Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-08-10

grafton passed by the State Legislature
"a oou, n,..ioners appointed to obtain CT
of stock. Subscription 0o'A ~
vere onened. but. as even the friends oil 70
he object expected, no decided steps we've -
.Lan Massachusetts. however, was 10
hi, WAY convinced that Vermont was y
.o.dv 10 act. Judge BALDWIN was all this u
lime making frequent journeys to Boston, "
nd he lost no opportunity Of winning
to the project. So persistently :
Aid he keep the subject before the
of Boston that one day. on
State street of that city, OBJ CRYING people
nointing at him he inquired of a friend the
cause. "They are saying" was the reply
1. That is the man that wants to bulid
railroad over the Green Mountains.
A second charter was granted in 1870
and Judge Baldwin became one oil the
commissioners TO procure subscriptions
In 1874 Governor Paine, Col. +. +. Jewett
and .Judge B ,ldwin were made central
corresponding and financial commltlee.
lanes r. Langdon advanced S1OOcO ana
survey was made aud reported the same
year. While Hon. Ezekiel Z. Walton and |
Mr.. James X. Langdon, at the request oil
Governor Paine (acting as commissioner
went to Boston and in six weeks raised
million and a half of dollars. Judge
Baldwin assumed the task oil getting
$500, 900 pledged by the inhabitants OF
Vermont, men, of COURSE of small capital.
He spent great deal of labor. and, being
we'll fitted, as Mr.. Langdon testi6es, TO
win the confidence of everybody. he sue
: ceeded in securing the whole sum. he
was one of the first board of directors and
attended every directors meeting except
one-and there were many of them at
: Boston, Mortified and Montpelier. 1t is
! interesting to note that some old minutes
! show that, while he held his time too
valuable to do miscellaneous though neces-
2 sary service for the company for less than
, So 90 a day, he charged only 81 so when
e serving as director Chiefly through the
v Influence of Gov. Paine, as is well known.
e the route of the railroad was made 10 pass
+ through Mortified. So firmly was Judge
4, Baldwin convinced the Wiliamstown gulf
t route was better, that he took little active
e part in the company afterwards. Nothing
but selfish interests would ever have
u caused the location of The road otherwise.
s and after thirty years of operation it is
: likely the company will yet, before many
years, lay their rails, at great expense,
S through the gulf.
e So early as 1878 Judge Baldwin became
!. interested in the subject of insurance
s against fire, and accepted the agency OF
j. the Springfield Fire and Marine Insurance
lie Company. He received premiums in this
d vicinity to the amount of $4,000 and paid
d losses to the value of $4,000. In 1926 hi
y attention was called to the New Hampshire
II Mutual Fire Insurance Company which
of had just been established at Concord, ant
RS be became thoroughly convinced similar
is company could do a good business a
III Montpelier. The only men who shared
in his enthusiasm for it, however, were
OF Thomas Reed, Jr., james H. Langdon
y, Joshua Y. Vail and Chester Hubbard
r. Most men thought it would be necess 'r,
" to secure the counses OF some ont
" thoroughly conversant with the prope
n formation of sucn n company; but Judg
n Baldwin believed he knew what he want
'e' ed, and with the assistance Of Thoma
IN Reed, Jr., drew up a charter which VIA
d. presented to the legislature in 1926 Chief
IN ly through the opposition of member
lal from Windsor and Middlebury. whore
lis only, there were insurance companies il
Try the state, it was put by the session; bu
ed the next year efforts were better drecte
al and the charter of the Vermont Mutua
Fire Insurance Company obtained. Judg
ly' Baldwin was elected first president. bu
En- believing the interests Of the compan
X would be better served by having an oldt
'de man in that office, he declined; Chap
H. Keith, of Barre, was selected. and Il
" founder of the company rendered SER
81 ice in the capacity of director. Policy N
all was issued to him, covering his hous
Ter furniture, shed and barn. Israel
ett Dana succeeded to the presidency the ne
RE- year and held the office till 1888. T
dr. company started Immediately on care
me OF prosperity, and has since risen to be o
srt' of the large institutions Of the state.
did the period, in recent years, OF its create
and business, the premium notes in fore
ear which represent the capital of the compa
ich for the payment of losses, amounted
His 81, 100, 1856 49,
md In 184l Judge Baldwin accepted t
la. presidency, and was reelected with gre
ike u"animity every year till 1874. T
ng; company quickly acquired high mar
and under his direction; his business prin
hat pies, always bringing success, caused t
ad whole state soon to become convinced he
OF was the safest and cheapest insurance al
ally company could offer. The adjustment
He rates was made with great care ;and, in ca
the of loss, there was no delay and the poll
his holder was treated with perfect fairne
and even generosity, in the adjustment
ana the amount. Economy, too, was anott
lhe principle which the president vigorou.
ad enforced. For the last thirteen years
as his office, after he sold his farm to n
'lier Clark, he devoted almost his whole att,
as ton to the business.
Ter Judge Baldwin regarded this compa
was as one of the greatest achievements oil
and life, and since his retirement from
mus presidency, has looked upon its mana
hef' ment with fathers solcitude.
'he 1t is impossible at this time to do M
'os- than enumerate some of the positions fl
by Judge Baldwin in a life made up O
u"g great variety of duties; he was alwi
we're deeply interested for the public go
ears In 1857 he started the enterprise of b