Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1896-10-08

same ONCE On inc pCOplC'
Hunt was a member of the vermont
convention of 1871, which adopted the
United States constitution.
F Enoch Woodbridge was in the contl-
mental service as commissary before
he came TO Vermont and was the first
l MAYOR of Vergennes. He was a mem
Der of the General Assembly from lt9l
e until 1895 and again in 1902; Il dele
: nate in the constitutional convention
: OF 1898: Judge Of the supreme court IN
1894 and until 1901, and chief justice
: for the last three years of service.
Hon. Fred Z. Woodbridge was his o II
a For what reason Woodbridge did
not sign the report | cannot say.
Samuel Cutler represented h town
of Rockingham in the General Assem-
e bly, during the years 1889, 1873, 96, "
= 'gS' 80 and 1900. He was upon many
: important special committees during
! that time. was chairman of some and
| was one of a committee in Oct. l19o to
| prepare and report IN answer to Gov.
Isaac Tichenor's message, or rs 1t was
t called in those days, the governors
: speech to the legislature.
IL SO that | think VIZ may feel sure that
ave selection of Chelsea as the county
air, / of Orange county was made by
n on OF the best men in the state. a
Lledge of this fact may perhaps
yisiblose uneasy persons IN the 7
Ira rs OF the county, who are con-
uts, cbqYy putting On foot movements FOR
'YetiG change of the county seat.
{ On the 9TH day ofNov. 1896, in the
| General Assembly of Vermont, the
: committee to whom was referred 4
bill entitled. 'An act removing the
courts from NcwbHrY to Chelsea IN
Orange county, reported the following
bill, viz. IAN act for altcringthe times
/, and places for holding the supreme and
county courts in the county fOrange.
| rive only so much Of the title as per-
f tains 10 Orange county. This act pro-
vided among other things for the re-
moval of causes from Orange c|ountNinto
the new courts ofCaledonia county, and
that the next term Of the county court
TO be holden within and for the county
of Orange on the Monday next pre-
cedino the second Tuesday Of Decem-
Der next, shall be holden at Chelsea
within andtor said county.
Thus the act that definitely fixed the
holding Of the county courts at Chelsea
was passed only thirty-tour days be-
fore that court was in session at Chel-
sea. II is true that other important
steps had been taken and the act of
the year before, appointing the COM
mittee to locate the county seat IN the
new county of Orange. or the county
of Orange with its greatly reduced
limits. had plainly indicated what was
likely to be done. Long before the
session of the legislature in 1896, the
committee had, undoubtedly, informed
the people of Chelsea that this tom
was selected and to be reported as the
county seat. And | think we may as
sumo that the funds had been pro-
yided for building the new court house
as required by the act appointing the
committee or the legislature would not
have, by positive act, established
Chelsea as the county seat.
The same act goes on further to pro-
vide that. from and after the time fixed
for the first county court to be held in
Chelsea. rs above stated, the supreme
and county courts within and for Or
anoe county shall be holden at Chelsea
at the same time rs heretofore and all
actions and processes r|etuTnable at
Newbury shall be t~henceforth tried at
Chelsea. Provided always that if the
inhabitants of Chelsea shall not within
two years build a good and sufficient
court house and Jail to the acceptance
of the judges of the county court, free
of expense to said county, the court
shall be liable to be removed.
1t further provides that all actions in
Orange county court in which both
parties reside in the new county ofCal-
edonia shall be removed to said county, |
and also in eases of appeals from jus
tees in which both parties reside in the
new county the same shall be removed,
and that this shall be done ut the eX-
pense of the plaintiff in each case. And
the clerk of Orange county court was to
receive the sum of % cents for each
removal of an appeal case.
Perhaps enough has been said in re-
gard to the legislation which estab-
lished Chelsea as the county seat.
Duringthe summer of 1896 VIC may be
sure that the citizens of this town were
busy in raising the funds for and erect
ing a court house as required by the
law establishing this town rs the coun-
ty seat.
We can only arrive at an approx
innate estimate of the population of
Chelsea in 1896. In 1871 there were
two hundred and thirty-nine inhabi-
tants and in 1900 there were eight hun
dred and nine. There were probably
about five hundred people in 1896. Yet
in that year only fifteen votes were
cast for governor, nine for Thomas
Chittenden and six for Isaac Tichenor.
This would indicate that there was not
much interest in politics or that the
800 people of the town were made up
very largely of women and children.
Probably, however, there were at least
seventy voters in town at this time.
In August 1896 the town voted to paw
Stephen Buhonon $50 for one acre of
land, OF which to erect a court house
and Jail, said land lying east of, and
adjoining the common, and south of
the East Hill road, a location which
does not seem to agree with the re-
port of the committee. The court
/ lOuSp WAS built thaf STnapoar b- No; |