The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-03-06
BRATTLEBoRo's TOWN MEETING
Old Board of Sciectmen And Road Com
missioner Eanes Win Hands Down
Debt to be Refunded and Opera House
Expenditure Approved-still Liberal
and Ineonsiderate in Voting Away
Money-SOme Unpleasant Eptsodes.

Ola OI SfItGtmeh ANA noau &oul
missioner Eanes win Hands Down
Debt to be Refunded and Opera Houss
Expenditure Approved-still Liberal
and Ineonsiderate i'm Voting Away
Money-Some Unpleasant Episodes.
Town meeting Tuesday was pro-
( tracted one, as expected, but developed
! less uglines. than had been looked for.
| The feeling was there in full abun
dance. as evidenced by the fact of one
of the largest attendaDces We ever had,
but with some skillful management on
one side and i'll timed assaults on the
other, il did not have serious results.
Provision was made in full 10 pay for
the opera house project. as we are
bound by every consideration Of honor
and good faith under the circum
stances TO do. Any payment Of debt
for this year was stopped, and plan
adopted for refunding under an enab-
ling act of the legislature and to
strengthen it by mixing in the town
| house and opera house debt with il.
] The five per cent. tax for macadam
road was not voted, but everything
else asked for or proposed was voted.
and the only positive and definite pro-
posal to bring in L little money, in
+ the Angelo matter. was overwhelming
I ~ voted Flown On the whole it was
a sorry beginning towards the policy
/ OF economy which the town has got 10
adopt, il it is to grow and prosper.
| The old board Of aelectmeu was
handsomely viHdicated by a reelection
I with maiariUies ranging from between
two and six TO one. 1t was an express
sion OF appreciation OF good service in
tho main, though issues, like that of
the trolley and widening Maple street.
which made the Esteyyillc vote solid,
rcre Involved. Mr. B3ytlen gnu
headed the opposition ticket like the
ever courteous gentleman he is, made
no attack on the old board whose good
service iB a general way he conceded,
standing rather as second test on the
trolley and town hal! issues on which
he was defeated last year. as a mat
Ter Of personal strength purely. il is
probably safe 70 say that DR. Webster
is the only man IN town that could
haye beaten him There was a close
contest over the towu trcasureshlp,
with Cashier W H. BracEett Of the
Peoples bank as the candidate against
Mr. Dovley. The contest was not
personal, no one questioning the quail
lfications Of either man, but between
the banks, the argument b=inC that
one has had the town business so long
that il ought to be changed 10 the
other. But against this were the con
siderations. which prevailed Of Mr..
Dowley's skillful work for the town il
the past and his long and strong
financial connections. enabling him to
handle large matters with q facility that
fa n Nnst- Es,niar-I ,r,nsah ne
illustrated by the fact that in the panic
time he was able to carry some sls, 600
of loans for the town at five per cent
where the money market run from 10
30.
The meeting opened promptly at 8
O clock, the lrst article being action
on the auditors report, when II. B.
Chamberlain presented two bills. each
go, Of j G. Stafford and Geo. II.
Thomas for service TO town school dis
trict Col. Thomas Harmon moved
that they be paid. but y. T. Ryan
objected that il was matter tha;
village voters had nothing to do with,
and SO the motion was made by II. v.
Stone Of the town district and carried.
Then the auditors report was ac
cepted and adopted on motion Of \. c.
Davenport
Geo B. Hit moved that the report
Of the town hall building committee
be accepted and the committee dis
charged. I. F. Adams inquired if they
had closed with the contractor. Dea.
C, F. Thompson said they had, retain
ing sufficient money II cover the
cost Of the plumbing which must be
done again. and argued that the com
mittee could be safely discharged low,
and it was only matter Of form be
cause the selectucn had accepted the
lob. Gen. Estey said every thing had
been agreed upon and Col Hooker ex-
planned further that Sab had been
kept back from the contractors to
cover the plumbing charges which
they had agreed by letter to pay for
But the Colonel agreed with Mr.. Hit,
who had before as the facts developed.
Withdrawn his motion, and had said
the committee must be kept in service
because they alone could enforce |
things with contractors. So Thompson |
finally modified his motion to one OF |
acceptance 'of the report and It was /
carried.
Gen. j. j. Estey was re elected |
modertor and ". :. Newton clerk |
without opposition. For first select |
man Q. J. Pratt presented the name
Of e. A. Boyden and +. c. Crosby /
that of Drs d. z. Webster. prefacing |
the nomination with a little speech I
about how difficult year the past
Due had been and how it would be
for any board 10 do better.
The ballot showed SIS for Webster
and 293 for Boyden.
For second selectman the names OF
Fl. F. Weatherhead and L. H. Rich
ardson were presented, and the result
vas 4s7 for Weatherhead to l69 for
Richarson and two scattering.
For thiri selectman the opposition,
7r some members of ii. still insisted on
/ ballot. though j. J. Eccies argued
hat il was useless, three hours had
already been wasted in balloting and
1 was evident that the people wanted
he old board. J. j. Ward was nom
mated in opposition TO Putnam, show
ng weaker than the rest of the opposi-
ion because the contest was realized
@ be hopeless and because he was
handicapped by the fact that one West
3rattleboro man had already been ;
lected. The ballot showed 335 for F.
l. Putnam, 20 for Ward II for ".
/. Minor and three scattering.
Ii had come TO be understood dur
ng the forenoon that there was 10 be (
fight over town treasurer and Dea.
thompson presented the name Of :
ieo. 5. Dowley with a brief statement 4
T his services in the past and an ob
a-vafinn that iu the Vrnseut shane Of