The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-08-25
FARMS AND RAIL-
ROADS.

raised at the west against railroads and
their managers, and the cry was taken up,
made its way eastward and finally pene-
trated Vermont. The attack was, as is
generally the case, indscriminate and
well meaning men, while joining in it, for
get the great benefits which the country
has heretofore and are still deriving from
railroads benefits, too, which could not
come from any other source. We have, all
the time, insisted that this ndiscriminate
warfare was unjust, senseless. We be-
lievc, moreover, although we have not be-
fore said so, that the class of producers
from whom this attack originated, had far
better submit to what they call "extortion-
ate exactons for freight than be deprived
of the advantages they have derived from
this class of corporations. Strange enough
these denunciations, these attacks, this war
fare originated with the farmers, has been
continued by the farmers. and is now, in
that section, KEEP. alive mainly by farmers.
We are as much opposed 10 monopoles as
any one can be. We will 90 to any reason
able length in opposition to them, but we
will rot aud in ''biting off our own nose"
by so doing. We are opposed to ''extor-
Tomato eXactions" in the shape of charges
by railroads or other companies for the car
rage of passengers and freight, but we had
rather, and we think every other reasonable
person is of the same mind, pay six cents
per mile to be carried to Burlington
in the cars than to be compelled, as was
the case only few years ago, to go thence
by private conveyance or in the numbering
stage-coach. We remember well our col
lege days, when it required n part of three
days, two nights being passed at so-called
hotels, to reach our destination, while now
it is matter of only some four hours
ride. No rate of fare per mile would equal
the discomfort of one of those trips. One
half of the actual necessary expense of
travelling that seventy miles if now charged
for fare would almost create revolution.
We do not claim that this affords justifi-
cation, or, even, an excuse for "extortion-
ate exactions,' or for undue rates of fare,
but in considering these railroad matters it
is well to bear this great change for the
better in the mind.
This change affects all classes of people
alike, the farmer as well as the mechanic,
the lrauesiiIau Vi TIE merchant, UuL we
design now to show how it affects the far
mer more than any one else. Let us not
forget two things. This warfare has well
nigh put stop to all projected railroad
enterprises, and that there are three pro-
jected lines of railroad of vital impor-
lance to Rutland. Now let us look at the
situation in Vermont, as known to the citi-
zens of Rutland county, and as disclosed
at the meeting of the State board of
equalization, in reference to the farming
interest alone. twenty-five years ago
there were no railroads in Vermont; and a
few years prior thereto there were none in
the neighboring States near enough to be
of any practical benefit to our citizens.
The locality of farm had little or moth
ing TO do with its value. One located a
quarter of mile from a thriving village
was worth no more per acre than one stu
ated four miles, the land being of the same
quality. Quality, not location, determined
its value Furthermore, there was scarcely
piece of decent, tilable farming land in
the State that was not occupied and could
not be sold at reasonable price at any
time. Now all is changed. Locality is
almost as important consideration as
quality. Look at Rutland county, grid
ironed as it is with railroads although
two or three short links would be of ines
Unable value to the whole county, and
especially to the farmers and farms on
their respective routes. How many farms
are unoccupied? How many are unsalea-
BILE at reasonable prices-and those ''rea-
sonabe" prices treble, quadruple, or even
more than was the price before the advent
of railroads, or would be the price now if
we had no railroads. How much tillable
land have we that is unoccupied We
need not answer these questions, because
the comparative prosperity of Rutland
county farmers, the saleable quality of our
farms, and the ready occupancy of all our
lands is known to every one.
Turn TO Windham county, and the COM
parison is complete. Thirty years ago her
| farming lands were as thoroughly titled
| and as saleable as were those of Rutland
county. How is it now? A line of rail
road skirts her eastern boundary, leaving
the remainder of the county as destitute of
the facilities of transportation afforded
thereby as it was thirty or forty years ago.
What is the result? The listers of the
several towns reported to the state board of
equalization, and from their report, pub
lished by us Monday, we CLEAN the follow
ing suggestive facts: In Nottingham,
during the past five years, thirteen farms
had been abandoned while thirty farm
houses were now vacant. Wilmington
considered a good town." has twenty
seyen farms abandoned and twenty. I've
farm houses vacant Dover, ten vacant
farm houses Jamaica, twenty-thrce farms
abandoned Athens, six farms abandoned !;
Halifax, with thirty-three abandoned farm
houses, and Marlboro with twcnty-three
in the same condition Newfane, the
county scat, has sixteen abandoned farms,
and Townshend, twenty farms and farm
houses abandoned and vacant. And SO it
is with the whole county, excepting only
those bordering on the railroads. From
those we hear of no abandoned farms or
vacant farm houses, but of "thriv-
ing villages" and fair price for
farms. This, to be sure, does not
justify ''extortlonate cxactions." for
the carriage of freight and passengers, but