Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1868-07-30
The Portland ana Rutland Rail-
road Convention.

Agrecably to the call issued for n con
vention in the interest of the Rutland and
Woodstock Railroad, the citizens OF Rut-
land and vicinity assembled at the Town
Hall in Rutland on Tuesday, July 2Sth
at ! o'clock p. m. The convention was
called to order 10y John Cain, ESD, who
stated the object of the meeting to he the
consideration Of the building of the Rut-
land and Woodstock Railrnad, and the
appointment Of delegates to the Interna-
tiunal Convention at Portland on the 4th
of August Mr. Cain nominated for
President Coy. John +. Page, wEo was
unanimously elected. Gov Page, on tax
ing the chair, returned his acknowledge
ments, and spoke briehyof the objects of
the convention and its Importance.
The convention was further organized
by the appointment of Henry Clark secre-
tary and the following named gentlemen
as Nice-Presidents John Cain, ESD, Rut-
land Hon. D. W. Taylor, Sherburnc; T.
w. Stickney, Plymouth; Linus Edmunds,
Chittenden; S. NJ. Dorr, Rutland n r.
Aldrich, Shrewsbury; DIR. C. W. Brigham,
Pttsfield
The President then introduced Gen.
Peter I. Washburn, in a few cornmenda-
tory remarks, when, amid applause, the
General took the stand and spoke substan.
TALLY as follows:
Mr. fhoitmon ol,d Gcuae1ie. Thi,
referring 10 the assemblagc. is compara-
lively large she'll for So small an oyster
lie was not disappointed, however. for the
people had not become fairly aroused 10
the importance Of the subject to be here
deliberated upon. Yet no subject was OF
more vital interest to the people Of Rut-
land than railroad connections with the
east and west, evidence of which was
all around them, in their beautiful. thirty.
ing, and prosperous village He alluded
10 the town a. it formerly was. consisting
of but Main street. which had few
dwellings scattered upon it, with one in
ferior hotel, and a courthouse which had
10 long disgraced the county when the
large tract now composing the principal
portion of the town was but a meadow
From 1880 to 1866 the taxable valuation
of property iii Rutland had increased
S2,OOO,0O0, or 10 per cent Railroads
had brought about this revolution and in
crease, and additional roads, especially the
connecting link in the line Of the road
from the Gulf OF St Lawrence to the Pa
cific, which it was asked Of the people Of
Rutland to take the initiatory in con-
structing. would tend to still further en-
nance our valuation The railroads now
built i'll the state had cost in the neigh
borhooa Of S2i 00O. 600, of which 81, 00O,-
had beeu contributed by capitalists of
Boston and Massachusetts, Since 1915
from the impetus given the business Of
the State By railroads. our grand list had
increased S26. coo, 000. or Sli 900, 900 more
than the amount Of capital furnished .by
our people 10 aid III the construction of
these thoroughfdres. The speaker here.
to prove that hi statements that railroad,
were the principal cause Of our prosperity.
gave figures which he had gathered from
official statistics. Newport, on the Pas.
sumpsfc road, had increased in size and
property 400 per cent Brattleboro. ON
the Vermont Valley and Connecticut
River roads had increased 100; Ludlow, on
the Rutland and Burlington road, had in
creased tenfold i'll amount Of business and
Of inhabitants and houses, while Ply
mouth, an adjacent town, with no rail-
road connections, had increased but IL
per cent. whereas, in the town Of Bridge.
water, through which the proposed line
would pass, he believed but one residence
had been erected since the beginning of
the decade to which he alluded.
The project which was to be consum-
mated by the completion of the Rutland
d Woodstock Railroad was one of the
grandest and most feasible schemes ever
presented. Look on the map, and it will