Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1879-01-01
xBs aSs.
Wednesday, Ian, I, 1879,
Woodstock Railroad Company,
DIRECTORS REPORT ron 1878,


lot form the Eleventh Annual Report o
the Company, ostensibly for the year
ending September a0th, 1878, but 10 r.
ality II IL q suceinet history OF the tolls
and struggles OF the Railroad Company
aud the Inhabitants OF the town OF Wood
stock IN accomplishing the building ofthe
Road, As such. II " an interesting docu'
rent aud will be perused with interest by
every Stakeholder, and every taxpayer
OF tho town. II would have saved much
unnecessary wrangling, Ia our town meet
ings, had a lengthy and explanatory re-
port like this ono, been Issued for the
information Of the general public two
years ago, The AGR has for long time
insisted that the Directors owed II TO
themselves, ~ we'll ~ 10 all the Stock
holders, to make full showing OF all
their acts and doings In connection with
the building aud the running OF the road.
Ia transactions OF business OF a public
nature, wherein 30 many people are In
terested pecuniarlly, as In that OF u Rail-
road, and the successful running OF the
same, there In nothing ike turning on he
lght, That IL just what this Report, OF
which VIC are speaking, seeks, as 1t seems
TO US, to accomplish,
We hope u sufficient number OF them
have been printed 30 that every taxpayer
In the town OF Woodstock may have \
copy,
On reading this Report through, as we
have endeayored to do carefully aud can
dIdly, we are struck at the pcrslstency-
we may say pcrtinaclty, with which
large majority OF the people OF Wood
stock, including the great body OF our
largest taxpayers, insisted upon the
building OF this road. A settled determl.
nation seems to have seized upon our
people as carly as 1871 that this road
should be completed for traffic and travel
at all hazards. Different ways and means
were rcsorted to, one after the other,
having In view the same end. The ID.
rcctors were helpless to accomplish any
thing of a practical nature toward the
completion OF THE road, only 80 fur as they
were supplied with the needed assistance
by the parties interested In Its success
They were but the mere tools or agents
of the tockholdcrs--could only do their
bidding and act ~ they were acted upon
How they were acted upon, and what
they were instructed to do by the Stock
holders, this Report discloscs.
When the town OF Woodstock, at their
legal town meeting, held on the end day
Of April, 1878, meeting In which over
four hundred OF her citizens participated,
and by a majority of nearly three to one,
guaranteed the interest upon $3.50, 200 OF
the bonds Of the road for specified
period, and thereby made them available
for the purpose Of raising the needed
amount Of money,-supplemented as 1t
was by a large meeting OF the Stockhold'
crs on the 2lst day Of April, 1874, AZ
which, n,ceting the Directors were author
lied and "instructed" "to enter into such
arrangements, and do such other acts as
"shall be necessary to build and put in
''operatlon the road" there did not seem
left for the Directors only one alternative,
and that was, to do the bidding Of the
men who elected then to their office, and
fulfil the wishes and expectations Of the
people Of the town.
This they proceed to do, to the best Of
their ability, and In the exercise Of their
best discretion and Judgment. The result
was, they "built the road" as they best
could with the means furnished them, and
"put it In operation" as they were Sin
structed" to do.
Now, according to our notions Of fair
play aud honorable treatment, 1t isn't just
the thing for our people, after what the
Directors have done, in faithfully carrying
out their wishes, and getting the road in
to operation, after years Of service as
Directors, laboring faithfully to secure
the building of the road in accordance
with the wishes and request Of the tax
payers Of the town and the Stockholders,
never having asked or received so much
as single dollar for their services, 1t
isn't just the thing we say, for US now to
accuse them Of all the lesser crimes In the
calendar, to heap upon them opprobrious
epithets, and by all the base arts that
low cunning can devise, to stigmatise
them as unworthy of either respect or
confidence.
The AGE is no believer in any such kind
Of doctrine, and don't expect to be con-
verted into any such kind OF belief either
The time for the people Of this town to
nave LuUusntnIiy d.liL o-atoa end Weighed
the consequences OF their vote, was on
the occasion of the town meeting Of April
End, 1873, above referred to. 1t was the
result OF that town meeting that breathed
into defunct corporation the breath Of
life-but for the action taken by the town
on tiiat;Occasion, we should now be with
out Railroad, without Court House,
without goodIy number Of resident citi-
zens, whose wealth very materially con-
tributes to the size Of our Grand List
1t really seems to us that there has been
with some of our people quite too much
Of contention, of unkind speaking, Of bad
blood, growing out Of this Railroad con-
troversy. II the tax we voluntarily i'm.
posed upon ourselves to secure the com.
pletion of the enterprise is burdensome-
like many other burdens-it must never
theless be endured. We cannot repudiate