The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-08-25
HYDE PARKS APPEALS
People Of LamoiIle County Asked Not
to Remove the County Seat TO Nor
risyilIe-The Arguments Employed.

this week prints the following adj
dress to the voters of Lamollle county
| by citizens of Hyde Park, protesting
against removal of the county seat
to Morrisville:
On the 18th of April last, during a
terrific gale, fire caught in the
County Jail and before it could b.
out out it had consumed not only the
Jail but the Court House, jailer's res
iiaUt, town and Odd Fellows hall
Congregational church and TIE great
er part of the residential section Of
the principal street of the village of
Hyde Park. No such conhagration has
ever before visited this county in it's
entire history.
Even before the burning embers
were cool and while our people stood
aghast at the terrible ravages of the
fire, whisperings were heard that
Hyde Parks destruction meant Nor
risville's opportunity; that the people
of the little fire-stricken village must
face not only their terrible fire loss,
but the strong probability that the
destruction of the village would be
made complete or as complete as pos
sible, by the removal of the county
buildings. 1t was a simple case of the
strong against the weak. Hyde Park,
Frustrated, was to be confronted by
her stronger, Weather and more pop
ulous neighbor
But soon messages of sympathy
began to pour in upon our fire-strick-
en- village. Every town in the county,
Morristown not excepted, extended
their assurances of fellowship and
goodwill The people of Morristown
larec numbers said substantially to
the residents of her sister village on
the west You have met with a great
calamity Had the county buildings
alone been destroyed, we might have
asked for their removal to Norris
vile, but to remove them now would
be crushing blow and we shall not
Je so uncharitable and unjust as tC
make the effort
Very soon after the fire one Of the
leading lawyers of Vermont, meeting
citizen of Hyde Park, said to him
"Your county buildings ought to be
rebuilt at once. Why don't you fol-
low the precedent of Montpelier when
iaf
to the Assistant Judges, indemnifying
them against any loss by reason oil
rebuilding without legislative author
ity and go ahead and rebuild al
once?"
The idea struck the people of Hyd-
Park favorably and they immediate
ly prepared a bond which was frs
presented to their own leading citi
zens in other towns Of the county and
with scarcely an exception, was
promptly and cheerfully signed.
Play.
Morrisville believes that Hyde Park
in its impoverished condition, almos
overwhelmed as she is by her losses
and extraordinary expenses, canno
compete with her in this attempted
auctioning of the County buildings
1t must be borne in mind that Hyd
Park is not only assuming the bur
den of a new water system but mus
rebuild church, its town hall, It.
Odd Fellows hall, and the privat
. homes which have been destroyed
and it is true that with our almos
unprecedented misfortune, the loa
would be well-nigh beyond our abilit
l to bear. But Hyde Park throws her
D self on the generosity of the count
, and on its sense of fair play, and ap
peals to her citizens, confidently be
lieving that with Hyde Park cour
= ageously striving to meet all honor
able demands upon her, Morrisville'
, unfair appeal to the mercenary spiri
of the county will be met with tina
nobler sentiment, "As yet would tha
men should do unto you, do We even s.
to them"
1t is estimated that the grand lis
lof Lamoille county, under the me-
=. appraisal, will be about $4,000. Wer
a two per cent tax on this sum to h
be levied annually, a tax so small
;. that hardly a taxpayer would feel il
being only four cents per year on
poll tax, it would pay the entire deb
and interest in 20 years. This compu
tation is made upon the suppositio
that, owning their site at Hyde Parl
$4,000, with the insurance money
will rebuild buildings at Hyde Par
equally as good as those proposed a
u Morrisville for $4,000 more. We max
this computation upon the suppose
: ton that four per cent rate of inter
= est can be obtained for the county OF
d its loan. That rate the Lamoill
e County Savings Bank and Trus
: Company of Hyde Park stands read
to make the county and allow tn
y loan to be paid in installments from
a year to year for twenty years o
r sooner if the county so desires.
4 The citizens of Lamoille county
q outside of the towns of Wolcott, Ell