Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-10-30

THE Troy Press says: Benjamin
Franklin, tenor, of this city, has been
engaged to take the solo part in the can
tata Esther to be given at Bennington,
November 14th.
"BIKE" is likely to get a permanent
place in the language; so that we shall
probably soon be speaking of bicycles as
"bikes,h and of "bikesJs," which will
apply equally we'll to men and women
who bike"
THE town of Cardiff, Tenn, which
only a few years since was the great
boom city of the South, now contains
only one man as its sole population.
This lone citizen is the custodian of a
great deal of Vermont cash.
SOME men say that if Vermont did not
have a prohibitory law there would be
numerous summer hotels on the shore of
Lake Champlain. New York has a Ii
cense law, yet there is only one summer
hotel on the New York shore Of the lake,
that at Bluff Point.-Budget.
THE new cure for diphtheria by vacci-
nation is said to be so great a success
that the British Institute is making ar
rangements to supply blood serum''-
the material used-at small advance
over its cost, to be used among the
children of the poor.
OLD Weatherwse says the winter is to
be mild one. He bases his belief on
the fact that there was an unusual
amount of thunder during the fall
months, which he has found to be always
followed by warm winter, while thun-
der in the spring means cold winter.
THE most important astronomical
event predicted for this year is the tran
sit of Mercury across the suns disc,
which will take place November 10th.
This phenomenon occurs only about once
in seven years, on the average, so that
not many opportunities to observe it
co me in life time.
On Saturday of this week, at 4:30 p. M,
the Bennington Y. M. G. A. foot ball
team are to play the Burr and Burton
team, on the Soldiers Home grounds.
The manager of the visiting team is
Frank w. Young, and the local captain
is F. E. Battles. An interesting game is
anticipated and the occasion will draw
crowd.
THE wit of the Vermont press says:
at is long time coming and is not in
sight vet, but we have faith to believe
blldG 6OllC IlulC q NlOJ VI 1CSOOO PCPot"
lion will have more representation in the
Vermont legislature than a town with
from seven to fifteen voters. How can
anyone even attempt to justify the pres
ent system of representation"
If there was an ice cold lemonade
spring in every village garden, If bread
grew on sunfower stalks and every blade
of grass were tipped with $40 gold coin,
q certain class of cranks would kick be-
cause there were no sticks in the lemon
ade, no butter or preserves on the bread,
and because the grass did not produce
$50 instead of $40 COINS on the blades.
THE world moves. Down in Texas
they are talking about converting the
top wire of barbed fences into telephone
wires, by taking out the staples and put
ting insulators in their places. AS it is
now on the section ranches cowboys are
kept riding along the wire fence to keep
it in order, but If the telephone idea is
carried out it can be told at once if there
is break anywhere on the circuit
BURLINGTON is agitating the subject
of paid fire department. Chief Engineer
hurry says: 81 believe the time has
come for paid fire department in Bur
lingtOn. believe three hose wagons, a
hook and ladder truck and the steamer,
with all modern cOnveniences could be
kept and run for a very little more than
the present volunteer department costs,
by using the horses for city purposes
during the day." Frank E. Perkins,
Chief Engineer of Burlington Fire De-
partment from 1887 to 1892 has been for
some time in favor of paid department,
and w. Z. Morse, Chief Engineer in 1898,
also agrees with this view. Why would
it not be good plan for Bennington al
so? On the score of economy it would
not probably increase the cost
x-REPREsENTATIvE WENDELL p.
STAFFORD of st. JohnSbury is the stuff
of which martyrs were made, d clean,
even handed and courageous fighter for
the right. He is with the people every
time. The last st. Johnsbury Republic
can says: "Why should members of the
Legislature be carried over the railroads
at cheaper rate than the plain people?
Round trip tickets to Montpelier and re-
turn may be obtained by members of the
Legislature for 1926 at the st. Johns
bury railroad station. Persons not men,
bers must pay full fare each way, amount
ing in the aggregate to four dollars and
some odd cents. Is not this unjust dis
elimination against the mass of us? So
at least it seemed to w. p. Stafford, and
he proposes testing the question. On
Monday he rendered the Legislative fare,
1925, for around-trip ticket, which was
politely refused by the station agent. Mr..
Stafford now intends to sue the railroad
and ascertain whether or not we have a
privileged class" There should be and
can properly be no doubt of the result.
If the supreme court should hold that,
after allowing member twice as much
in a mileage as his fare amounted to and
on top of this giving him quarter rates,
this outrageous discrimination was
proper, then the people will have some
thing to say to the Supreme court
Hardwick Gazette.
THERE are but few persons in this sec
ton of the country that have worked in
one place, with hardly day off, for over
40 years. Such a one, however, is Will
liam O'Donnell, who went to work at
the railroad station here in the freight
department March 2Sth, 1854, and with
the exception of few months in 1858,
has been there continuously since. He
was born in Ireland, but came to this
country when young, and about the time
that the old Troy & Boston road was
built, he came to Eagle Bridge where he
first began railroading by going to work
as section man. At the request of the
late l. V. Baker, who was then superin-
tendent of the Troy & Boston, which was