Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-06-12
Clearing Up.

that route. IL Is OF course SOMEWHAT fOseate
in hue. and we do not doubt that it is sin
corey so. The highest grade Of the La.
noble Valley road going westward is put at
about eighty feet to the mile, and going east
ward only sxty.Gve feet. These are not bad
grades for Green Mountain road, if they
are not combined with curves and in fact
we suppose nearly every road crossing the
Green Mountains has, at some point, perhai
for very short distance, grades equally
severe. But just when the CaledoaiaH is
making this statement as to the Lamoile
Valley road, the Boston Advertiser afirms
that the great Vermont lines under the Cen
trail management, from Ogdensburg to Boston,
New London aud New York City, have no
grade exceeding forty feet to the mile. This,
too, is roseate. In 1915 this paper, then
under the charge Of Mr.. Walton, stated that
the maximum grade Of the Vermont Central
road would be only forty feet. lie stated il
on the authority Of the engineer, and believed
~ ~ bt Aiu'a AuaN htha AhN AutNil VI lut
engineer, and the official report but when
the road was constructed, we are very sure
it was not convenient aud economical to carry
out the theory, aud in fact that higher grades
were admitted at some points, and have been
continued to this day. Now, from all the
representations made to u.s. some Of them
coming from persons who ought to know the
facts, we are led to the supposition that our
friends Of the Caledoaian may find themselves
in the same unintended and unsupported error
that the WArcHMAS was ia years ago En-
gincers do not unnecessarily confess the hard
spots in their work But we do not think
this matter of very great Importance now,
since the time Of debate as to Portland con
necton with the Montpelier & Wells River
road has passed. That connection is doubly
assured, to the great advantage prospeetively
of Montpelier, and to the road to which it
has contributed more than half the money
required TO secure it, and not to the disad-
! vantage VI Nut l1AiHbllit ullt1.
This is good time, therefore, to clear up
the fog in which the friends of the Lamoile
Valley road aud ourselves have been in, al
least as to each other. They firmly believe
that the Notch road will be built they have
been assured that the Directors Of it in Port.
land are in earnest to build it, and will build
it, as in honor they are certainly bound to
do-if they can. Now we DO not deny this
neither do we doubt it. Throughout all the
discussion We have supposed this to be so.
On this we have no quarrel with the Gale
DOMAIN, or the North Star, or the Neicsdealer
These papers have all discussed the question
from their point of view, and believed thai
they were warranted in doing So They be
lieve that it tsH be built, and here we differ
We say, yes, "9 they can !" but can the,
buid d2 From our point Of view, we hay,
said, and still say, No; and we have beer
authorized to say so by Portland men VIII,
protested to know and whose opinion hal
been justified by the action of the Mayor anc
Board of Aldermen of Portland. On thi
ground, that the Notch road cannot be bull.
not that the Portland & Ogdensburg Direc
tors would not build it if they could've
sought a connection of Portland with tn,
Montpelier & Wells River road This fall,
explains the difference between the editors o.
the papers to which we have referred and our
selves, and without impeaching the motives OF
the yaracity of either.
And now a step farther Some of the edi-
tors in the interest of the Lamoille Valley
road have treated our eudeavors to secure q
Portland connection at Wells River as being
hostile to that road. We suggest to them to
look at this matter from our -pont-that
is, on the assumption that the Notch road
will not be built. They will then see thai
the Portland connection at Wells River will
be as necessary for St. Johnsbury, Danvill,
and Walden, as it is for Montpelier Will,
for all the other towns on the Lamoile Valley
road road from Walden or South Hard
wick to Marsh6eld, and from thence by the
Montpelier 4 Wells River road, will afford
a better line to Portland than the Notch
route. We have assumed, not that the La.
noble Valley road will fail, however difficult
its task may be, but that it will be built
and Montpelier is acting on that assumption
and endeavorIng to secure connection with
it by the proposed Montpelier 4 Black River
Valley road. In our view, therefore, tn,
Portland connection at Wells River is moi
adverse to, but necessary for, the Lamoll,
Valley road in case of the failure of tn,
Notch road and on the construction of the
Montpelier 4 Black River road, the interest.
of Montpelier and the people of the Lamoilt
Valley will undoubtedly be mutually served
and their relations friendly as they should be
On the question we have heretofore dis.
cussed, as to which of the two lines, the
Wells River or the Notch line, will be best
for Portland we have nothing to abate or ex.
plain. We are sure we have been right in
that matter, and we believe the prevailing
opinion at Portland is now with us in it, We
have tried to make it So for the obvious rea-
son that if Portland is unwilling or unable
to take the burden of the Notch route, it
was equally important to her and to Mont.
pelier,-and we now add to the Lamoille
Valley as well, to induce her to secure
cheaper and better connection for Western
business at Wells River. Again we say, that
connection is reasonably certain, whether the
Notch road is or is not to be built.
u. Gov Straw's message to the New
Hampshire Legislature gives very favora.
bic idea of the growth of tho industrial in.
terests Of the State aud condition Of its e.
nances The State debt is increased some
what, but this is compensated by the reliei
TO local taxation afforded by the war reim-