
this enterprise The writer begins by saying
that the Montpelier and st. Johnsbury road
has failed. st. Johnsbury is the point at which
the Portland and Ogdensburg line strikes the
Passumpsic rail- Dad. From that point it
might either bend southwark to Montpelier, or
strike across the State through the Lamoille
valley to form a junction with the Vermont
Central railroad. By one of these routes the
connection with Ogdensburg is to be establish.
ed, and the better route for Portland, other
things being equal, is Of course the direct
Lamoille route. The two lines are therefore
: ival lines, and as we have already said Mont
pelier is hardly the place from which we
should have expected authentic intelligence
of the prospects of the Lamoile enterprise.
The view which I'D. w. " takes of that en-
terprise is exceedingly respondent. He does
not deny that the route is very easy, or that
the cost of constr uction will be comparatively
light, but he says 1.-The money is not there" to
build and equip the road. "The vote upon
this line of road, he says, Fin 1867, was 4,116,
and it would require an average subscription
of over $1,000 to each voter to build and equip
the road" This is no doubt very discourag
ing statement; it is unfortunately impossible
to test Its accuracy because we do not know
what towns are taken into the calculation nor
how the cost of the road is estimated. 1t is
fo daal with so
vague and shadowy. The facts, as we gather
them from our Vermont exchanges, point to
different conclusion. At the meeting of the
directors of the Portland, White Mountains
and Ogdensbnrg Railroad Company last week,
at Littleton, New Hampshire, it was reported
that the stock subscriptions of the towns along
the Lamoille will alone amount to forty per
cent. of the cost of the road. This is the
one fact which it is necessary to keep in view.
The stock subscriptions of the towns of Wal
den, Greenboro, Hardwick, Wolcott, Elmore,
Morristown, Hydepark, johnson, Waterville
Bakersfield, Sheldon, and Highgate, as report
ed in The St. Johnsbury Caledonian, amount
o S466.O0O. From eig hit other towns which
nave not voted, " but undoubtedly will" ac-
cording to the information of the Californian.
q further subscription of $279,CCO is anticipa-
ted making in all $745 Goo, which win proba-
bly, be increased by private subscriptions to
$775,CoO0 or $500 eco. st. Johnsbury is notin-
cluded in this estimate.
These figures sd. W." does not directly
question. He says however that he is "told'
that no town has as yet done more than to
pass its vote in aid of the road, while the en-
aiding act requires also the written consent OF
q majority of the voters, representing more
than half the valuation of each town. He has
apparently been misinformed. The Caledo-
MAN says the twelve towns named above have
already voted and giuen the list" 1t is ofgreat
importance to this community to know the
truth, and the whole truth about every Sec
ton of line which promises to do more for
Portland than any other can; but it is also OF
great importance that nothing but the truth
shall be presented. If the Lamoille towns are
ready to pledge forty per cent. of the cost OF
the road and its equipment in good faith, we
can tsonspJess II and yvithou.
further anxiety prepare to meet them at DaI-
ton. The only reason we have to believe they
are not ready is the statement of Sd. W.
that he was told" so at Montpelier.