Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-03-10

osoiy "'hoE V9wi Oh sao 4inS OF oar roads
would feel justified il following. For
long series OF years the RutIsnd and Bur.
lington Road was managed By The Cbe-E
ire Road and its ON sars, ia the Interest,
Of the latter Road, which Is situated Din
another State and during al these veal
was not taxed. A. su as the RJa6
came under The contrl cf the present
managers, large car shop was erected
in our town, and other important in
proyements made, III rolying 4 large IL
crease in The number of resident mtcha5,.
les for building and repairing engine
and cars, SO that the average expenditure
in our town exceeds twenty-five Thousand
dollars per month. This expenditure Ct
three hundred thousand dollars Per an
mum in our midst, makes Large cash
capital to facilitate the business Of on.
town.
Rutland has been enriched by railroad,
(by the development of various mineral
and other resources,) to an extent of al
least quarter of a million of dollars per
annum, while the capital invested in the
road has as yet received no returns; for
this shall we now tax the property of the
roads and thus discriminate in favor OF
the former managers of the Rutland Road,
whose interests were not identified with
ours, and also in favor of other competing
roads in our State? The Vermont Central
is the great competing road as against
ours That road by its charter is exempt
from taxation, and the message of Cor.
Page, referred to by Mr.. Dorr, in his CON-
munication, assented to the justice of
equal taxation. Is it equal to tax one CON-
peting road while the other is exempt It
is well known that the present managers
of the Rutland Road represent the inter
ests of the second mortgage bendhOlders
Our courts have recently decreed
payment OF the first mortgage bonds
amounting with the interest to
about two millions of dollars, and
this almost Immediately after a loss
of al least one eighth of that sum from
disastrous freshet-and while their every
effort is taxed to meet the difficulties OF
their position, there comes another blow.
I refer to the lease of the Ogdensburgh
and Lake Champlain Railroad to the Cen
trail Road-thus cutting off one of the
most important sources of business from
the Rutland road. 1t is true that the
combination of the Central with the two
important New Hampshire Roads, in the
lease of the Ogdensburgh Road, will
ultimately tend to the benefit of the Rut-
land Road, by necessiating union or con-
solidation with the Cheshire 81 Fitchburg
Roads on the south, and the Grand Trunk
with its thousand miles of Track on the
north, the latter Road earnestly
moving in this direction. In the
meantime will our town discrim-
mate as against our road and in favor
of the grasping Central-and this at
time when the managers of the Rutlani
Road are struggling against such a COM
bination of adverse circumstances, and
thus serve to give countenance to the g.
saults against the chief manager of our
road, to whose enterprise and sagacity We
are so largely indebted for the high posi-
ton we now occupy as the prominent
town of the State.
will not believe the citizens of our
town viii place themselves in position
to warrant the belief that they sympsthizs
with those assaults or their author-who
raises a shout of triumph at any disaster
to the Rutland Road, whether from the
elements or a combination of competing
roads. TAX PAYER.