St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-10-26
What Is to Be.
Editor CALEDoNIAN:--

mon remark upon the street, that we are
now at our best. Despite the fact that
1t is difficult to raise the industries of a
community above the thought of the
people, venture to predict that the fu.
ture OF this town will be similar to its
pasta steady continuous growth, more
or less real, according to the unity and
force its citizens lend to the developing
OF its natural resources.
| often think OF the early DAYS. when
such men as Gov. Erastus and Sir Thad-
dus Fairbanks, A. G. Chadwick,
Ephraim Chamberlain, Joel Fletcher,
James K. Colby, David Boynton, c. S.
Dana, Barron Moulton and Others were
active in busints IS life. each managing his
own affairs with remarkable acumen,
making of himselfin his chosen life work
a perfect integer of the whole and collec-
lively working as effectually for public,
as individually for private development,
as being the gladstone days Of our town.
And | often wonder whether we now
have as much OF the really honest, thor
oueh, far-seeing, earnest, persistent
spirit as our early workers had, whether
or not we have it, it is certainly most
safe and creditable thing to do, to cult
vate such spirit to the uttermost.
AS in the past so in the future shall our
growth be. can remember when there
was not drop Of water running into
the village in any kind of acqueduct, now
two twelve inch mains are used to fur
nish the required supply. Fifty years
ago but single milkman with half
dozen cows sold milk here, now a dozen
men with nearly three hundred cows are
required to furnish the supply, then one
butcher with market open evenings
only, now dozen and all doing thriv-
ing business, then one doctor, onelawyer
one minister, now dozen of each and
need of more. In business affairs, the
Centre, Passumpsic or Lower Waterford
was its peer. Now every village in North
Eastern Vermont is more or less depend
ent upon us for its supplies, and in this
fact lies the key to our future.
We are billing point, we are natural
business centre, far more extended than
any Of our people now think. Two i'm
portant, well regulated and we'll manag-
ed railroads cross each other here at
nearly right angles and reach directly
out to all sections of the business world
We are accessible from every direction
with good highways. Our public iustitu
lions are Of the best. Our people are in
dustrious. Our village is clean and
thrifty. We are a centre to the mails
telephone and telegraph. We are the
"Hub" and when our people fully wax,
up to its realization it will stimulat,
growth as though gold mine, Away
beneath us but recently discovered shoult
be opened up and successfully worked.
The growth of every village il
North Eastern Vermont is more or less ;
growth for us. The success of eithe
West Concord or Lyndonville may no
be to the advantage Of the other but tn,
growth of either must be, indirectly a
least. growth for us, for we have thu
facilities for furnishing them with som,
commodities that they cannot hav'
themselves and we could not have, wer'
it not for the fact that by the laws o
nature we are centre.
But the object OF this letter at this TIM
is to ask our people to look squarely a
problem now directly before them and
upon which action now must be had o.
it will be forever too late. l am awar,
that there are some things which New
York, with Brooklyn attached, can eco
nomically have which St. Johnsbury can
not have, but there are things which St
Johnsbury should have and cannot dis
pense with which any other village il
this section of the state under presen
conditions could not reasonably thinl
| of.
This particular thing is the bridge ant
viaduct over the Passumpsic river ant
the railroad crossing at the west end o
Portland street. understand that tn,
promoters of the electric road here will
never go up Portland street on account
of these crossings, but will reach Sum
mervile by way of Paddock Village ano
Concord avenue. This would be mos
unnatural thing to do, and if allowed
will some day reflect upon the sagacit,
and enterprise of our people. With thu
bridge and viaduct railroad and Port
land streets would be upon dead leve
and two very blind and dangerous cross
ings avoided.
There is no place in New England
where so great advantages could b.
gained at so small cost. The bridg,
will have to be replaced soon in any
event and travel may as well be over i
as through it. With that much done
with the top Of the bridge on level will
Railroad and Portland streets where il
there anywhere another such an oppor
tunity to abolish two most dangerous
crossings and connect two mos
thoroughly important streets and do {
manlike Job than right here?
Thoroughly reliable parties few years
since offered to do this with roadbet
sufficiently wide for the electrics at {
cost of only $40 600 with the sum fairl,