News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1903-11-04

and stOuj for vu4t n sought to be-
the pubic veal He gAvrOt bis mon
~ almost Ia inUpverishm and of
his time eight yAtra of the best OF hls
life a. an earnest of biS convictions
and his ZAal ttr me enterprise To.
gether with TX Gov. H 4ndee aud 9th
era, he spoke to the p4ople in town
meeting assembled With 4n earnest
ness that carried convection in every
town on the line or near thereto fir I'M
Dlnville to S@aHtJn Fhp road was
built aud he people Of LamOiI|e
County were brought into closer
| touch with the rest OF the world. For
the eight wears of arduous service
which Mr.. Brigham gave to the build.
| ing of this road he received practical
lV no pay. Though ne made collect
ions and handled much money of the
corporation ne took 40 pay for him
| self, but in his al tor the success OF
| the undertaking let what was right.
| fully his own, because earned, 90 to
| pay the man whrswung the pick and
| handled the shovel. In the ordinary
course of events the corporation as
originally organized becam unable
| TO meet its Obligations and on an re
organic ition the new management
| either forgot the service or saw no way
TO pay. The burdens he carried and
the anxieties under which he labored
during his service as President of the
L4moilIe Valley division of this road
broke him down physically and he
never recovered his wonted vigor
| The effort he made is too little ap
precated but as long as the iron
carries it's whrling burden there will
remain a monument in our county to
| the disinterc sted public service Of Onp
| of her noblest citiz ms, monu nent
not inert, as is the marble and The
bronz', but alive with benefaction to
those who we're his fellow citiz ms.
There is an incident, trivial in it's sig
nifi ance, yet illustrative of his abid.
| ing interest in public affairs which |
| cannot forgO to relate, because it wa-
| the last service Of the kind that | r.
mem Der of his doiog II happenedal-
| most at the close of bis life and when,
| because of his weakness, he was sci
dom seen on the street Ga the cree
| zion of the new Academy building ~
| Ay;e Park, there was need of a bel
| for the tower. Mr.. Brigham though,
az have said, very infirm of health
and unstable on his ieet felt tn. need
aud set about to meet it. Ga looking
out of my office window one day
was surprised to see him stalking
| across the common to ward the coun-
| ty buildings with head as erect ana
step as elastic as in the years long
| gone by. la the course of the day
met him with subscription paper in
hand and learned the object of his
mission. My surprise was changed
to admiration for the man. He was
once more fred with the desire for
service. His mission was successful
The bell was purchased and so louA
as 1T rings out the call to duty 10 tn,
school room, so long will 1t call W
| che remembrance OF the man VIII
hearing the cry rose from n bed of
sickness almost to answer. 80 long
will it sound forth the call to service
as he served.
Always Democrat in state where
there Was no hope of political prefer.
menU, Mr.. Brigham held few offices
He represented Fl Vde Park in the Leg
islature in l866-67 So, serving with
credit on important committees
Though his party could elect him to
no county or state office, it signally
honored him by naming him al var.
ocs times for the offices of States At.
torney, County Senator, Lieut.. Gov ,
man her OF Congress and Senator of
the Ulited States. He also represent
ted his party as delegate to the Ma
tional Convention which nominated
G ". Seymour Tor the Presidency.
Mr.. Brigham was quick and apt at
repartee. A single incident will suffice
to illustrate: 1t will be remem bered
that the issue of the Cleveland Blaine
presidential contest hung in the bal
ance for some little time. News came
to Hyde Park that Cleveland was
elected during the early days of the
December term of court. The Demo-
Gratis of course were iubilant and ma
turally, perhaps, little too demon
strative for the proper decorum OF
| court procedure in a Republican
county. 10 any event, Judge Powers
was apparently annoyed and said,-
"Mr. Sheriff you will preserve order
in the Court. The Democrats are
quite noisy this morning" Quick as
a fash Mr.. Brigham was on his feet
remarking,-" And quite numerous
too, your Honor"
His love OF books grew to be quite
a passion with him the last decade of
his life, which he would have liked to
crafty had means permitted. He
was one ofthe first Trustees of the
Hyde Park Public Library and was
always very solietous for it's welfare.
No interest was dearer to the heart
of Mr.. Brigham than that of the
schools of his own town and state.
He believed in them, not only for the
good they we're doing, but for the
still greater good of which they are
capable, and his constant study was
to increase their efficiency. For twen-