The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-01-06

Hartford railroad be permitted 10 ueVelol
Southern Vermont A.,
This is the question uppermost IN tne
minds of every business man IN Bratlie
Iboro and OF every prosperous iarlner III ~
1.-THE Connecticut river valley. Especlaily
lis il of Importance to the men and indus
tries at the gateway of Vermont iron
1.-THE south.
n The Grand Trunk system, differed by
ICanadians not at all in sympathy with the
Inspirations and ambitions Of the proges
lsiye agriculturists and business men OF
lSouthern Vermont through its mouth,
Ipiece, i. II. Ftzhugh, vice,president Of
1.-The Central Vermont railroad, has stated
Publicly that it would not oppose the
plans of extension which the Boston
Names engineers have laid out Tor Brat
tleboro. But the same breath that blew
warm upon the project OF the Boston
Maine to spend half million dollars on
railroad improvements in Brattleboro
blew suddenly cold and densely cold upon
the attempt Of the Boston x Maine to Sc
| cure the necessary authority from the
Vermont legislature in the form OF char
ter to build a line between South Vernon
and Brattleboro. Mr.. Fitzhugh has told
\ Canadian newspapers that 1t is TO De q
\ finish fight between his system, when
owns the Central Vermont Railway com
many. and the New York, New Haven 4
II Hartford, which controls the Boston "
III Maine.
While Vice-President Fitzhugh pits his
sagacity and wits against the same eie-
ments in the makeup of President Charles
N S Mellenof the New Haven, the citizens, not
N only of Brattleboro and Southern Vermont,
u but also of that part of New Hampshire ana
N of Massachusetts, lying near the gateway
Y of Vermont, are wondering what the OUT
n come will be. The story OF the Central
Il Vermont's early operation of a railroad
q from 81. Adams to Windsor and from
Brattleboro to South Vernon is interest.
ing. While the so-called ''two streaks OF
rust and right of way" was for years a
Joke among railroad men, it was probably
fhe nearest approach to a bonanza that
ever came to many Vermonters. The story
of the bankrupting of the road is not so
old that the present generation knows
nothing about it. The tale about the old
N method of paying a cash fare on the Cen
&tral Vermont is still told. The story Is
&fbat travellers on the Central Vermont
"A Found II cheaper to pay cash fare than to
&buy tickets. The conductors were created
with making liberal reductions when con-
a fronted with the coin, with having. a
Nuniuue way of apportionlng the receipts
n IbetWeen the company and the fare takers
AZ the story is told today, the conductors
used to collect the cash and throw 1t into
*sfhe air above the bell cord. Whatever, re-
on the cord the conductor rellg-
Eously set aside as belonging to the com
Epany. C..,
Nermont is only indicative OF the way
That the road has been managed Tor a
time. The road for generation or
more figured as a political factor IN YER
Y mont and for man to aspire to a seat
Y n tbe general assembly without being
VI known and favorably known to the man
H spement of the Central Vermont was TOR
many years considered joke. While the
95Snubiic service commission OF vermont,
Il which came into being a few years ago as
An offspring of the railroad commission,
& has been given power to trim the claws Vi
Railroads, and has dealt occasionally d
bodv blow, the Central Vermont road has
.1 MANAGED to keep fairly well equipped
Il lobby in Montpelier during legislative ses-
n sions and to see that no laws were en-
\ acted which would give the commission a
hold. m.
&% A member of the railroad committee
the present house of representatives
/ was an employe of the Central Vermont
|tIuntil he became member OF the assem-
|3bly. Another Central Vermont employe
|Ekwas elected to the senate. Papers months
|sbefore the members OF the present iesls.
Mature were elected sounding the warning
lapainst a powerful railroad lobby, which
was to materialize at the present session
IN the general assembly. The reason Tor
asuch lobby has materialized. The Dos
Non & Maine road desires charter 10
sdnild a line competing with the Central
fNermopt between Brattleboro and South
3Nernon, and the Central Vermont does lG1
q hot purpose to have competition. Inc
n managers of the Central Vermont say the
#Boston & Maine railroad is playing not
= bnly the hog but the robber IN attem 1 WdE
II take certain land Of the Central yer
mont, upon which to lay competing IRON
&ssThe two railroad committees OF the leg
ilature will have a public hearing on the
Hpston e. Maine charter bill III Mont
S,elier, Jan. 10. Then, probably, the at,
u {r,rneys and lobbyists of both roads VIII
fsake their final stand. Although they
ta4e no intimation as to how. they VIII
eSke the progressive members OF both sen
3 wv and house railroad committees iranky
f. hit that to deny the Boston Name
4 rter as prayed for is to deal the indus
~ the farms and the citizens of South
XII Vermont blow. n
s. rs rattleboro is interested. First OF al,
E XII shipments amount to many huhdrees
I + thousands of dollars annually and she IS
& Ef7 eayoring to secure better rates Com
& 7tion will bring better rates. Termlna
Iities are deplorable. The passenger
4 lon is an eyesore to the people anu
4 tates against the growth OF the to W.
tv spots of Northern New England,
8 Fthe Central Vermont railroad :. ma
contributed a dollar to make it SO
Roston & Maine promises to build
m station TO cost upwards of $25,
and to raise the tracks through thu this
at an EXPENSE of about $3.50, OOO
plan that the engineers of the Boston
line offer to the people OF Brattleooree
ges great things for, the betterlng o.
bal facilities. Brattleboro is lookins
e best that it can get IN the way ~ u
s hd improvement and when such I'm
ment includes the promised extern
bf tbe Boston & Maine the citizens
ally side with those promising the
Central Vermont has promised
things in the past, but it required
pblic service commissions order Oh
ntumn to get anything definite from
bad in the form Of improvements
polishing Of the Bridge street grace
p. which had been discussed ZOE
n Years promises to be realized even If
les from the Boston & Maine, IN
~ from the Central Vermont. The
of Brattleboro have not attempted
fayorites and when the attorneys
Boston & Maine came here a few
ago and met the citizens in great
meeting the citizens of Brattleboro
ID frankly and fatty. that any, charter
En- the legislature might grant to the
ton & Maine must include stipulations
bt the property and interests of the
ntral Vermont should not be leopard
M if such a charter was to receive the
Bral support of the people of this town