Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-04-17
by taking this route via Wells River with
no increase Of distance.

!
no increase Of distance
For some time past it has seemed to US
as if the Portland people were not posted.
While the object at which they are aiming
is in all respects valuable necessary and
feasible they yet cannot secure it by the
means they have been taking. Our own
leading railroad men long ago saw that the
route through the Notch would be al unsuc-
cessfu and therefore disastrous one They
would have liked road to St. Johnsbury
for local reasons, and would like il still, but
they never took much stock in the notion Of
a road from Portland to Chicago on that route.
They, therefore, invested their money ve-v
freely u the Montpelier & Wells River road,
believing that in the process Of time it
would become an important link in the
chain Of communication between Chicago
and the best harbor on the Atlantic coast at
Portland. The time seems now to have come
for Portland to accomplish her true destiny
Montpelier has stretched out her hand to
Portland thrty.eight miles There are no
difficulties that ought not to be overcome in
the way Of Portland accepting this route
through the beautiful central region Of New
Hampshire and Vermont, aud throwing all
her energy into project tlat is fraught with
incalculablc advantages to that city.
No jealousy of Boston attraction ought to
interfere with this enterprise. The Notch
route will be tapped at four points by roads
running to Boston, and the Central will be
its rival aud dangerous competitor. But by
this route Portland itself is the nearest point
to Boston; the road is tapped in no more
| places and the rival interest is pacihed, or
turned into a cordial friend If Portland
cannot now see where her interest lies, and
where all reasonable hope for a successful
Western traffic lies, she is as blind as wher
she began the Quixotic enterprise of building
competing road to Chicago through The
White Mountains and over the SUBMITS o.
Walden. If she perseveres in that Maquau
Bay will be her Puget Sound, and St. Johns
bury her Chicago. She will learn another
lesson in the illusions Of hope, and recove,
herself only when she returns to the notion
that short distances, easy grades and curve
and friendly connections with other lines, ar,
indispensable to successful competing rail
road
1t is with no uufriendly feeling toward tn,
Lamoille Valley road we write in this way
As part of a Portland and Ogdensburl
connection, the Lamoille Valley road cal
never be worth anything. As a local road
connecting all the towns Of the Lamoill,
Valley with Burlington, and Montpelier ant
ST. Johnsbury, and Marshfeld by new railway
links yet to be built, it is invaluable. Al
the advantages it can ever have it will hav,
without any reference at all to Portland
connection. II never can be the thorough
fare of the western traffic to Portland, as ",
have already said, but it may develop the 10
cal business of the country through which i
runs and prove a source of great wealth t.
the State. We are glad Lamoile Valley i
having its road, and hope sometime to grasI
friendly hands with il; but that it vii
ever build up the interests of Portland, OF
compete successfully for that city with tn,
Vermont Central or with the New York Cen
trail for Boston business, is the merest phan
tom Of dream. The earnestness which
some Of its directors evince in seeking an out.
let at Burlington shows that they have reach
ed the point of common sense in the matter
That will make the road of real value But
still the object of Portland will be unaccom
pished by it, and it would be a sorry upsho
of her ambition to spend millions on millions
only to reach Burlington at last, by the
longest and hardest route that could have
been built