Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1869-04-23

A WORD FROM "KAULENz."

I had not intended to join issue with JUS
tice upon any of the questions raised in his
communication of March Goth, but upon
CHANGING over the items | thought his slur
upon the civil authority of Dover ought to
be noticed. Does Justice for n moment
suppose that he can make people believe
that our board of civil authority will allow
illegal voters to vote simply because they
vote against Dover Centre? The foreigner
spoken of by Dido and Justice as an illegal
voter, has resided, paid a poll tax, and voted
in Dover for 10 years, and l think the stat
ute specifies that all male citizens over 81
years of age, whose list was taken the pre-
ceding year, shall be voters in town meet
ing This same foreigner declares upon
his honor, that before our town meeting
held March |, 1862 certain people offered
TO pay his taxes-for one year, / think-if
he would vote on their side of the question
but when he declared his intention to vote
ms he thought the interests of the town de-
manded, presto changel He is an alien and
not a voterl Now If Dover Centre has lost
the day, in consequence of the absence of
seven or eight of their voters, would sug-
gest that they have a town meeting warned
on the last day preceding our annual free
mems meeting in September, to see If the
town will vote to build a town house at
Dover Centre, and that they bring out eve
ry available man, and see to il that none
are left behind, and they will see the meas
ure defeated by as large majority as we
have had for five years.
What the facts are in relation to this Do
yer matter, perhaps the readers of the PHG-
NIX outside of the town would like to know.
Dover, like many New England towns, is
situated on mountainous lands, with val
leys sloping east and west towards the West
and Deerfield rivers. Those understanding
the early history of Dover know that il was
with her as with most towns in southern
Vermont as well as n. II. and western
Mass. The first settlers located ON the hills.
which were covered with heavy timber. and
apparently possessing deeper and more
| productive soil than the lowlands on the
streams. The result was, as q matter of
course, that the roads were built over the
hills, and that the stores, churches, and the
school-hOuses were built on them to accom-
modate the then existing state of things.
But while the world was being revolution
lied by the progress of the arts and sciences,
and the dawning of a higher civilization,
reformation took place about this matter of
towns, roads, etc. Farmers began to find
that the formerly despised valleys were
really superior to the hills in many respects;
they began to find that by laying out roads
along the streams they not only got much
easier grades, but that they escaped the
wind and snow-drits of winter, and they
found too, many of them, that their farms
would be quite as well accommodated to
rebuild their dwellings on these valley
roads, and finally this change has been go
ing on gradually, till not only the roads but
the villages and business centres have gone
from the hills into the valleys. Examples
might be quoted al iH6nit,la, but | will
give but a few in this immediate vicinity.
Fifty years ago Nottingham had good
business village on the hill, now its place
has been taken by Jacksonville and Sadaw-
ga, in the valleys east and west. In Will
mington fifty years ago, large business
village was located on the old Hill Centre;
to-day il is all gone and large village has
grown up on the river. Instance Newfane,
fifty years ago the county seat, in fact, was
on the old hill now Fayetteville and Will
Evansville have grown up on its ruins Tins
il is with Dover. Within tbe p,enorx of
our inhabitants. wbat is called the Certro
was unite n business ulace. all tbe tr,doand
commerce of the town. tbe nost-nf,ice and
all the churches were there To-day what
is It? They have one mooting-bouso hut
they do not, and l suppose cannot, support
AN evangelical minister; they have one
small store and a post-ohice doipy nerbans
about one-fourtb of the post-ofice busiu,ss
dome in TOWN. Win tbe oxcentio,, nf -
small cooner.sbon I think tbora has no,
been so much rs n hem houso orected ,hore
in thirty wears. How is if with Fast and
West Dover, where fifty wears ago there
WAS nothing but a sawmill perbapsg In
West Dover we have Il villoge of from oo to
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