Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-09-12
vERMoNT's PROSPERITY.

More than the usual amount OF at
tention is being called Just at the pres
ent time to the development of the re-
sources OF Vermont. 1t is assumed
that the State might prosper more than
it is now prospering if the right meth
ods were employed TO encourage man
ufactures, agriculture, mining, etc. 1t
is assumed that our hills are full of
wealth, that riches abound in our val
lies, and that what is needed is some of
the enterprise that goes to build up 9th
er communities applied to our own. We
look upon this movement as favora-
BILE sign. 1t indicates that as State
we have not settled into the apathy of
old age, thinking only Of the feeble a.
chievements of the past, with but little
to hope for in the future There is an
implication in much Of this talk that
we have not done as well in the past as
we might have done. This is true.
There is the same feature in all past
records. Yet Vermont has occupied
no mean place. Her position has made
her more Of an agricultural than a man
ufaeturing State. Instead Of growing
rich as some of the other States have
done. there has been continual drain
upon her both of men and money. We
know that Vermont has grown in wealth
at times and then decline in prices
has shrunk out some of the gain of pre-
vious years. Taking term OF years
and comparing with former periods we
think the State can show material ad-
vance. But il has never been the boast
of Vermont that she was keeping or
could keep even pace with some of the
Middle and Western States, but the
men and the women and the wealth of
the State have gone to aid in building
up those States. There is not State
west of Vermont to day that is not more
of State than il would have been had
there been no Vermont from which TO |
draw men and money. We have given
Of the best of our possessions to help
others, sometimes it is feared to our
own detriment. If Vermont cannot
boast of great things, her thousand acre
farms, her immense mills and her mill
ionaires, she has her specialties and
by means of these she has impressed
herself upon the whole country. The
poet SAKE, in his best days, wrote of
four things for which Vermont was
then famous, men, women, maple SUI
gar and horses. Some things have
been added to this list since his day
while these have lost none of their val
ne. Our sugar is as sweet as when
SAKE sung of it, and it has far wider
our horses are as fleet, and the
prices they command would have aston
ished the poet, and we are slow to be-
lieve that the quality of our men and
women averages less than in former
days. But we have added to these the
choicest products of the dairy, some OF
the finest marble in the world, granite
that cannot be surpassed for all the va
rious uses to which it is applied, and
lumber for the choicest kinds of wood
Ii is not to be suppos-
ed that as State we can attain to full
growth at once. Ii may not be desira-
BE to DO this. Our ambition ought to .
De fairly well satisfied if we are not
alling behind other States. Not one i
If the States, even the most advanced, j
las reached the limits Of its growth. !
We admit that for farmers the present !
ime is not as favorable as few years i
go, but the agricultural interests are !
he fundamental interests Of any COM !
We all live upon what y
ONES from the soil. Many of our S
men are farming outside of the !
tate, and by so doing they bring them /
elves into competition with those left q
within the State. Yet .hey assist in =
dvancing the general interests of the 4
ountry in which this State takes a t
hare. 10 the recent efforts made to I
uicken the interest Of Nermonters in !
-ermont special account has been made d
f her material prosperity. This is an 1
ssantial feature We need money or = "