Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-04-03
Deferred 1llatters.
What Vermont Needs..-.II.

IL Is a lar inference that no scheme Tor
internal improvement was ever so perfect that
it could not be amended If by certain
proposed plan of internal improvements fixed
results are assured, and by another plan the
same results will be obtained with others
doubling If not trebling those results all be
it understood without any increased expendi.
ture-vhich of the two plans should be sus-
tanned and carried QUIT BY the proposed
change-and this is not guess work -that
service which costs 800 to perform by the
old plan can be done with profit for $50 by
the new. The corporation does not lose by
this, but the people gain by it. 1t then
Brattleboro with the same expenditure, and
losing none Of the advantages of the old pl n,
can make tributary to herself the midland
district Of our state, together with the vast
territory of Canada beyond by substituting
the narrow for the common gauge up the val
ley Of West River, should she do it, or ought
she to suffer the opportunity to pass from her
1t is TO be presumed that the great mid
land district Of Vermont aud the richer and
more populous valley Of the Connecticut lying
below the southern borders Of our State must
be mainly supplied with pine, and perhaps
other lumber, from the great forests of Canada
IL is Of the first importance to the consumer
that the difference in the cost Of the transpor.
tation of lumber should be considered Per.
haps no one article of commerce is Of so uni
yersal demand and want as lumber. Shall
consumers have it at this lessened cost or
must they continue for all time to pay tribute
to Nermonts monopoly Forests do not
grow so fast as they are consumed, and by
reason Of our being obliged each year to 90
farther and farther for it, is the cost Of it iu-
creased
Whatever gain may come to any town or
section Of country from a railroad Of the
common guage will come from the narrow
guage, come too with an expenditure for
construction per mile for the latter Of less
than half-some say one.third-the cost OF
the former, and the work will be done upon
it for the people at one.third less cost. The
day is not far distant when the narrow guagC
railroad will cross our sister State of New
York, starting perhaps from Whitehall and
stretching on through other States reach the
shores Of the Pacific. This is not a guess
it has to-day serious consideration at the
Northwest from the most eminent and prac.
teal railroad men there. The State Midland
Railway-narrow guage-with its short spur
to adjoining towns, is a scheme in the interest
and for the benefit of the people Our Stat,
needs business and growth. The narrow guag,
road we can build ourselves and build a
once; the common guage we cannot. w
have not the capital for the latter it is diff
cult to obtain it elsewhere. One can be op
Grated for local business alone at profit upol
the Investment; the other is doubtful ever
with through business.
The narrow guago is in its infancy 1t il
destined to work a greater change in tn,
development Of the resources Of the country
and will add more to its growth and wealth
than the 60 GOO miles of common aud broader
guage has already done, aud it will do this a
cost Of construction and equipment barrel,
exceeding one-third the average cost of rail
roads in our country. Nay, more; the com
mon gnage roads will yet be forced to lay b,
the side of their roads this narrow guage t.
enable them to compete in the transportation
OF freight with narrow guage roads. Tn
London and Northwestern Railway, one o
the giant railway corporations of Eng
is doing this now. Is this without meaning
If England with all its wealth aud secon
and third class fares demands this, what mus
be the need Of our sparser populated countr,
and much less per capita OF wealth "Rail
roads"-said one who has had twenty year
experience in their management, and VIII
gave this period Of time with all its though
and labor to the perfecting of the creates
line Of road at the Northwest -" are 10 thei
infancy. We are carrying great amount o
dead weight at an extravagant cost, and al
for nothing. Our roads cost TO construct an'
equip far more than they should We mus
change or the sceptre will pass from us t
those roads more cheaply built and economi
cally worked. We cannot compete with th
narrow guage.' These words were not light
ly uttered, or without sufficient reason.
If the cities Of New York and Phiadel
phia, with their millions of people, demand
narrow guage road that freight and passenge
traffic may be cheapened and the charte
for one is being vigorously prosecuted-if tn
manager Of much the greatest number q
miles of railroad in this country iavors an
desires the narrow guagc for road to tn
Pacific if other roads contemplate the add
ton of a narrow guage to their line Of roa'
if not an entire change Of guage, then it
but reasonable to say the narrow guage raj
road is what Vermont needs.-W Phqnir.