Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-08-01


Mutations Of worlds and mutations
O suns may take place. but the reign
vi ilne and the tolls and vexatiOns
DelueAth them, no, never a STAIN
Go forth to the fields as one sowing,
sing songs and be glad as you 20;
There are seeds that take roots without showing.
Ahd Dear some fruit whether or no.
And the sun shall shine sooner or later,
ihouSh the midnight breaks ground on the
Then appeal you to Christ. the Creator.
And TO sray-bearded Time, his frst-born.
Oar Vermont RailroadS---Ihe New Central YER
mont.
We find in the Manchester (Vt.) Journal
i welleonsidered article on railroad mat
tiers in this State, which we copy below.
Some Of its suggestions in reference to the
relation Of the Central Vermont to compet-
ing lines will not be altogether new to our
readers. They have been repeatedly pre-
sentcd in our columns But it is well to re-
call public attention to them again at
this time. We have no doubt whatever
Of the entire correctness of the state
ment that the local business of our Yer
mont roads, as whole, Is not sufficient 10
pay their running expenses. And lift were.
there Is no reason why our roads should
not make cse ol the advantages of position
which make them links in the chain Of con
nections from the Great West to the sea
board, and from Canada to New York and
Boston. To make most effective use ofthose
advantages. consolidated capital and cOncen-
trated management is necessary We believe
the great mass Of intelligent citizens of Yer
mont have no jealodsies Of our railroads.
They would be glad to see them emerge from
their long period of financial embarrassment,
litigation and trouble, and take their posi-
ton as strong and solvent factors, in the
sum of our material prosperity as a State.
They look to the new arrangements with
strong hope Of such a result, and we have
confidence that the hope will not be disap-
pointed
RAILROADS N VERMONT.
During the past few months public atten-
tiOn has been more OF less directed to the af-
fairs Of the Vermont Central Railroad. 1t
is to be hoped that this general scrutiny has
at least resulted in giving the people of the
State some idea Of the nature and import
eace of that system of lines which has
grown up in connection with the Vermont
Central road.
During the years that the Vermont Cen
tral managers were struggling TO place their
road in prosperous and securely established
through lines. very few of our citizens ap-
preciated the importance of those efforts to
the material prosperity of the State. 1t may
be doubted if many Of them, even now. con-
slider how largely their business interests
are dependent upon the preservation of those
lines, and how great a danger threatened
them when the managers were on the eve of
being compelled by financial difficulties to
throw the system they had constructed with
such labor into the hands Of those whose in
terests wOuld have been best subseryed by
/ destroying it.
Our people cannot expect tirst-class rail-
road accommodations unless they have well
| established connections with roads beyond
the limits ofthe State. There Is not road
in Vermont which can pay its running ex-
penses from its local business only. There
| Is not one which can be made 4 prosperous
and successful line without receiving a
share of the business which passes between
/ other and remote sections Of the country
Vermont is a small and mountainous State.
/ She has no large cities or towns The most
| fertile sections Of her territory are but
thinly settled. Large portions of her area
furnish only the least profitable kinds OF
railroad business. The inhabitants of such
State can have good railroad facilities
only when their lines are supported in part
| by through freight and travel
Ii was no easy thing for Vermont to
| secure a share Ofthis business, and it would
not be a very difficult thing for her to lose
it. The old established lines of transpOrta-
ton between the producing and consuming
sections Of the country run outside of her
limits. Her territory does not lie at the
gate Of any of the great cities of the country,
whose traffic must necessarily cross her
borders and pay her tribute. Her only
policy i to reach out for, ana draw into the
| State, business which Is bound for adestina-
tiOn beyond her rlimits. This business, which Is
merely passing through the State although it
NAV be obtained at low rates, ,paysa good part
Of the running expenses of the road, and
enables itsOwners 10 give those whl iivealOng
their line better facilities and lower
tariff than they otherwise could. II this
| business Is ever lost TO our railroads an ad-
ditional burden will be thrown upon the
business interests of the State.
The three great lines Of rail transporta-
ton between the east and the west have
been those BY way Of the New York Cen
tral, the Erie. and the Pennsylvania Ten
tral roads Western freight Is carried over
these lines at uniform rate, and as far as
that business i concerned they are blended
in one interest and make common cause
against rival lines. In opposition to these
lines the Vermont Central managers have
labOred to establish another and entirely
independent freight line between New Eng
land and the west. This line not only
takes from the Others portion of the busi-
ness, but exerts controlling influence in
fixing the rates of transportation. If the
lines without the State could break the Yer
mont Central line they wOuld not only Sc
cure the whole New England business, but
could take it at their own rates.
At the time the Vermont Central mana
gers were overborne by financial difficulties,
they had obtained such leases and made
such arrangements as secured them both
north and south and east and west through
lines Ii then became a question whether
this system was TO be suffered to fall u
pieces, and Vermont lose all the advantage
of being thoroughiare for the traffic Ol
other States Parties from without stood
ready to take and divide the estate as sOOn
as the Vermont Central managers were com
PEELED to loose their hold. Those interested
in other through freight lines between New
England the West could well afford to bold
the Vermont Central proper merely for the
purpose Of breaking a rival line. The
Delaware Hudson Canal Company with
its branch into Rutland, and already look
ing to the completion Ofits line north on tnS
west side of the lake, could well afford t.
hold the Rutland road for the purpose O
breaking the through line, so long labOret
for and now almost realized, from New
York to Montreal, running through the en-
tire length of the State. These instances
will give some idea of what would have
been the condition Of our railroad facilitie;
if the Vermont Central system had beer
broken into fragments, and held piecemea
by various foreign companies for the pur
pose of making the disjointsd members sub
servient to greater interests elsewhere
Fortunately Vermont has been saved from
an experimental knowledge of such a con
dition of things. The Legislature at it,
session last fall made provision for the or
ganization Of a company within the State
which might succeed the managers of the
Vermont Central and keep intact the line:
50 essential to our business prosperity
This company has been organized, and /:
now in possession of the Vermont Central
lines. As provided by the act OF incorpora-
ton, majority Of the directors are resident.
of this State They are not mere financial
shadows nominally in power TO meet the let
ter Of the law and representing the interest,"
of other men but are citizens of substance
who are personally interested in the growth
and prosperity of the State, anf have In