News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1893-02-23
A Reply to t. vox popull,"


Mr.. Editor
l notice in your last issue an article over
the signature of "Vox Populi" which seems
to vent its wit (?), ridicule, and spite upon
the Seectmen of this town While it is not
my practice to notice anonymous articles,
yet there are SO many things in this one that
are misleading to those unacquainted with
the facts that perhaps it may be best to make
the truth known.
In regard to the piece of land in the rear of
the Town Hall, most of the voters are proba-
bly, aware that last summer petition, signed
by the necessary number of voters, was pre-
sented to the Selectmen requesting them to
call a special town-meeting for the purpose OF
buying land and charging the Town Hall.
This meeting was called according to law,
and at that meeting the town voted to buy
land enough of DR.. Woodward to erect an adj
dition 40 feet square on the rear of the hall !;
elected two committee to act with the Select
men, and instructed them to make the pur-
chase and erect the addition at once. This
committee of five purchased the land, paying
$500 for it. Now this seems like large sum
to pay for so small piece of land, but when
you consider that the Doctors barn, wagon
house and other buildings had to be moved
or torn down, it puts a different look upon
it. DR.. Woodward offered to take a reasona-
BILE price for the land, if the town would move
the buildings and leave them in good condi-
ton for his use; but after considering the
price and let him clear the land After this
two more special meetings were called (all by
petition in the regular fOrm), to see il the
town would vote to move the hall back and
build the addition in front, which PROPOSE
ton voted down in both cases; and as
by this time there was quite feeling between
the factions, the committee thought it best
to defer the whole matter until after the next
annual meeting and as natural consequence
the land is unoccupied, and, no doubt, the
writer of this anonymous article, if he should
be called upon to control the business of the
town for the ensuing year, can raise a good
crop of pig-weed and mullen on it.
Now, as to the streets of which the article
speaks, the Selectmen have laid but one,-
that through Mr.. Kelsey's land to the houses
erected on the lots sold by DR.. Hall in the rear
of his premises. Last year we were urged to
lay this street, but refused to do so on ac-
count of the amount of land damage. This
last summer Dr. Hall came to and said
that he was gong to have a street laid out,
and if the town would not do it, he would call
out a courts committee. But if the town
would lay the street, he would pay S175
toward the land damage, which was nearly
one-half, and We decided to take up with this
offer as we considered it the cheapest way out
of it for the town, and DR.. Hall has paid over
the money as he agreed. As to the other
street, petition was presented to US, as in
the case of the Hall street, with long list
of names, among which, no doubt, was the
autograph of the author of the famous
article in last weeks publication; but we
refused to lay the street on account of the
large land damage, and the parties interested
called out courts committee who proceed
ed to lay out the street and assess the dam
age. So the Selectmen were in this case no
way responsible for either the laying Of the
street or the amount of land damage, but
were obliged to submit to a higher authority
am aware that our expenses for highways
and bridges have been very large for the past
year, caused by the heavy rains we had from
time to time through the summer. Many
times after we had had d piece of road re-
paired there would come a heavy rain and
wash out what had been DONE so it had to be
done over again. We have had four bridges
washed out, two of them large ones We
have built one expensive bridge but it is
built to stay. and | think the town in the
future will find that it was a good invest
ment.
Of course this scurrilous article would be
incomplete did not the writer bring up the
liquor question. | am well aware that the
agency has sold large amount of liquors
the past year, but | think no more than 9TH
err towns, in proportion to the amount of
business done and the extent of territory
supplied. Mr.. Daniels, the agent, has tried
to sell 1T as it should be sold No doubt he
has made some mistakes perhaps even the
great critic ''VOX Populi'' may not be en-
tirely free from this common trait of human
ity) But when they intimate that he has
run bar or that he has watered his liquors,
that intimation is as false as his Satanic
Majesty is wicked. In my opinion, Mr.. Dan
iels has managed the agency as well as any
gent the town has ever had. There will be
quite profit on the liquor and it goes to
the town, where it belongs The Seectmen of
this town do no claim to he infallible and no
doubt have erred many times, yet it has been
our desire to do that which was for the best
of all concerned.
Now, in conclusion, l would say that it
looks as though this article was written in
the interest of some one who had an axe to
grind; and it would seem to me more manly
if the writer had had the courage to have
signed his own name instead of screening
himself behind nom de plume
FRANK KENFIELD,
Chairman Selectmen of Morristown.