Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-03-10
THE TOWN MEETING.
1t Was n Very Peaceful Event,
Save Only scrimmRge on the Vernon
Road Question.


Road Question.
The revised ballot law introduced new
order of things in the conduct of the an
nual town meeting, the hours from to 2
being given exclusively to voting for town
officers, and the transacting of the annual
business taking place after the hour last
named. The meeting was opened at o
o'clock in due form, and the voting then
proceeded quietly and without incident.
The Votes for the Candidates.
The following are the number of votes
cast for the different candidates:
Moderator-Gen. j. j. Estey 4S0, S. N.
Herrick 225.
Selectmen--G. A. Boyden 647, A. b.
Hall AGA, d. T. Perry ASP, b. A. Clark 81,
Geo. w. Walker 2S6.
Boad commissioner-Geo w. Hooker
Alb, S. N. Herrick 239
Overseer of the poor-Geo. w. Hooker
6S4 .
First constable hos. Harmon 395, X.
+. Gordon POI.
Second constable-Luke Weatherhead
$40, Frank Mcclure 203.
Collector of taxes-R. Z Gordon 492.
Listers-J. S. Cutting I'll, r. f. Gordon
712, Azor Marshall 716.
Audtors-H. F. Weatherhead 675, II.
b. Chamberlain 472, o. A. Marshall 475,
C. f. Bingham 225, c. A. Harris 229.
Trustee of public money-Wm. S. New
ton 523.
Fence viewers-J G. Estey 400, L. D.
Taylor 4S3, j. L. Knowlton 1856.
Grand jurors-L. Thomas 497, j. L.
Knowlton 493.
Inspector of leather-W. II. Kinson 495.
Inspector of wood. p. Helyar 4S0.
Pound keeper-Geo. B. Hit 491.
Town agent-Wells p. Jones asa.
School directors-H. II. Wheeler 105,
Geo. II. Thomas "a, J. S. Cutting 106, S.
T. Davenport Il, c. d. Whitman 81, j. G.
Stafford "A.
Town treasurer-Geo S. Dowley $50.
Salaries OF Town Officers.
At2 o'clock the ballot boxes were turned,
as the law provides, and Gen. Estey, the
moderator, called the meeting to order TO
consider the articles of the warrant, follow
ing the one calling for the election of town
officers. Gen. Estey stated that the audi
tors had supplementary report to make,
which was in reference to the salaries of
town officers for the past year. This was
presented by II. b. Chamberlain, and
showed that the bill of Col. Hooker, as
selectman, overseer of the poor and street
commissioner was $500; Geo. S. Dowley as
treasurer, $50; +. j. Holman, John Calvin
and II. b. Chamberlain, as auditors two
years, S45 each; r. f. Gordon as tax col
lector, $500; d. r. Perry as selectman,
$125; j. II. Babbitt as superintendent of
schools, $3.50; A. b. Hall as selectman
and street commissioner, $500. The con-
sderation of these salaries came up later
on under article 10.
The printed report of the auditors was
then accepted and adopted.
The Policy of Good Roads TO be Con-
tinued.
Article four was:
ITO see II the town will. under act No Sc. Laws
of 1892. for the building of permanent highway
authorize the selectmen to borrow. by the issue
OF one bond, the sum Of five thousand dollars
with interest semi.annually, not to eNceed five per
cent said bond To b. payable at the town treas
urer's Office, October l. 1893"
Commander a. ID. Brown said that last
year it was his pleasure to move that an APP
preparation of $4,000 be made for the es-
adjustment of the stone crushing plant
and the beginning of the work OF building
permanent highways, and he therefore
moved now in the favor of adopting this
article. j. L. Martin asked whether the
amount called for was necessary Col.
Hooker replied that the money would be
needed. With tax of 80 cents year we
can raise all the money needed for town
purposes, and pay off $4,000 of debt yearly,
including our note of 5000 and $1,000 of
general Indebtedness; this will wipe out
the old debt in six years, and then we can
begin TO pay the new debt at the rate of
5000 a year, contracted for permanent
road Improvements; $1,000 can be used
judlciOusly each year. 1t was the expec-
tatiOn that, at the end of four years, mac
adam road will be built through the prin-
cipal business streets of this village, and
from the top of High and Green streets TO
the Bigelow house in West Brattleboro.
ID. I. Perry said that under the new Or
der of things at least $4,000 would be
placed in the hands of the road commits
siOner, and as $1,000 would make the Or
binary repairs, $1,000 would be left for
permanent improvements. He thought
the money should be so expended as to
have one part of the town in keeping with
another. Not less than $1,000 should be
expended outside of district No. 2. 1t was
not right, he urged, to spend $1,000 here,
while in the districts further back there
were roads that were an determination to
lage (meaning on the Putney road near
L. X. Goodall's, evidently there was a
place where at certain seasons there was a
"bottomless pit of mud" Fill up some of
the mud holes and cut down some of the
sharp grades on the main roads. The ex-
penditures should first of all be so made as
TO cut off the cost of maintenance wher-
ever possible. The farmers could not now
draw the loads they ought into this village
on account of the grades at Centreville, this
side of West river, and near the asylum.
A vote TO adopt the article was carried,
only single deep-bayed ''no'' being heard
in opposition.
Mr.. Perry then introduced a resolution.
which was carried, to the effect that it was
the sense of the meeting that $1,000 should
be expended for permanent roads outside
district No. 2, as may, in the Judgment of
the road commissioner, seem most urgent.
The Vernon Road Fight.
Article No. was:
ITO see If the town will vote TO instruct IFS ga
lectmen TO build, the coming spring or summer
the road leading to Vernon according 10 the slIr,
vey and report of the commissioners, and accord
ing to the orders of the county court made at the
september term, 1892"
Here came in the only "scrap" of the
meeting. Col. Hooker moved that the ar