Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1876-11-03
The Proposed Change of County
Lines.


Lines,
Mr.. Henry of Chester last Friday in
troduced bill for re-mapping and
change of county lines, as they now exist
from Massachusetts to Canada line on
the east side of the state. 1t proposes to
take from Orleans county the towns Of
Holland, Morgan, Charleston and West
more, and from Caledonia county the
town of Newark, and annex them TO Es-
sex county 10 take from Essex county
the towns of Victory, Lunenburgh and
Concord, and from Orange county the
towns of Topsham, Newbury, Corinth
and Bradford, and add them to Caledo-
MIA county to take from Orange county
the towns OF Orange, Washington and
Williamstown, and annex them to Wash
ington county; to take from Windsor
county, Rochester, Bethel, Royalton,
Sharon, Norwich, Stockbridge, Barnard,
Pomfret, Hartford, Bridgewater, Wood
stock, Hartland, West Windsor and
Windsor, and annex them to Orange /;
to take from Windham county the towns
of Londonderry, Windham, Grafton,
Rockingham, Athens and Westminster,
and annex them to Windsor
The bill provides that the shire town
of Essex county shall be Brighton the
shire of Orange county to be located by
commission, at some point between
West Randolph and Sharon the shire
of Windsor county to be located by COM
mission, between the villages of Ludlow
and Bartonsville
The bill further provides that after
October, 1873, the counties of Windsor
and Windham shall have two senators
each, and Orange three. The bill also
abolishes six probate districts, viz Brad
ford, Randolph, Hartford, Windsor,
Westminster and Marlboro, and makes
one probate district for each county.
The main arguments of tie friends of
the bill are that by it the shire towns on
the east side, will be located on the rail
road lines, as they are on the west side !;
that great saving of travel, mileage of
witnesses and jurors, etc, will result
from it; that three probate districts, in
Orange, Windsor and Windham coun-
ties, will then do the work now done by
six districts in these counties, at saving
Of $1,000 year to the state, in salaries
of probate officers, and at a great saving
to the people, in time and convenience
and that it will make the counties more
equal in area and population. Under it
| Caledonia will have population of 80
60l Essex, 8,051 Orange, So, 355 !;
Orleans, 1889; Washington, 29,6O2 !;
Windham, 1886 Windsor. q 1856
There is of course another side to this
question which will be presented if the
bill obtains any progress. Windham.
Windsor, Orange and Orleans counties
in the House are reported strongly
against it, while Washington, Caledonia
and Essex counties are reported equally
strong for it. If therefore the bill is
pressed the final decision may depend
upon the west side of the state
since the above was in type we learn
that vigorous opposition has been start
ed against the bill. Monday evening a
meeting of the members of the assembly
from the east side of the state was held
in the large Room No IL of the Capitol,
on the subject of the reference of the bill.
Nearly one hundred members were pres
emit 1t was voted to ask the House to
refer it to the committee of the whole.
Mr. Henry of Chester opposed this ref
erence and offered resolution that it
was inopportune to take action on refer
ence at that meeting, inasmuch as one
third of the members from counties af-
iected were absent. The resolution was
lost by large majority. On Tuesday
the bill was called up in the House for
reference, but owing to the illness of Mr..
Henry no action was taken by unani.
nous consent.
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