The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-06-03
Letter from New Hampshire.
KEENE, June 1, 1885

KEENE June 1, 1885.
Mr., Editor: The legislature of this state
will assemble on Wednesday next. when two
important questions will come before it that
are now agitating the public mind, and
which will be likely to produce an excite
ment at Concord that has rarely If ever been
equalled First and foremost will come the
senatorial question: Who will succeed
Henry w. Blair, whose term in the United
States senate expired on the 4th of March ?
Mr.. Blair was lawyer at Plymouth when,
some dozen years ago, he was elected to
congress- He was then, and Is now, re-
garded as a lawyer Of mediocre talents OF
about the medium size of country LAWYERS
of little or no reputation outside Of Grafton
county. But he possesses talent for plan
ming and working for himself surpassed by
few men in the state. We have many hard
and gifted political workers in New Hamp-
shire, but none more industrious and per-
sistent than Mr.. Blair. Almost from his
first and only election to the senate he has
been planning and working, in and out Of
the senate, to secure his reelection. His
wild and impracticable schemes in congress,
brought forward in the shape of bills have
been devised with view to keeping his name
before the public. His educational BILL the
least Objectionable, has been stripped of
nearly all of its original features so that it
is now anything but the Blair bill, although
called by that name. And yet, notwith-
standing his unpopularity among unselfish,
thinking men, it is thought that he has Sc
cured a much larger following among the
members-elect to the legislature than any
other aspirant. Among his competitors /
may name William f. Chandler, ex-secre-
tary OF the navy ex-senator r. II. Rollins,
Mr. Burns of Wilton, Gilman Marston of
Exeter General Stevens of Nashua and,
possibly, j. w. Patterson of Hanover and
Ossian Ray of Lancaster, the last named lay
ing back for training as a dark horse. The
management ofour machine politics is in the
hands of those who do not look for first
class statesmen, whom they have no hope of
controlling, and if such men are ever elected
il must be in spite of the machine men,
Members of the legislature who wish to
compass Blair's defeat will probably refuse
to go into caucus, and thus relieve them
selves from any obligations to be bound by
its decision This was the plan adopted
two years ago, by those who wished to de-
feat the reelection of Senator Rollins. | am
sorry that the good old Granite State
couldn't be represented in congress by her
best men-but alas this is her day of small
things and small men. The other important
question alluded to is that of confirming by
the legislature the lease of the Northern and
the Boston, Concord & Montreal railroads
by the Boston * Lowell road, under an
act passed two years ago for consolidating
different roads. 1t is claimed that the leases
in question have not been strictly in con-
formity to the act referred to. But this may
be hard to prove. Railroad consolidation is
destined, before long, to be the prevailing
order of the day Other roads have found il
necessary to unite for economy's sake, and
| why should they not? The cry against
! Massachusetts corporations running the
roads of New Hampshire has little signf-
! canoe to us, unless it be that of jealousy.
| People of New Hampshire and Vermont in
vite capitalists of Massachusetts and other
states to assist them to build roads and man
! ufactories, and thus become stockholders in
such corporations, and if Massachusetts
stockholders become majority what should
hinder their control In running the bust
ness of the corporation they would be likely
to do it for the benefit of the stock whether
held by them or by citizens of New Hamp-
shire and Vermont The people of these
states residing near the line of roads leased
and controlled by Massachusetts stockhold-
ers would be more largely benefited, and
would naturally be thankful that capitalists
out of the state had helped them to enjoy
railroad accommodations. The railroads of
| New Hampshire and Vermont could never
have been built but by the help of capitalists
from out of these states. And again, it
stands to reason that if several roads can be
run by one single management, a vast
amount of money can be saved in running
expenses, and consequently passengers and
freight can be carried much cheaper. Do
the people of Northern Vermont feel any
aggrieved because the Boston Lowell
road has leased the st. Johnsbury & Lake
Champlain road, and have laid it with new
steel rails and otherwise improved it? |
think not. 1t is the opinion of many that
there are now railroads holding feeble ex-
stence that will, before long, be obliged to
fail, or be consolidated with other roads in
the form of leases or in some other way.
For one would like to see the Central YER
mont Rutland & Burlington, and Cheshire
lin New HampShre) and the Fitchburg
roads all united under one management; nor
would / care whether the lessor was Mas
sachusetts, New Hampshire or Vermont
corporation. Under such a combination
passengers and freight could be carried for
one-half the usual rates, and the general
public would be the gamers. TIL.