Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-01-19
THERUTLAND HERALD.
Bridging Lake Champlain'

seeing their neighbors toll, somebody has
CHANGED along and stolen their best horse,
and they now propose to bolt the DOOR
throughout the length of the lana there
goes forth the announcement that lce pro-
t.st against bridging Lake Champlain.
To arms one and all, our rights are in
gaded, for what we supposed was coming
10 US without our aid and what was our
inalienable right, is about to be turned
away, and diversion made of what we
the benefit of New England. An outrage
is being perpetrated upon US, for what
was to come to Us without spending a
dime has gone in another direction. 1t is
a burning shame, we toiIed not, but in our
oonteutment and ease have looked for the
coming OF the Pittsburgh and Whitehall
Railroad to our very door, but 10 aud be-
hold, our sleep has been the sleep Of death
and not of life.
This must have been the reflection of
the people Of Whitehall when they
gathered in that enthusiastic meeting on
Saturday evening last. They state in a
preamble that information has come to
thsm that parties are preceding to place
piers in Lake Champlain at or near til
condcrog, for the purpose Of constructing
a railroad bridge or ferry to connect the
Whitehall and Plattsburgh Railroad with
the New England Railroads Where
have these gentlemen been for the past
year This project has been on foot for
more than d year, and plans were present
cd at public meetings in the winter OF
1870 for constructing steam ferry at
this or some other point Why 50 sudden
a discovery Of this great enormity They
learn TOO lato that the dog in the manger
policy wont work, and it is proposed to
make u great noise, and invoke the aid OF
legislation to drive Dat these Eermonters
gh1 have once moro taken "Old Til"
Now comes tbs second preamble read
ing as follows
W1ye7s, The Ice .tIon Of piel7 md the con-
struction Of a railroad bridge, or ferTi viii very
uluflOu5ly hutCI, IL not ueBJIOyY inc nav lS6LlCL
Of SAID lake, and will as tits designed by the pro
ectors Of said scheme, divert the passenge1
travel, freights and business from the market:
IF the State OF New York, and its canals con.
strulted at great expense and turn the same, to-
yather with the subsidies granted by the State
TO "The Whitehall and Plattsburgh Railroad" tc
the benefit Of New England
These people must be sadly ignorant OF
the plans for crossing Lake Champlain
Before ouch srbereg2ss are put forth they
had better make2 an examination OF the
project, aud learn at glance that navi
cation is not to hs destroyed The state
ment il exaggerated that the travel and
freights are to be diverted from the mar
ket- Of the State of New York Vermont
le proposing iust what they seem to want
Ttcy propose TO give northern New Yorl
IA outlet 10 the New York markets, b.
way Of Rutiand and over New York road
They propose to do Just what Whitehall
ta7 refused to DO, let these energetic and
toiliug tbousands have great highway
20 tho available markets of Troy, Albany
and New York. This is just what il i.
proposed to do Why then make such g
great ado about nothing If this traffic
wAa 81 all Important why did not the
Qeoplo Of Whitehall put their hands il
lheir pockets and assist these struggling
communities to get to the great CONNER.
,iAl mart of the country.
The duty of New York Is thus put:
.9es0lya.j, That it is the right and duty of tht
state of New York to prevent the further prose
.ltton OF said purpose by all lawful ways ant
meAns
Thu ,,d of the legislature Of New York
a. thus invoked
Fevol5ed That the legislature of the state OF
NV York be respec fully requested to pass and
she S-nstor from this district and members OF
Assembly from this county be instructed to in
-I-t on the psssagel any needful laws to prevent
:he coosummaion of such project also to re-
peat any exiting laws if any there be which
oouGar, or can be construed TO confer the privi-
iese OF constructing such bridge or ferry.
History tells Us Of another oooasion
when the aid of Legislation was invoked
to drive the Green Mountain boys from
their possessions, aud our friends cannot
have forgotten the application of the
5eaoh seal to the invaders Then, the
surrender IF "Old Ii" WAC demanded in
the name 5f the Great Jehovah and the
Continental Congress. Now il is demand
ID by the same inTeteEate Yankees in the
name OF Progress, and by the aid Of the
people Of E,sez and Clinton counties.
In all seriousness let Us look at the
iacts of the case as they are. The people
on the west shore of Lake ChampIain,
with large business interests and mineral
resources, cut off from the rest of the
world six months in year, resolved that
they would get an outlet by rail. The
Whitehall and Plattsburgh Railroad was
inauqurated with the purpose of connect
ing at Whitehall with the Rensselaer, and
Saratoga Railroad. The people of Clinton
and Essex counties vent at work with a
will to accomplish the object. They
bonded the towns along the line, and
sven towns twenty miles back in the
country were bonded also, and individuals
subscribed from their private resources to
aid in the project. The road has been
G>gilt and il running from Plattsburgh to
che Point of Rocks, aome twenty miles.
From that place to Port Henry, about the
same distance, the road is yet unbuilt. A
link from PGrt Henry to Ticonderoga was
constructed auj in now in operation. The
State of New York, We believe, at one
time granted aid of u certain amount per
mile, but at Il later date, when further
aid was asked, it met with a Governors
veto The people Of Whitehall who are
now 20 much alarmed and have 40 sternly
resolved in public meeting, have been
a,krd, yea, even implored by the friends
of the enterprise to give substantial aid,
or at least to bond their town, that the