Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-04-17

made at public expense, and by the proper
aud legal officer. AT our late town meet
ing good step was taken in the right d.
rectlon, by placing the whole care and re-
sponsibility OF the streets aud roads
throughout the village limits in the hands
Of a single man, of approved discretion
and large experience and our citizens may
therefore properly look to him TO inaugur-
! ate and carry out such reforms and inn
prov ements as our circumstances demand.
The amount annually collected on highway
tax bills from citizens of this village, am
informed, considerably exceeds, on tue av-
eragc, the sum of $4,000. At least three
fflhs of this money should be expended
yearly in making and repairing sidewalks,
until every citizen can walk comfortably
and dry-shod through any part Of the viii
lage, at any season of the year. a hundred
persons walk, where one indnges, or can
a ford to indulge, in the luxury of horses
aud carriages therefore il either the car
riage-way or the side. walk must be neg
lectcd, let 1t be the former by all means. 1t
is far better to compel horses TO wade
through mud and slush, than to require
men, women and children 10 do it.
9. Our streets should be lighted. | am
aware that a majority of our citizens who
attended a late village meeting voted 9th
erWise. They did this, however, lam per
suadtd, under admitted provocation which
produced undue heat and basty judgment;
and therefore this action, in my opinion, is
not TO be regarded as deliberate decision
against light, but rather as "A sharp protest
against paying for light, and receiving it
not. The fact that the gas hereto fore furn-
ished has often been inferior in quality and
insu flicient in quantity, ought not to drive
us into total darkness; but rather to lead
us TO renewed efforts to secure what we re-
quirc. The causes Of past failure may have
been temporary In their nature, and 10 a
degree, unavoidable. There is good rea-
son to believe that this was the case, and
that the public could now be satisfactorily
served. But whether this be true or not,
we certainly can procure good gas and we
lag far behind the age, and su biect our
selves to uniavorab!e comparison with 9TH
or communities, as well rs deprive our
selves ola much needed aud much appreciat-
ed luxury, which costs, or ought to cost,
comparatively little, while we permit our
SlIttlS ~ rem lll III tdEkucSS.
o. We need proper system Of drainage
and sewerage. While our natural advan-
tages As respects both these objects are I'M
surpassed, we have as yet done little 10
make them available. The surface water
even, in severe showers, has no adequate
channels OF escape ; while in the whole viii
lage only few Of the large public build
ings, and half iozen private dwellings at
the most, have any pretensions whatever
| to proper Sewrrd a hundred ccsspouls,
| rocking with ufIll and pregnant with le-
vers aud all manner of disease, infest the
town. As this matter in the light OF mod
ern investigation, becomes better under
stood in It's relation TO heath and life, it
will command attention. / am glad to
know that several Of our enterprising and
Intelligent citizens propose at once to sc.
cure for their own dwellings, by joint ef-
fort, the benefits Of proper sewer drainage /;
and, in the absence Of any public and gen
eral system, it is to be hoped that many
others will follow their example.
!. The time is not far dstant-if our viii
lago continues TO grow and prosper, as we
believe it will-when a larger and surer
supply OF pure water will be required
This matter has already occupied the atten.
ton of some OF our moro far-secing citi-
zens, and the best manner in which the ap.
preaching demand can be met will on
call for practical solution.
have thus, Mr.. Editor, briefly called at
tenion, in the order of their pressing i'm
portancr, to four subjects which, in my
opinion, ought to receive candid, and some
OF them Immediate, consideration at the
| hands Of our citizens H.