Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-04-28
BY RAIL TO WILMINGTON
WEDNESDAYS MEETING.

prominent Brattleboro citizens had the pleas
ure Of attending at Wilmington on Wednes-
day afternoon was as fully attended by the
Wilmington people, and was marked by as
promising degree Of interest ns the most
sanguine friends at either end of the propos-
cd line OF road could have hoped for. The
Wilmington town hall was filed to its full
capacity, and IL was necessary to carry in ex-
ira seats to accommodate the late corners.
The interest of the Nottingham people in o
project which, il carried through, will bene-
ct them no less than it will the Wilmington
people, was manifested by the attendance of
q delegation Of representative men from that
town, and Halifax, Dover, Somerset and
Soarsburg were also represented. The meet
ing was called to order soon after 2 o'clock,
when Hon. L. 7. Butterfeld was made chair
man and O. +. Boyd secretary. On taking
the chair Judge Butterheld spoke of the ne
cessity which existed for railroad nocommo-
dation for Wilmington and of the various
projects which had been agtated for railroad
connection. Some 80 years ago. he said, an
east and west line was talked of from Brattle-
boro through Wilmington to bennington. A
few years ago line was surveyed from Shell
burne Falls, and Wilmington then voted to
bond for eight times her grand list and rails
ed money by subscription besides, but il
came to nothing. Wilmington would be glad
of way out in any direction, and would help
the line which should first come to them, but
Brattleboro is home and Wilmington people
would prefer to go there. Frequent disap-
poin,ment, the Judge said, had caused the
people of the town to lose courage, but the
I....I
and 'if Brattleboro wills it we shall have the
road"
Hon o. L. Butterfield followed in a brief
but pointed speech in which he said that ev-
erybody was interested in having railroad.
Five or six years ago Wilmington voted to
aid the Shelburne Falls line but Nottingham
voted no. Now be believed the sentiment
had changed and he thought both towns
would favor the Brattleboro line. He thought
Wilmington would bond for eight times her
grand list and subscribe literally besides if
the line was assured. What he now wanted
was to know what other towns would do.
@. F. Thompson of Brattleboro, president
of the Brattleboro q Whitehall road, was next
called up. Quoting the chairmans remark,
'if Brattleboro wills it," etc., Mr.. Thompson
said he thought the will must come from the
town whose name began with WHO. If
Wilmington wills it she can have a railroad
within two years. He had never known Brat
tleboro TO fail of her duty in case like this.
Like all towns in her situation Wilmington il
slowly dwindlng, and a railroad is the only
thing that can save her Mr. Thompson re-
ferred to the narrow-gauge system as the one
for local roads in New England. The Brat
tleboro & Whitehall road he said, including
construction, equipment, and all the improve
ments and betterments which had been made
upon it, had cost less than 81, 600 per mile.
The road is in excellent condition and doing
steadily increasing business. In the first
l 3 months of its existence it carried nearly
25, 600 passengers and the freight business
has developed beyond all expectation. As au
example of what railroad could do for de.
caying country towns Mr.. Thompson cited
the case of Jamaica. This town. it was free
ly prophesied, would be bankrupted by its
railroad debt, but the fact was that as soon
as it was assured that the town would have a
railroad its old debt was refunded at per
cent aud money was borrowed to pay its
bonds at the same rate. The road bad doub-
led the value Of the towns wood and tim
Der, and the one item of the increase in value
of hemlock bark In the town would more
than pay the towns railroad debt! If Viii
mington wants a railroad, Mr.. Thompson
said, she must understand at the outset that
it won't build the road to simply vote times
her grand list. There will be opposition and
many discouragements to overcome, and her
people have got to take hold with deter
mnation to succeed in spite of all obstacles
The meeting next insisted on hearing from
Hon. Edward Crosby of Brattleboro. Mr.. Cros-
by said, in this matter we are all brethren in q
common cause. Allare alike interested either
in saving our towns and our property from de-
terioration or in trying to increase their val
ne. He knew what it was to do all the
drudgery ana hard work on a small farm. He
knew what it was TO cut wood and haul it to
market and sell it for So so a cord. What we
now want to do is to nix it so that farmers
wont have to work for such starvation pay
Before the Brattleboro & Whitehall road was
built this was about tho condition of things
up the West River valley, but the other day
he was at the upper end of the line and he
saw great piles of chair stock which they told
him was worth 49, Before the railroad was
built it was only worth 81. At tho outset
Mr.. Crosby said, if this proposed road is to
be built it must be done by bonding the
towns. 1t can't be done otherwise. On tho
basis proposed a man in Wilmington with a
farm worth $4,000 would have TO pay SS4 in
taxes to build the road. Could any man in
town with such farm afford not to pay SS4
for the road ? Mr. Crosby said he had under
taken to carry a burden in Brattleboro which
had involved him heavily in debt For years
he had been trying to pay that debt, but he
had not yet succeeded. What he was now
most anxious TO do was to save his property
from deterioration so that it might be OF val
ne to his children. His share of the tax nee
essary to build a railroad to Wilmington
would be not less than $500, and it would be
money well invested for him, for all proper
ty, whether in Brattleboro or Wilmington,
must either increase or deteriorate in value
The nrOn0caH railroad ba knaxu IN ha
line perfectly feasible. The heaviest grade
would not exceed 90 feet to the mile, whereas
the steepest grade on the Brattleboro g.
Whitehall road, over which business is sue
cessfully done, is 40 feet. A narrow. gauge
road can do all the business that is TO be done,
and its cost will be made up, many times
over, by the increased business which it will
develop. eff owned the town of Whining
ton, said Mr.. Crosby in closing, 81 would
build railroad to Brattleboro the first thing
1 did"
Col. ]. ]. Estey of Brattleboro was next
called up. Col. Estey. said he was there to
show his interest-to indorse the proposed
railroad. Brattleboro is the natural outlet for
Wilmington. A road built to any other
point would compel people on its line to go
long way around to get to meetings of any
sort held in the state. He was one of those
who was not sanguine about the success of
the road up the West river, but he was con-
WINGED. That road is a great success, and the
proposed road to Wilmington is equally feast
BILE. The only question is, whether the PEG.
pie will take hold and raise the money.
Capt. R. W. Clarkeo of Brattleboro, in a very
felicitous and pointed little speech, said that
confession was good for the soul and he was
there to confess that he was one who was
openly and decidedly opposed to the construe.
ton of the BrattlebOro IL Whitehall railroad.
His objections were based on the general
principle that individuals should not be COM
PEELED to pay for commercial enterprises
against their will, but the success of the West
River road had convinced him of his error.
The true ground on which to base an argu-
ment is the greatest good of the greatest mum
Der. You cannot build railroad anywhere
that will not benefit somebody, and the fact
is we are compelled to build railroads in self