Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-11-06

"
ural resources and peculiarly favorable to manu-
featuring industries will leave for Others to say.
but VIII venture the assertion that no prophec,
will be made today. however visionary It may
seem. which will excel the realization Of the ~.
ture.
In concluding Mr.. Mann introduced Mr..
ID. II. Newton. the president Of the rail-
road company, who proved. however. not
to be in the audience, and Mr.. T. {. Cros-
by Of Brattleboro was called upon. as an
honored son Of the late Edward Crosby.
who had worked so faithfully for railroad
connection between Brattleboro and viii
mngton. Mr. Crosby spoke of his fathers
work in behalf Of the joint interests of the
two towns and cordially congratulated the
people of Wilmington on the railroad com
munication now secured, predicting
bright and prosperous future for the town.
Mr.. Crosby's remarks were greeted with
warm and prolonged applause. as was the
introduction Of Hon. b. ID. Harris, who
spoke as follows:
The address Of Hon. Is. -. Harris.
Seven years agU, Wien Out lately deceased and
much lamented friend, Edward Crosby, with
more than youthful energy and enthusiasm.
though then on the downward grade " life aud
animated by that large hearted public spirit aud
broad philanthropy so conspicuous in his life
character, undertook to organize and cary
through the building Of a railroad between Brat
tebOrO aud Wilmington, on the banks Of the
Connecticut promptly aud cordially struck haLus
with you IN the Drerfeld valley In giving him and
the enterprise a loyal and vigorous support.
And for time all went well, and We began fond
~ to congratulate ourselves and each other on
what seemed TO De an almost assured succeSs
But later through unHise counsels and fatal de-
lays, encouraged by the sudden cooling of Of
some, and the open intdelity Of others. Of ITS
prOfts sed fri, nds, 1t became painfully evident
that The work n.ust be postponed for a time at
least II not abandoned altogether. And then, To
crown our misfortunes, Mr.. Crosby. our inspirrr
and leader. went to his 1nal rest, sorrow ing that
this unseltish and the supremacy chertsh,d
ambition OF his life must be lett unacCom plished.
Even then, MIR. Chairman. our sympathies went
out To you, and we bade you GOdsp,ed " hen. II
patient OF delays and almost despairing. you
turned to others for the cooperation We could n
give. Aud now, when the grand success We b,..
hold has crowned all your lahOrs aud sacrifices
sacrifice that will he repaid IN two-fod measure.
hope and Ovheve you have no friends, herr
elseN here, who extend to you more heartfelt con
gratulations than your old co laborers Of Brazil
UOro. who have come here today IN considerable
numbers to rejoice with those that glad
And yet. We fully realize that we shall los, a
large pant Of your business traffic. which Ne
greatly lament. Blindly following false guild =
We let the golden opportunity slip, and must
abide the consequences Of our folly But for t.
most part, the uld-time relations and associations
between Is social, political. civil. education.'
religious, and the IKE remain, and must coz
tlnue to remain. We arr glad To- believe. substan.
italy as now. Indeed. between communities SIS
well as individuals associations and friendships
81 long standing. coming down from generation
% generation, cannot IT, severed iu daY, uud
any circumstances; and. b--twteu YOU and o..
under existing conditions. they cannot b. sever d
at all
II 1 may be permitted to occupy two or thr 10.
minutes more. Mr Chairman. shall b- glad tu.
mention one very marked. and / think. unique
Characteristic Of our TS-Opl. and espec ally 80
nonresident people, so % sprak. meaning
young men and women YOU have rrartsl and ecu
Gated for usefulness, who have gone out to IL ht
the battle OF life elsewhere have long not a.
"a u.itb 4y,.ri i'm . al IN Rf
ever widely they may roam. Or whatever a.
success III life and many OF them have achieved
fortune and fame-no son or daughter OF " J.
mington or OF this valley ever ceases to be 10y i
the old hearthstOne, or becomes Indifferent iu
the scenes and Associates Of chi dhood and youi
but all, with one accord. as occasion AMI circuir-
stances permit turn their facrs and footsteps
lovingly homeWard, bearing in their hands ufte
times subst antal tokens OF afectionate neme7u-
brance that melts the hearts and brighten tiu
lives of both givers aud receivers But comm
thus or coming empty handed il nsed be. a iol-
full welcome awaits them always. The inspiring
Of such filial devotion in offspring presuppns
the existence OF ennobling virtues In ancestry and
it is the possession and exercise of these virtues
sturdy manhood, pure and reverent womanhool.
tireless energy, moral rectltude. and indomitablp
will and courage-that have conspired to make
POSSIBLE the achievement now celebrate
Your valleys and hillsdes already show intel T.
gent cultivation and generous production; al d
your new railroad, while arrestinR and turning
back the outhOwing tide OF emigration, will fur
nish both the facilities and the incentives to
still higher cultivation and productWeness. thus
multiplying to you the material riches for which
all men strive. But when you have brought thus
culture to perfection, and this productiveness 10
It's utmost limits and have added thereto thu
output of your forests and mills and workshops
all together they represent only fraction Of the
treasures you contribute to the worlds true
wealth For If all these were suddenly oblteratei,
important and valuable as they are in themsely
and to you. they would scarcely he missed tron
the enormous aggregate Of like productions IN
the whole country. But there Is another and
better wealth that this valley has hitherto pro-
duced, and which, under favor Of Providence, and
stimulated by the anticipated increase OF thrift
and population, it may continue 10 produce even
more abundanty through generations yet t.
come-a wealth. too, that the world cannot afford
TO loee-in the men and women frugally and vr-
tuously nurtured and educated in the midst of
these inspiring surroundings, and endowed " In
vigorous physical, mental and moral stamina, Of
whom it may be truly said The world is bett.
because they have lived
James II. Flagg of North Adams, ia
vorite son of Wilmington, was next called
upon, but spoke briefly, saying that the
only trouble was that Wilmington ought To
have had a railroad 20 years ago.
John ii. Flagg of New York, the next
speaker, told with what interest he had
watched the progress of the railroad agita-
ton, and rejOiced in the final elimination.
He touched upon the mutual duties of the
railroad company and the people of Will
mington, visiting upon both words of we'll
tempered admonitiOn, which were received
with every mark of approval. One of Mr..
Flagg's happy asides was the declaration
that if all the bakers who went from Will
mington should strike there would be a
famine in New York and Brooklyn within
"A hours.
Col. Haskins, the next speaker, gave a
complete and lucid account of the effort to
build railroad between BrattleborO and
Wilmington, and Of the causes which con-
tributed to its failure when apparently on
the point of success. The social, political
and religious affiliations of the two towns
must remain unbroken, and he hoped the
people OF Wilmington would continue to
come to BrattlebOro just as before.
\. p. Childs spoke OF the tender memo
ries of former Wilmington residents, be-
lieying that those who had passed on joined
with those who today rejoice in the reha-
Utilization of Wilmington. "But the railroad
will not help the town. he said, "unless
the people of the town help themselves"
DR.. IL. d. Holton spoke with an earnest
wish that the people of Wilmington might
still continue their associations with those
of Brattleboro.
At this point President ID. ii. Newton
Of the railroad company appeared upon the
platform. While thanking Mr.. Flagg for
the words of criticism and admonition
spoken by him, he yet reminded the pro-
pie that it would be through their gtner-
Gus use of the railroad and its facilities
that it would be possible to give the road
its highest usefulness. The duties and in
terests of the road and of the people, he
said, were mutual.