Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-01-26
Judge Darling Deliberately Ac-
cuses MIR. SticlSney Of Max
ing a False Statement.
BOTH SIDES IN LAST DITCH
Chances Favor Adverse Report
To-day by Senate Committee
on B. & M. Bill Passed
by the House.

Montpelier Jan. 25.--The final act in
the great railroad fight between the Cen
trail Vermont and Boston & Maine, over
the attempt Of the latter road to get a
right OF way through the railroad yards
at Brattleboro, took place ir the Senate
chamber this afternoon and was drama
tic in the intensity OF the feeling mani
tested by the attorneys engaged. This
feeling, sufficiently great at the outset,
Increased as the hearing progressed until,
when one attorney deliberately accused
another of making false statement,
, the committee decided it would be wise
to adjourn
The hearing was before the special
committee of the Senate, composed Of the
judiciary and railroad committees. which
has the bill passed by the House under
consideration. The Senate chamber was
crowded TO the point of suffocatiou and
the crowd stayed to the finish which
came about seven o'clock. Apparently to
offset the influence of the large Frat
tleboro delegation. about % Of the prom
inent business men Of St Albans came
down at noon and attended the hearing.
The important feature Of the hear
ing was the submission of an amend
ment to the bill by Mr.: Stickney Of
the Boston & Maine road. This amend
ment provides that If at any tlme the
location Of the Boston & Maine tracks
| as proposed in the bill lnterferes witu
the terminal facilities of the central
| Vermont they shall he changed rs
! the railroads may agree. II the roads
/ fail to agree. the pullic service COM
mission is to SETTLE tie matter Mr.
Sticltnoy stated that this WAS offered
to meet the objection that the grant
ing of the rights asked for by the
Boston 50 Maine would cripple the
Central Vermont in the use of its
.A at Hrattleboro
NO ROOM FOR 4 CHANGE.
The force of the amendment was
| little later rather destroyed by Judge
| Palmer of the Central Vermont who
showed by Engineer Thompson Of tn
! Poston & Maine that for a portion Of
he way through the yards it would
be impossible to change the location
/ of the y. & VI. tracks. even If such
Interference could he shown, for the
simple reason that there was no place
to change them TO.
In his argument nv. Suckney laid
special stress upon the fact that no
citizen or taxpayer Of Vermont had APP
| peared as an individual before the COM
mittee and opposed this change. He said
all the opposition came rom Grand
Trunk railroads of Canada. To refute
this Mr.. Darling later produced a letter
from Albert Tuttle Of Fair Uaven one
OF the bondholdcrs OF the Central Yer
mont road. protesting against the change
as likely 10 AFFECT the value Of the Sc
curities of the road It was this same
statement made in closing by Mr. Stick
ney that brought out the retort from
Mr.. Darling that the statement was abb
solutely false
Mr.. Stickney also made reference to
the fact that all the shippers of Brat
tlehoro desired the passage OF the bill
and when Mr. Darling inquired about
Mr.. crosby, who at a previous hearing
stated to the committee that he was not
In favor of the change Mr.. Stickney
referred to Mr.. Crosby as the tool of
the Grand Trunk road. Mr.. Stickney
clearly put up to the committee that II
the bill did not pass, the Boston &
Maine road would build the link betweer
Brattleboro and South Vernon on the
New Hampshire side Of the river and
that the Rratteboro passenger stat!or
would then be located mile and q
half from the village. He also referred
to the loss of taxes some $4,000 a year
that the State would suffer II the roac
was built IN New Hampshire.
BETTER GET OUT OF VERMONT.
Mr.. Darling in his remarks statet
very plainly that the people of Brat
tleboro were Interested IN tho matter
only to the extent that they were go
ing to have S24l.O0O spent in theil
village and vicinity, Brattleboro was
not to contribute one cent Of this bu
they were contributing by assisting
the b. & NJ. to take away the prop
erty of the Central Vermont road. /
, was coming out Of the Central Yer
mont and he thought II this was the
price the people Of Vermont had go
to pay for this proposed change the
, BOSTON & Maine had better go back tC
New Hampshire, where they wer'
, supnosed to have more influence witt
Z | Legislatures IMAM tneS hlh III Wv
mont. He also thought II there were
people in Brattleboro who Favored
such a deal. they had better go oVel
to New Hampshire with the Rostoi
4 Maine.
Mr. Darling pointed out how the
proposed changes would in1ure th'
Central Vermont and stated that th'
Yards would be loft in such condl
tion that his road would be put to al
cxpense Of from 100000 TO $4,000
10 to All them In and get them I'm shape
senator Gordon inquired OF Mr., stick
. uey II under the hill the Roston & Maine
could not raise its own tracks and fal
- 70 raise those of the Central Vernon
|, as lho hin provided that the chhrte
Il sho'd hold good as to all the worl
A completed up TO "A cert ain time and fail
- I'd to fix any penalty for not complet
y ing the remainder of the changes aske'
for Mi Stickney admitted the biI
might be open to that construction an'
SAID he would be willing to draw al