The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1891-10-02

| A"O Oporo H0up CSuOsAsv'
To THE EDITOR OF THE BEFoRMER:
have examined the pans to convert on
Town Hall into an Oper, House, published
IN your iast issue, with consideraoie interes
BILE and even tempting; bpt few objection
to the scheme at once suggest themselves
some OF which seem to ordinary minds, &C
customed to work out re,ults through com
nonsense and legal processes, to be quite In
superable. As this Is a patter OF much pub
nc concern, that ought to be fully discussed
before =, a .s Is had thereof peg ior SINAI
showing up and advocating this scheme, II
| which to state some Of thee objections.
LIST. Stripped Of all frtls and embellish
ments, It Is bald proposition to destroy &
good and suitable Town H,ll. which is an i'm
perative necessity for the orderly and proper
transaction OF the public business OF the town
ana village, TO create an Opera House--a lux
nry for the well.to-do and rich, to be sure,
but of very questionable utility In its influ.
ence on public finances aud morals. say
"destroy, the Town Halp' sdvisedy; for the
new hall which this Opera House scheme
kindly proposes to leave to the people,
after suitable platforms are erected,
will have only one.half the seating capacity
of the present hall-a spsce entirely mad
quate 1oGo Town own and village uses. There are
to 1900 In the village-allto be accommodate
ed on election and other public occasions In a
hall that Will seat less than 300. This fact
only needs to be stated to show the rank alb.
surdity Of the scheme. The present hall Is
none too large for the dectnt accommodation
OF the voters, and has frequently been found
quite too small for church fairs, dancing, &C.,
could not be held In an opera house, with
fixed seats and santlng floor. Then. too, q
new lookup would have TO be built. for the
scheme destroys the present one, as we'll as
the very convenient lower town hall and the
town agency would have to seek outside
quarters also. II this scheme should be car
ried through. the building of new town hall,
at a large cost, will become an immediate
and pressing necessity.
End. The ''estimated" cost of the proposed
Is set down at $40, 1000. Any
one who has had experience with estimates"
Of cost made by architects and engineers,
knows just what reliance to place on such
figures. No responsible builder, 1t is safe to
assume. will contract to do the proposed job,
n suitable material and finish. for once and
lalf the sum named; and no doubt $25,000
building Of a new lookup. The claim thai
additional rentals will pay interest on the
money expended, Is simply. absurd. But
ven II this were true, 1t Is an ar
ument that "klcks"; because every dollar
4 rents so gained prssupposes the collection
rom our citizens, and the vanishing from
own OF $40 or 500 other dollars paid for
What. Oftener than otherwise, harms, rather
han benefits the people. 1t may safely be
nat perambulate the country, Ito say nothing
the many thousands of dollars they carry
fl each year that might much better be
oent for food and clothing and education, or
e put aside for rainy day, are absolutely
armful In themselves. They educate down.
ard instead of upward, and fill the minds
I'D hearts Of the young with thoughts and
ssires aud suggestions that tend to evil.
ught the town, then, even II 1t legally can,
run itself In debt to provide facilities for
hat too often tends to impoverish and cor.
lpt: Opera Houses are, and ought to he.
tilt by private and not public money, II |
tilt at all. So much touching the mere er.
diency Of swallowing the sugar-coated pill |
'esented. But there are still graver objec-
Sd. And these objections may be pro.
Where is the legal authority to be found to
q tie people to build an Opera HouSel Ask
" reputable lawyer, and bis answer can
lly be that no such authority exists. And
ought not to exist. Towns we're not organ.
ed nor empowered to do such things.
'ODaOIy OOt OUtsulLu u Tic voters and tax.
yers OF this town have any use for an One.
House, or would derive any benefit from
e. Why, then, should the four.Hfths he /
xed for the special accommodation Of the
e.ifth, and that one. fifth, too, composed Of
ose quite able to provide and pay for the !
xuries they demand aud enjoy! The com.
ratively poor, whose daily bread comes
,m daily lsbor, land they constitute vast 8
sjority Of the people.) very rarely attend !
cratic performances, at home or elsewhere. q
icy have not the time, nor the money, nor
. dress. parade equipment, for such costly {
1ulgences and designations; and 1t is gross Z
unjust yes. positively wicked to tax I
EN- to provide sucn indulgencies for the I
hand the law SO holds. 1t is hardly con-
vable that the taxpayers of this town can
brought to assent to this scheme, and 1t
" therefore safely be assumed that it will v
eive Its quietus whenever it Is submitted 4
! popu lar vote. But II 1t should happen =
erwise, the final disposition Of the whole r
tier may confidently be left to judicial de.
on. TAXPAYER.
Sept. 2Sth, 1891. C