The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-07-07
MR.. eArcHgLpER,s ADDRESS
Delivered at the Fourth Of July Ex-
ereises at Animation.

The address delivered by Hon. ].
K. Batchelder at Arlington July at
the dedication of the new station and
the unwilling of a tablet on the site
of the home of Thomas Chittenden,
first governor of Vermont, contains
many matters of historical interest.
The address was as follows:
Fellow Citizens of Arlington and
vicinity Some years ago the people
of Arlington and vicinity thought
the passenger station here, Of the
Rutland Railroad, which had remain
ed since the road was first operated
in the early SOS, was no longer suit
able, and such an one as they were
entitled to, in view of the increasing
passenger traffic from this point. So,
without any fOrmality or concerted
action, this view Of the situation was
suggested to the officers OF the road.
They frankly said the people were
correct i'm this, and that new sta
ton ought to be built and, If we
would have patience, in due course of
time they would build one such as
! the traffic required, and which would
be an ornament to the place. So we
waited patiently, relying upon the
good faith of that promise; and if, as
the years went by, sometimes a muir
muir was heard at the delay, | am
sure the officials of the road will
bear me out in saying, that they were
not, after their promise, bothered by
the opportunities or fault-fndlng of
anyone
This beautiful structure just com
pleted, which is today dedicated to
public use, as a railroad station, is
lasting monument to the good faith
of the Rutland Railroad company, and
how well that promise has been kept
1t is just such events as these,-the
promises fulfilled by a Railroad Com
pany to the people on its lines who
trust it, that make the business rela-
ton between them pleasant, and to
the mutual benefit and advantage of
both.
Though delayed for season, the
new station comes at an opportune
time for Arlington, just when our
two great manufacturing establish
ments have and are charging their
plants, and increasing their produc-
ton, beyond what a few years ago,
we did not even dream, and which
with our other smaller industries are
adding to the prosperity, growth and
progress of our villages and the
whole town of Arlington
And this station is feature in this
progress; not only by reason of It's
convenience, but its beauty adds tc
the attractiveness of our villages and
makes us feel we have, as indeed We
have, a common purpose and Interest
to advance the prosperity and i'm
, prove and beautify, not one section
! only where we may happen to live
but the whole.
1t is indeed a commodious an(
= beautiful station; we may say, with
out Boosting. there is no other one
more beautiful on the main line o
: the Rutland Railroad, and none be
tween Troy and Montreal on tn,
through line, of which the Rutland 4
a part.
Within this station, on the walls o
the waitingroom, Mr.. William
Brown the President of the Ney
York Central lines of which tn
: Rutland Railroad is one, has placed
y beautiful memorial bronze table,
which we unveil today, to commemC
. rate the historic spot on which tn
y station stands. and in memory OF tw
d of his ancestors who gave their live
y in the Revolution for the cause c
!" American Liberty, one of whom wa
g killed at the battle of White Plains
Il and the other in a town adjoinin
this, while arresting a traitor to hi
= country, and his remains now rest /
one of the cemeteries in Shaftsbur,
This spot where the ne
n station stands is indeed hi
1. toric; 1t is replete wit
the stirring events of Vermonts C,
lonial days, and OF the Revolution
No spot within the boundaries of hi
state is more closely connected wit
its early history than is this. Whe
| make this assertion ! am not III
mindful of other places where event
of that early period occurred, whiC
have lived in history for nearly a ce
4 tury and half, and will remain Ion
" after you and have passed away an
arc forgotten.
> II seems appropriate, on this o
casion, to briefly recall some of Il
events of our early history that clu
ter around this spot, or are close
. identified with It.
~ The township OF Arlington WI
chartered in 1861. fourteen years b
fore the Declaration OF independence
and Just one hundred and fifty yea
ago, In the name Of George III. q
King Of England. by Benning Wer
worth, the Colonial Governor OF Il
ic Royal Province or Colony of Ne
- Hampshire. then part of the Britil
Empire.
Governor Wentworth claimed. IN
what Is now Vermont was a part
that Province. Before he charter
Arlington he had chartered some OF
or townships: the first one being BE
nington, in 1749. and during and ait
1861 he chartered many more.
that prior to 1864 he had charter
1870 In all. within the present bour
aries OF this state, and mostly loo,
lie ed within what are now the Count
I'D OF Bennington. Rutland and Adds
- ON the west side OF the Green Mot
tains, and Windham and Windsor
wv the east side; but some are locat
sr- further north
NO What I mean by chartering Il
and these other towns is, that
gave, in the name of the King. en-
OF these towns by written inst
"A ment, called a charter or grant. Ia
number of persons. usually about
. to be their own property forever NJ
jet only to the laws of that Colo
and the laws Of England except n