The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-02-22
THE REAL ISSUE AT STAKE,

scleetmen, especially in the contest be-
tween Mr.. Vinton and Mr.. Hooker, Is
the welfare of the business interests
and growth of the town. Much is IN
store for Brattleboro in the next year
or two il Brattleboro meets the oppor'
tunities which are presented. II is as
sured very cheap power and so can at
tract large industries, but it must have
mt the head of its town government n
strong. forceful, experienced business
man. No one questions that Mr.. Vim
ton meets fully all these requirements
His previous service as chairman OF
the board of selectmen is conclusive
proof of his force, his ability, and his
enterprise.
1t is not dsparaging to Mr.. Hooker
to say that he does not come up to
the standard of Mr.. Vinton in this re-
gard. As proof of this statement it
is fair to point out one thing in which
he has failed to meet the demands of
the occasion since he has been chair
man of the selectmen. When the Brat
tleboro Cabinet company established
its industry in Brattleboro 1t agreed
with the citizens committee to employ
at least 40 persons and when it brought
the White River Chair company here 1t
agreed to employ 40 more, making
total of so. 1t was then generally I'M
derstood that there must be provided
reasonable means of access to the
company's factory in order that help
might be secured. This especially be-
came necessary after the chair business
was brought here. 1t is just as well
understood that the town has not yet
met that requirement and that as
consequence the company has been
unable to fully develop and build its
business to the capacity it might had
the necessary requirements been fulfill
ed. AS long ago as July or August,
1905, the officers of that company call
ed Mr.. Hooker, as chairman of the
selectmen, to their office, had confer
ence with him and pointed out the
necessities of the case and received
his promise that within one week he
would begin the steps necessary for lay
ing suitable road from South Main
street to Vernon street to accommodate
the workmen in the Cabinet COM
pany's factory. Nothing was done to
comply with this promise. 1t is under
stood that Mr.. Hooker many times
repeated this promise as the urgent
necessities were brought to his atten-
ton, but nothing absolutely was done
by him. Only when Mr.. Hooker had
gone to Europe last summer and the
matter was brought to the attention
of the other members of the board was
any progress at all made. The road
that was built finally is wholly unsatis
factory, hardly disable, in fact; and
today the town suffers by reason of its
failure to meet the just requirements
of this new industry which has not
only met all its obligations to the
town as to, the number of persons it
employs, but now actually has on its
payroll nearly double the number it
agreed to have. We are informed that
it could employ many more men and
that the business could be much better
handled if there could be provided
suitable means of access to the plant.
Since the removal Of the freight
station to the west side of the track
on Vernon street there has been urgent
need of grading Vernon street from the
at least a great reduction in the grade.
1t is due the freight traffic of the town
and the business on Vernon street all
the way down to the Cabinet com
pany's factory that Vernon street be
made a permanent highway. If new
industries are to come to Brattleboro
they must necessarily locate on Vernon
street or vicinity.
We ought to have at the head of the
town government a man of strength
and energy and force to put such
things through. The vital business in
terests of the town demand Mr.. Vim
ton s election.