Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-07-22
Boston and the " Messenger"

is it true, IL any Vermont interest, identi'
cal also with Boston interests, seeks any
help there it is sure to grow and warn of
those who ask for aid. Its peculiar hatred
is the Central Vermont. No favorable al.
| fusion to that road or its management can
appear anywhere, but it instantly lifts up
its warning roar. 1t means that Boston
shall never be "pleedled by the Central
into lending it any further aid to enlarge
its capacity, if it can prevent it, The Mes
seRcer has the rabies on this subject. lei
feels that it is not the organ Of eternal
Justice it assumes to be, unless it can fud
some wickedness in the Central manage
ment, in the court which sustaius IL, in the
| legislative committee, or in the press which
speaks iavorably Of it or commends it to
consideration of others. 1t seems to be
under the delusion that the principles Of in
finite justice requiroit to scalp, not only the
Central managers, but also, any individual
or newspaper that finds anything in them
to approve, or is DESTROYS to commend the
great public interests they represent to the
confidence aud support Of the community.
1t seems to us bent upon doing all the mis-
chief it can to Vcrmont-to use its utmost
power to weaken, in the opinions Of men, our
great State institutions, and to revolution
ize aud overthrow our time-honored and
noblest interests. 1t has steadily misrep-
resented our railroad men, our judges, our
leading papers, to the outside world it
reaches, as the organs or "partizans "
or agents and tools" Of the foulest dis.
honesty and corruption. 1t has aspersod
our State legislature, our State Judiciary,
and our State press, whenever either Of
them has not been able to discover the rotten
ness 10 certain Of our public men on which
it has httened, or has sought to help our
settled institutions and lift them into public
favor and usefulness.
For our article Of last week, in which
we did scant justice to the Central manage
ment, and which commended the road to
the confidence Of Boston capital, as the
only one likely to meet the demand for a
route that should bring to that market its
just share of the magnificent products oil
the West, and give it the great prize of the
/ .,l n.
more earnest aud generous consideration
the Messenger accuses US of an attempt to
wheede" aud swinde Boston. It charges
us with misrepresentation, aud with be.
D ing the recognized partzan Of the Central
3 Vermont for years. 1t rushes, gratu-
itousy, to defend Boston against our at
tempts "to cajole and deceive" her CAPT
/ talists and induce them to put more money
t into the development of a road absolutely
essential to her prosperity. 1t warns the
e WATcnMAN that Justice is the highest at
o tribute of the Deity, and that our guides, il
4 their partisan zeal for others, should no
t lead us among the nations that forget God.
I The cause of this harmless invectiye anC
r this boshy exhortation of this open ignor
d ance Of great public interests; of these de
!. nunciations and these tears, is our yer,
. earnest presentation of the Central Yer
|. mont as the true and only feasible route b,
v which to bring the traffic of the West t,
: our New England port The only thin
Q that has prevented this consummatior
}. alike desirable for the interest Of Bosto
t and the State of Vermont, has been tn
r local, defamatory hatred of certain rim
s in st. Adams, and its shameless perversio
f Of all the facts relating to the road. Th
|. Central, from 1867 to 1872, increased il
!. debt about two millions and half Thi
n debt represented large leases of about thre
!. hundred miles Of competing roads, and
g large increase of equipment and new tract
1t was legitimate debt, incurred not fC
current expenses, but for immensely vail
y able additions and improvements. 1t WI
debt authorized by the court, and by ii
n stockholders Of the Vermont & Canad
III and by the bondhoders Of the Vernon
I'D Central; in fact, by all the parties in i
re tersst. They also authorized the issue
at bonds to meet it. At that time, in Ma
ep 1872, the bonds of the road were seliI
K. for nearly ninety cents. There was not
ed ing in the new issue, representing, as it di
he a large increase of property, to justify Il
at depreciation of the bonds. But Just
to the trustees were about to place these bon
oh on the market, an organized bitter, pc
ID. sistent attack was made on them and the
'ir management. The credit of the road W
es' assailed by hired slanderers, and by all L
INSCRIPTIONS and outrageous methods know
Oh to jobbers in such things, who are aimi
Is to break down corporation in order to E
eu possession Of its property themselves. Th
IT. d" local hatred" that organized conspirac
IT. succeeded in depreciating the bonds, in
~ juring the road, and in scattering wi
ed mud and dirt the well earned reputatio
10 of honorable men. Ii was a malignant a
'ss unpatriotic piece Of work, and put VI
ng mont back ten years in its business a
DC railroad development. q 1t is an i'll bi
as that fouls its own nest" But this uncle
ID bird did discredit the Central bonds, dri
M the road into straits, and made our cour
pure as any the sun shines on, a target (
the arrows of the thoughtless aud N
licious. Aud all this, too, was done in I
name Of eternal justice" and inspir
. by one whom the popular sentiment hol
:, as having enriched himself by systt
= Of government contracts, not altogeth
- creditabe. la the name Of Justice, JUST
" was cried down, and mercy and honor VIC
- slain in the streets. Yes, we repeat to I
~ Messenger, that the great loss to the Ct
- trail, the great loss to its securities, aud t
80 great injury which has been done, in I
estimation Of the outside world, to 0