Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1868-01-30

0
work that has - materially hencfttcj
your State,
II may not he generally known what q
barrier Of prejudice was required 10 be
: 'urmounted before the privilege to place
! the bridge where it is, was secured, A
brief history Of ii viii seem To disabust
. the minds Of many, and show why III,
people Of this section look with such jcal,
I ousy upon any eucroaehment ON this link
| which connects rs with the East,
As early a. January, lsis, when the
ogdensburg road was commenced, appli-
cation was made TO our Legislature for
p privilege TO cross Lake Champlain, bu,
the request was spurned as prepos,erous
= -ridiculous-a measure which could no,
: for a moment be considered II would
ruin the Erie Canal, direct trade from
Central New York arS utterly destroy
commerce ON the lake, In ls49, applica,
ton was again made with the same ~
suit as in the previous years In 1850 no
better success was attained In the sum.
mer Of this year the road was opened ior
business and the traffic so far exceeded the
expectations Of all that il Was thought
opposition to the bridge would close, As
soon rs the Legislature convened in 1850,
il was apparent that opposition has no,
ceased and that the same se,fishness
which characterized previous Lagisla-
lures was still embodied in the one then
in session. The people could submit no
longer; they had built the road and il
was likely to prove dead letter unless
they could cross the lake. Immense meet
ings were held here and at all the princi-
pal places ON the line Of the road. at
which it was resolved that "furbcarance
had ceased to be a virtue, and that the
bridge must be- built and maintained"
This had the effect of securing the pas
sage Of compromise which, although
far from being what was DESTROYS, was
accepted under existing circumstances
allowed the bridge to be built, provided
space Of three hundred feet be left unob-
structed, which necessitated the use of
float instead Of a regular draw or swing.
Constantly increasing business has
proved the cumbersome and unwieldly |
float far from meeting present wants, and
now when it is proposed to close por-
ton of the opening and build draw of
equal size to those in the bridges over the
Hudson at Troy and Albany, the whole of
eastern and central New York is much
troubled lest Lake Champlain commerce
be endangered Itappears to me that the .
commerce of the Hudson at Troy and Al
bany is ten-fold that Of the north end of
Lake Champaign. Do they wish their
draw bridges removed and floats intro
durcd M 'fot-Auger times and In 7
situations are things of the past-played
although there has been slight return
to them of late, in the manner of mail /
between Troy and Ben
nington, TO the no little inconvenience of
the natives" l should Judge.
Through traffic between the east and
west over this route has ever been increas-
ing, and with the opening Of road to
Portland and the building of the Niagara .
or Ontario and Huron canals, will, without
a doubt, be doubled, tripled and even
quadrupled. This is matter in which ,
Vermont has equal interest with Northern
New York. firmly believe the day is
not far distant when the want OF increased
transportation facilities will compel the .
addition of another track to the o. 4 L.
c. r. r., and the extension Of the line OF
the Rutland & Burlington road from
Burlington to Rouse Point. The Yer
mont Legislature in granting privilege to
bridge Missisquoi Bay and the Lake prop
er, to the State line, wisely provided that
"all railrods now or hereafter chartered by
the State Of Vermont may use the road
and bridge from Swanton to the Vermont
line, subject to such rules regulations,
rates Of toll and compensation rs shall be /
Just and reasonable" The same act also
empowered the Rutland & Burlington
road to extend its line within three
years, via Mallett's Bay or Manlcy's Falls,
and intersect the Vermont & Canada road .
in Swauton.' It was not deemed prudent
to extend the road at that time, but it is
bound to come at no distant day, or there
is no faith Gin the course of human
events"
With the completion Of either of the .
above named canals the commerce of the /
st. Lawrence river will be tripled In .
that event does any sane man, unin-
aucnced by local prejudices, suppose that
the present bridge at Rouse's Point will
answer: ] think not
A native of the Green Mountain State
myself, have long held that the interests
of Northern New York and those of New I
England are as closely and firmly united
az family ties and business connections
can make them; and that the present
generation will see the route through this
city THE principal thoroughfare between
the East and the Great West.
Yours, &c. TrPECANoE.