Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-08-01
BRA TTLEBORO AND WHITEHALL
RAILROAD
From n stOcLhoider who IA nOws what
IHe H. Talking About"

OF momentOus import-one that should carry
deepest conviction TO every honest taxpayer,
and to every beguiled stakeholder, that gi-
gantic railroad swindle" has been foisted
upon the people of the West River valley,
viz That the voters and taxpayers were
assured in the PHOENIX, in town meetings and
in private, that two-feet-gauge road was all
that was needed" etc. ''that Brattleboro, by
force of these arguments, bonded itself for a
two-feet-gaugo road that it has never bonded
for any other gauge between Brattleboro and
Londonderry that the directors and con
tractors are now putting three-foot gauge on
a two-foot road bed" That taxpayers and
stockholders should aid in the construction of
a railroad with the rails laid three feet apart
when they expected that they would be laid
only two feet apart-in other words, that they
should get n better thing than they bargained
for in this respects certainly q fraud of the
bascst kind. We rejoice that it is not too
late to mend this matter. Not a rail has been
laid. 1t is therefore onjoined upon c. n
Davenport, and all good citizens, for the next
few weeks, to bring all their influence to bear
upon the directors and contractors to see to
it that the rails are laid Just two feet apart
not hair s-breadth more, not a hair's-breadth
less. This is urged notwithstanding the fact
that, when two-feetgauge road was expect
ed, the opponents of the enterprise, and some
of the friends, all along up and down the
valley, cried out, "paything," "baby cart,
won't do the business, etc. 1t is urged
notwithstanding the fact that, when it was
finally decided TO constructs thTee-feet- gauge
road, all the friends thereof were glad, and
some who had not been friends became such
Truly this outrage should not be submitted to,
any more than a wise and prudent man should
feel bound to pay the contract price for
farm of 100 acres, which he understood at
the time of the purchase TO contain only 100
acres.
Mr.. Davenport says, where the selectmen
and railroad commissioner lmeaning those
of Brattleboro) get their authority to pay
ont the towns money for the construction of
road the town never voted for, is subject
worth thinking about" Certainly. no one
doubts that it is worth thinking about The
parties referred to 10y him haze thought about
it, and thereafter have paid out the towns
money, and no intelligent man will say that it
was done unlawfully. Why does Mr.. D.
frame and publish the lines last quoted in the
way lac has :; 1t seems to be an insinuation
! that Bratteboro never has been, and is not
/ now, legally bound TO render the aid she is
furnishing. We do not believe that such in
situation came to be made by reason of any
clear conviction on his part that the town was
not liable: he is too good lawyer for that
Besides, il lac actually believed it himself, he
is not the mau to be afraid to express his be
| lief in unmistakable terms That the Ian
| guage is 10 very guarded and indefinite is a
significant fact of itself
Mr. Davenport charges that, in addition to
the 500, 600 in stock subscriptions, maiori
| ty of the directors have already voted to issue
! $50, 900 in first mortgage bonds What idea
does he really mean to convey by such nm AS
sertion Is it that the directors have voted
to issue that amount absolutely and uncondi-
! tionally, and that the contractors are to have
| that amount of said bonds ia toto , If that
is his meaning, your correspondent calls for a
verifcation of the same in full Or does he
mean to convey the idea that the directors
have voted to issue an excess of first mortgage
| bonds over and above what the contractors
are TO have, to meet contingent expenses, If
accessory; that no more are TO be issued than
are necessary, and not over $50, 600 in all {?
II that is his meaning, which your correspond
ent understands TO be the correct one is there
anything unwise. fraudulent, or unbusiness-
| like in such vote Would the writer have
the company cripple the road at the very out
set, 10y neglccting to provide for possible
necessary expenditures after the road is COM
! pletedy Can it be that he does not know
that any new railroad, even though its entire
road-bed were of blocks of solid granite well
cementcd. would be in very precarious con-
dition if probable or possible contingencies
for the first few years were not provided for ?
lie has been reliably" informed that these
bonds have been offered for seventy cents on
the dollar. If that is so, does he lament the
fact that they are no more salabe than this
would seem TO indicate If he does lament
it, has it occurred to him that the tendency of
his articles published in the Reformer, if they
have any tendency, is to bring about the very
result he deplores II he does not deplore it,
then we cannot accredit to him the upright
honest magnanimous views he processes
to have, and the profound sympathy he
claims to feel for the taxpayers and stock
holders who are in some degree. though in
directly, interested in the sale of the bonds.
Mr.. Davenport, in his second article, refer
ring TO his previous one, says II charged,
the route through the Bradley meadow has
been adopted, the road being made depend
ent on the Valley railroad company forever,
! L.. -
company" etc. He finds fault more particu-
larry with the length of time and the rent of
| 5000 per year. His forever" of 90 years is
too long for him but what length of time
would have suited him; Ten years Well
then suppose at the expiration of the ten
years the Valley railroad company should ut
| terly refuse to have more to do with the new
railroad company. In what condition would
the latter then be? Would the writer have
advocated any terms as to time that would
leave so great an uncertainty in such an I'M
portant matter As TO the rent of 5000 per
year. is it possible that he really considers it
exorbitant He says that il is the interest on
$40, 600 at six per cent. Does he not know
that it would require a much larger sum than
Sl0,0 to construct a portion of railroad
equal to the length Of track on the Valley
road proposed to be used by the new road, to
say nothing of keeping the same in repair !?
He also says that many of the land owners
are dissatisfied with the damages, meaning
of course that the damages are insufficient
Well, what will suit him for he has complain
ed of alleged Increased land damagesY
In the fourth principal division of his sec
ond article Mr.. Davenport has directed his
powerful batteries against several alleged
weak points, viz. the trestle work, piles ties,
culverts width of road bed, etc. As to these
matters the following questions are PROFOUND
ed:
list. Does he wish the reading public to
| understand TINT be has nersnnhllv eYamined