Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-08-08
TOWN ORGANIZATIONS.

TOWN PLANTATIONS.
When the inhabitants of any locality
become numerous, certain general and
common Interests spring up which re-
quire united control for the common
good. Ii is necessary that all the peo-
pie should construct and maintain all
the highways in locality, for the rea-
son that ir would be impracticable' for
one man to build such roads himself
rs he would require as he wanted to go
about, and hence the necessity of max
ing their construction cUnnnOii bur
den. ii would also be announcement
for him 10 protect his own property.
having no care for that of his neigh
bors, because in that respect he would
then he alone'i in the world. So that
the necessity for towh organization for
certain purposes, is founded on what
has become axioms.' But wheh they.
exceed the purposes %liicfr grow Out of
necessity or'convenience, they become.
the ihost terribly destructive fnstru-
nents of public aud private prosperity
that can he ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .argu-
mient can be stated in favor of most
any profitable enterprise, and expert
rnce has taught us that towns are too
easily induced TO enter upon them.
For instance. it'1iignt be Stated to be
for the interest of town to go into
hand sppc1llItio and if it was shown
that l.Crte gains could be got therefrom
to- fill THE town treasury and make the
town wealthy, it would be IL good
thing for the town. Why should the
town decline To. enter upon an enter
prise of 90 great an advantage ? This
looks fair Oh the face of il hut who
whould think ofadopting sHeh 4 theory
which everybody. Knows would be- Gx-
treineSffoll2. And to prevent design
ing men leading towns into wild spectl-
lative schemes under which are'all sorts
of designs and selfish motives, wise re-
straints are put upon them and.consti-
tutional limits placed around them,
Which even the towpe themselves can
not go beyopsl. What u nice thilg it
would be for this town to purchase the
beautiful little steamer Magic. and
give all our inhabitants a free ride
through out golden moonlit waters.
Who would say that was not u public
benefit ! Yet, visionary as these things
are, are they not as rational as to in
corporate them into railroad corpora
tons? What sense is there IN tljeprin-
ciple Of dragging towns into such
enterprises: 1t would be pleasant to
havea railroad along the banks of the
clyde, and3we see no reason why such
an enterprise would not be profitable,
and enterprising men ought to 90 into
it. We need Il substantial village ac-
qlleduct, but what sense would there
be (if majority of the town lived in
It's vicinity in the town compelling
ottf friends lIo%brook or Bemis to pay
a'raN to support it, while they derive
no benefit from it: 1t would be quite
beneficial to enterprising men to have
their property exempt from taxation.
Hut why should their enterprise he
built up from the substance of other
interests. A railroad is said to be a
public benefit. But suppose railroad
running into one portion of the town
should injure and deplete another and
smaller portion, and draw its enter
prfSesaatd centre them all upon that
road. Why should a struggling farmar
be burdened with the expense of IL rail.
road and compelled to cripple himself
ny going into an enterprise that would
tie positively injurious to him without
Ms consent, or by Il consent procured
by system IN which all kinds of fraud
and deception are made available
We grieve for the bitter lets5ns
through which our people are being
taught, that such things are terribly
ruinous 10 our municipal corporations;
but we look with confidence upon the
sure prospect that such bitter expert
ence will bring back the action of our
towns within the limits of those sound
constitutional principles, which, if they
do not remedy the terrible evils OF the
phsf,, What least make our town or
CARNATIONS safe from them in the
future.