Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-09-30

lowing notice appeared in the Daily
HERALD:
RUTLAND1 AND WHITEHALL STEAM CA
NAL-aRAND MASS NEETNG!!
The friends Of steam canal from Rut-
land to Whitehall, thus connecting But
land with Lake Erie ct Buffalo; with
New York via the Hudson and Cham
plain Canal with Ogdsnsburg via Lake
Ohamplain, viii meet in Mass Ocnven-
ton at the Opera Hall in Rutland, on
Saturday, the 25th day of September,
A. d., 1909, at one o'clock in the after
noon.
Distinguished business men from
Rutland, Oastleton, and Fairhaven will
be in attendance and address the meet
ing.
Committees will be appointed to ascer-
tain the feasibility of the route, and to
memorabilia the Legislature upon the
subject.
Let all who favor this great enterprise
be present.
Rutland, Sept. 18th, 1869.
This notice, or the substance of it, has
been widely copied by the press of this
and ether States, both at the East and in
the West, and expectations of large
meeting raised on all sides, except in
Rutland, where very little seemed to be
known Of it
The notice appeared in the absence Of
the editor, and it occurred to him on read
ing that it was very strange that such a
positive notice should appear without the
signature Of some Of our leading citizens,
or at least some one who was known TO be
in favor Of the project. On inquiry We
found that the notice was delivered at the
HERALD book store by O. G. Dewey, ESD,
with a request TO publish 1t, and that the
Convention was certainly TO DO held.
Surprising the notice 10 DO bona Jade, no
further investigation in reference 10 1t
was made. However, several inquiries
were made M 10 tho proposed plan and
the ostcnsible object Of tho meeting, but
our citizens seemed 10 know little about
tho matter further than that tho call had
appeared In tho HERALD.
Saturday tho 9th, came, and On tho
Saratoga train came delegations from
Whitehall, Fairhaven and Castleton 10
attend tho meeting. They went 10 the
Opera Hall. No one appearing beside
them except few citizens Of Rutland,
and reporter. No ono volunteered TO
call the meeting to order, nor indeed to
know from whence the call originated.
After waiting nearly an hour, the persons
assembled there dispersed.
Several Of the gentlemen called at the
HERALD Office very indignant, on ac-
count of the publication of the notice,
holding US responsible for the failure, be-
cause the notice appeared in the columns
of the HERALD, denouncing it as an i'm
position and fraud upon the people Of
the towns interested, and appearing with
their representatives. We could only
give all the information within our
knowledge and from whence the call emil
mated for our columns. We publish very
many notices given by responsible parties,
of meetings to take place, but know not
whether they are ever held. This
notice was presented with 6 request 10
publish it, and Of course it appeared. We
made no further comment being unable
to learn any more in reference to it than
the rumors on the street. We were charg-
ed with an effort to deceive the public,
because we were silent on the sub
jeot of the meeting. and that it was
our duty to have Informed the public
that no meeting was to take place. We
had no knowledge that it WAS not to come
off, nor no right to give such information,
for in fact we supposed Che meeting war
to take place, for the Rutland Independent
Of Saturday morning, had q paragraph
urging the people to attend the Canal
Meeting" This statement Of the facts so
far as we are concerned, is duo to the
public that were imposed upon as well as
to ourselves, that the matter may be fully
understood, and the HERALD relieved
from the charge Of imposing upon the
public. I'VE were imposed upon as well
as the people. Therefore let the response
bility of its failure rest where it belongs,
and not upon us.
We have our own personal views upon
If the call ever had any foundation it
was for the purpose of attracting the
people of Rutland from the Woodstock
railroad, and the bonding vi the town
for its construction, and thus still further
distract our people on this subject. 1t
had that appearance to us from the first,
for we did not believe that any Of our
citizens deemed the building a steam
canal from Rutland to Whitehall feasible
We know not as any other person has the
same opinions, and no one else is respon-
sible for this expression Of opinion. Thus
believing we took no interest in the meet
ing, not wishing to be party to any pro-
ject so evidently designed TO distract
public attention from lcgitim tte purposes.
Those who came to Rutland honestly TO
attend tho convention have right 10 be
indignant under tho circumstance, and
10 complain Of imposition. We arc as
much in favor Of n canal MS any citizen Of
Rutland. When properly presented nt n
feasible period for consurnatiDg 40 desir-
able a project. Had our citizens been ap-
priced in earnest by call signed NY some
II our citizens for meeting, 1t would
have been largely attended, and tho
friends u tho Woodstock Railroad would
have been amongst it's foremost and earn
est promoters We hope that our suspi-
picions in reference to this call may prove
incorrect. II they are. we can see no rea-
con why the meeting was allowed to be
a failure, no mover in the matter even APP
pearing, and the people who came from
other towns with an honest purpose, allow
ed to return home with the feeling that
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