Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-06-11
The Vermont Valley Railroad and the Central
Vermont,


The Old lease Of the Vermont Valley road 10 IN
! RUTLAND Company. given by the trustees OF tn
/ mortgage bonds, expires to-day, June lstl Tn,
bonds are paid, the mortgage relieved the trustee
exist no longer, and the road belongs to its stock
/ holders. But the ring Of railroad robber. CLAIM
continued possession because the ireetors of tn,
stocs holders IN the year 1871 passed vote under
the lead OF GOV. Pa re- then an officer Of hofb n,
! Valley road and the Rutland and Burlington, au
! ihorizins another lease from June LIST is75 fpul
years thereafter. But no such lease has ever been
MADE the stockholders in -72 voted that no lease
/ ui The road should he made without their consent
| ana none exists, to-day. But the Page-Smith com
nhatlon are IN possession the road and have got
decrepit old Judge smalley Of the L. s. District
Court OF Vermont 10 issue an Injunction iorbdding
the stockholders from assuming control Of their
own property, at the same time that the whole
question at issue IS before his superior, Judge
woodruff, OF the L. s. Circuit Court of New York
Ior hearing and decision. The conduct Of Governor
Page In seeking to keep the stock holders ont az
the'r road Is SIMPLY an outrage on property rights
ana the simplest justice, and that Of Judge SmalIey
in lending himself TO the work a .-ross judicial
scandal There can be no doubt that when Ind "a
h0ouruH health permits him to finish the case
"eiuIe MN, the road VIII be taken from the ring
Mho have thus seized il, and restored to its owners
Inc case IS too plain 10 suppose any other result nos
sio4e before any court out Of Nermont.-Sgrinofeif
Republican.
1t is probable that the foregoing state
ment Is correct 50 far as it relates to the
lease-at least We have so understood it
'NN " iNAA " &c OOOdSiUu IOT the criticism
passed upon Judge Smalley 1t appears
from the Republican itself that the question
has been embodied in legal action, which
Is pending before Judge Woodruff. who
Is sick: Ii transpired at the recent Cen
trail Vermont Railroad meeting that Col.
Waite, Of Brattleboro, in behalf of a com
inlttee OF the stockholders appointed in
le1l, had notified Gov. Smith that they mr.
posed to take possession of the road ,jnne
LIST, and he asked permission to pass some
rolling stock over 1t the day before. This
act was, or would have been, had il been
permitted, on assumption of what they
claim as their legal rights. in advance
oil Judgment, and it would certainly have
leu to collision, which. if not of a charac-
Ter TO disturb the peace and cause blood
shed, would have resulted in new legal COM
plcatlons that ought not to be introduced.
IL seems 10 US, therefore, in the absence of |
j Judge Woodruff from the State. perfectly |
proper for Judge Smalley-who is not so |
iecrepIt as be was. nor old enough TO be |
spoken OF with contemplate grant a tenn |
porary injunction and thus Keep things as |
they are until Judge Woodruff gets ready
10 hear and decide the case.
Asfor Smith and Page, they are. without |
ioubt, as anxious to keep the road as Mr..
iarris, OF Springfield, is. to get it but if
hey have no right to it, they ought to lose
t-as soon as the right can be decided, but
lot before.-&. Adams Messenger. !