Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-03-20
Railroads Again.

We learn that the work in bonding the
towns along the projected line of railroad
from Montpelier to Fairlec and White River
Junction, goes brnvey on. II is said that
Thetford will raise It's share, although il has
once refused to bond. Torsham is to act
soon. The amount thus secured is amply SUI.
fcient to begin work. Barre has not yet
bonded we understand, for this enterprise,
having already bonded for the White River
Valley road We hear itsaid, however, that
if the Valley road fails, Barre may take
hold Of the Fairlee route, and give her shout
der to that wheel, and open her way TO Bos-
ton by way Of Fairlee aud Canaan Our
hope has been that the White River Valley
road would be built. That is in all respects
so vital to the welfare of the towns through
which ii is to run, aud 80 advantageous to the
Central road, that it has seemed as if it
should be FASTENED to completion. We do
not think that Barre sufficiently appreciates
the value of this road to her interests She
has had a fine opportunity, as Montpelier
once had for the st. Johnsbury road, but she
Charters about it too much She may yet
have to pay more for less desirable thing
1t would not be strange if she did The
White River Valley road would be worth to
Barre, City times the value of her granite
quarries. That is, it would make her granite
quarrics fifty times as valuable a source Of
large and increasing income to the town. II
she can have the best railroad facilities
in the country for hundred thousand
dollars, she will speedily get the expenditure
all back in the enhanced values Of her real
estate and her products That sum would
build and equip the road about half way from
Montpelier to Barre Barre should be will.
ing to meet the Central half way, and be
glad enough to do it too. 1t would be a
great pity if, bye and bye, Barre had to pay
more for something that would be worth fan
less. Woodstock, town only third larger
than Barre, is now paying over three hundred
thousand dollars to get railroad to her vii
lage. But Woodstock has no business to b,
developed or enlarged in so great degree al
Barre. She has no large schools, no splendid
quarries Her business would not be as larp,
probably as that Of Barre. But she doe,
not wish to be out Of the world She is will
ing to pay for increased facilities Of commu
nication. But Barre with two great schools
with resources in granite that are inexhausti
ble wants a road, but hardly wants to pay
fair and liberal sum to get it, We could
read her a chapter out of the history oil
Montpelier, that would be good for her to
study. If she carefully and prudcntly
studied her own interests she would not let tho
grass grow under her feet til she had a rail.
road begun. This next fall would see her in
the world and not seven miles one side of it,
which for the practical purposes of disposine
her granite to build State Captols or city
warehouses, might as well be a thousand miles.
We should like to shake hands with Barre on
the completion of the White River Valley
road to her village next fall If the mud this
spring does not give some profound arguments
in favor of it, we shall be surprised aud mis-.
taken.