Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1895-02-08

| struction of its charter, and such cOnstruc-
tiOn would only permit the making and use
of kind of railway in common use at the
time when the charter was enacted. The
charter does not purport to confer the right
of eminent domain as against personal
rights more of like tenor. These
are grave questions for calm, judicial deter
mination when, in the progress of events,
the proper time shall have arrived.
6. Two years ago the most plausible
and fetching argument of the trolley advo-
Gates was the great benefit it would be to
the outlying parts of the vllage-especial-
ly Esteyville, where, they said, very few
private teams were owned, and the trolley
was much needed to carry the people to
and from churches, stores, shops, schools,
etc. Now, however, the wind blows from
quite another quarter, and the outlying dis
tricts are left to mourn departed hopes.
The milk of human kindness that then ex-
panded the sympathetic bOsoms of the
trolley managers appears TO have soured or
dried up; for now, instead of projecting
their official line through Esteyvlle, where,
if anywhere, it would be useful, they in
sist on running the road through our mar
rowest and most crowded business streets
and other parts of the village where prac-
tically nobody wants it, and where it will
be the greatest possible obstruction and
damage to business and property, and
most dangerous to life and limb of persons
going there to do business and especially
with horses.
:. The farmers throughoutthe town. aside
from a possible half score who own land
on the proposed line which they think
may be enhanced in value by the road, are
practically and emphatically against the
trolley. And why shouldn't they be? They
and their wives and sons and daughters al
ways drive their own teams to the village,
and, on arriving here hitch their horses at
the side of the street, 90 into the stores,
shops and offices and do their business and
then drive away. But with the trolley all
this must be abandoned. Not one horse in
fifty is, or will ever become, except under
long training and daily familiarity with it,
safe for a woman to drive on any street
where the trolley is permitted; and it re-
quires no argument to convince any pru-
dent man that it will be extremely hazard
Gus to hitch and leave any spirited horse
anywhere in the business parts of Main
street This will entail great danger, in
convenience and annoyance to farmers and
all others driving here to trade, and So :
Gus loss to merchants and others The
farmers have no use for the trolley, to
| them it will be only and always a Du-
sance.
s. The question is often asked, "Why,
| if it is so certain the trolley will be a fail
ure, do not the opponents cease opposition
and let its friends put their money in and
lose it if they want TOP" ! feel no call to
advise the trolley advocates about their in
vestmcnts, and they would justly regard
any attemp. to 10 so impertnent They
are quite competent 70 manage their own
! affairs. and also able to lose their money,
! if SO it must be. But the loss of the money
would be only one feature of the transac-
| ton; the ripping up and other damage to our
streets and highways and to their ordinary
use, and consequent injury to business,
would entail other and much greater losses
! ON the public, Beside, in case of failure,
the town would have a dead nuisance on
| IT., hands, which might prove to be but lit
tie less troublesome than a live one.
The Majority should Rule.
O. Absolutely confident as | am that
/ the proposed road cannot possibly be pay
| ing enterprise. and must therefore fail to
do the good its friends anticipate, and that
| it would i'm every way be an unWise, an
uoying and expensive undertaking. l also
adhere firmly to the doctrine of local self
| government. | therefore do not believe in
! llt lllOl III llEuL VI tllt lN-4o4lLlAl' 10 give
away to any man or body of men, without
compensation, the streets and highways of
Brattleboro, paid for and cared for eXcu-
sively by taxes levied on the property of
Brattleboro. or the use of them, forpurpoSes
of private gain, without the consent of
majority both of the voters ami of the
grand list of Brailleh0r0, subs. ..urIa.'Y as re-
quired i'm bonding town, In al. ot railroads.
The principle involved iu the two cases is
practically the same, I'm bombing towns
to aid railroads authority is sought to levy
tutUre taxes on the people tOr @ proposed
semi-public enterprise; i'm case of the troll
ley, authority is sought TO appropriate the
results and fruits of past taxation for q
similar purpose Why, then, should not
the same tormalities and assents be requr-
ed in the Que case as in the other Reserv-
ing the question of the rights of the abut-
ters, this is absolutely fair and equitable,
and if these local asSents are secured for
the trolley | shall submit to the will of
these majorities, and my personal activity
against its construction Gf legally done
and under proper conditions and restric-
tions as to location and to protect the town
against perpetual future taxation because
of iD will cease
The selectmen gave a public hearing on
Wednesday of last week, when many citi-
zens expressed their views, and arguments
were made for and against the trolley by
Messrs. Waterman and Stoddard; and on
5 Friday the selectmen decided to refuse con-
sent to the layout of the trolley directors
AS faithful guardians of the interests OF
the whole town, it is difficult to see how
d they could have done otherwise. This is
/ purely a town affair. There is no pre-
5 tence that it will benefit any nonresident
u a penny; on the contrary, it will injure
and deter many from coming here to dc
i business. 1t clearly rests with the trolley
i advocates, then, to show that the people
: and taxpayers of Brattleboro want the
y road before the selectmen would be just
i fled, on behalf of the town, in complying
IS with their request. This position is abso
s lutely just and impregnable, aud no hon
c est man, who seeks to accomplish his end:
e only by fair means and with due regard tC
u the rights and interests of all his fellow
e townsmen can, or will, say otherwise.
$ b. ID. HARRIS.
Brattleboro, Feb. 4, 1895.