The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-02-14
WHY BENNINGTON
SHOULD HAVE
FIRST ARMORY
Company K Has No Facilities
For Drill
NO EXISTING OPPORTUNITY
Not Building In Town That Would
Meet the Needs of Military
Organization

| Like all towns In which company
of the national guard is established
Bennington has a vital interest in the
] law enacted by the recent legislature
creating a board of armory commits
! sioners and generally known as the
armory bill. When the measure was
! first proposed 1t awakened not little
| interest for the reason that condit-
ions throughout the state pointed to
Bennington as the town most deserv-
ing of the first armory to be con-
structed by the commission.
The bill provided that the COVER
nor, the adjutant general and the
commanding officer of the regiment
should constitute a board of armory
commissioners Of which the governor
should be chairman and the adjutant
general should be secretary.
This commission is authorized TO
purchase land and construct buildings
for the use as armories by the com
panies of the Vermont national guard
The expense of building each armory
is limited to $4,000 and the measure
provides that the town or city In
which the buildings are located shall
contribute by subscription or other
wise at least 20 per cent of the sum
expended.
1t is generally conceded by persons
who have a knowledge of the present
armory facilities of the different COM
panies in the state that Bennington Is
by far the most deserving for select
ion as the town to receive the first
armory The conditions are such in
Bennington that there is little doubt
that the other companies OF the guard
would be willing to forgo
their respective claims for a public
building until Company X, which
never had the semblance of home,
is housed.
Realizing that the town has the
first claim upon the state 1t remains
for the Inauguration of concerted
movement of some kind to raise the
20 per cent guarantee which must 60
with the application OF a community
for an armory. Bennington must
make it manifest that the town wants
the armory and is ready and willing
to do its share in order TO make any
progress. This is not only required
by the law creating the board of ar.
mory commissioners but disposition
to take hold of the project on the
part of the public will be necessary
in order to convince the commission
ers that Bennington is deserving OF
being chosen as the site OF the first
building.
During the session of the legisla.
ture Senator II. T. Cushman had a
number of conferences with the ad
jutant general in relation to the AZ
fairs of the national guard and the
county representative in the upper
house took occasion to impress upon
Mr. Tillotson the fact that the Ben
nington company should receive the
first armory for the reason that II
now had practically no facilities for
drill during the winter months. The
adjutant could give no assurances
but he informed Mr. Cushman that
the matter would be given careful
consideration.
II It were possible for Company
to secure by rental a hall or building
AoA UNI lul loStS lutH lut OISdulLd
ton here would stand in the same
position as the other units OF the reg
iment but such is not the case. The
company has shifted from one place
to another in the hope OF securing
room enough TO carry on It's drills
but has accomplished little for the
reason that there is neither building
or hall in the village that will meet
requirements. The company has
never yet been able to secure sufn
Client room in which to store lis
equipment and has been obliged tc
keep the absolute necessities on hand
and return the balance to the state
armory ut Montpelier.
II reflects not a little credit on the
members Of the Bennington militia
company that Il has been able tc
keep It's organization at the high
standard that has always been main
talned in the face OF the drawbacks
with which they have had TO contend