News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1911-02-01
Montpelier Letter
The Legislature OF 1901 Has Adjourned
Story OF the Biggest Railroad Fight
in Recent years--Intangible Tax Law
NetOed-NOtes

| lHulViuudl 1nenDerS IneTeOl arc nov
gathering together the loose ends of the
neglected business or taking up the duties
OF the farm, as the case may be. Th'
closing days of the session were marked
by one of the most bitter fights before
the Legislature in recent years and the
most refreshing fact in connection there
with is that it was not a fight between
the railroads and the people, but one
between two railroads, either OF which
is powerful enough to stand the strain,
1t is now matter of history that the
; Central Vermont or Grand Trunk tri-
, umphed over the Boston and Maine or
New York, New Haven and Hartford.
!, The result is not of great Importance to
: the people of Vermont. The means EN-.
ployed by the contending parties has
aroused interest. This fight started long
ago when Mr.. Mellen of the Boston and
Maine announced that under his control
the B. & M. would not NEEDLE in politics
nor attempt to influence legislation in
any of the New England States. 1t is
now believed by many that the state
m.nt was made for NO other purpose
than to throw the people OF Vermont off
their guard. We now recall that the
Burlington Free Press warned the people
of Vermont that the announcement was
made tor purpose, and that when the
solution was worked out it would be
| Il. IL. u
in politics and that they would attempt
to influence legislation. 1t now looks
clear that their first move in the game
was to elect a man of their choice to a
position whereby he could cast decid-
ing vote in their favor if such vote was
needed.
Their next move seems to have been to
secure the election of certain persons
upon whom they could rely, as members
of the. Legislature, and when elected
could secure committee assignments
whereby in a large measure they could
deliver the legislation sought Perhaps
no attempt was made to aid the election
of any member, but it seems reasonably
certain that they looked after the com
m!ttee assignments. We hope our sus-
picions are without foundation, but the
fact that no measure has been reported
favorably by majority of the railroad
committee of either branch, until it had
been amended to the entire satisfaction
of the railroads, lends color to our worst
fears. To charge unfairness to the entire
committee would be too unjust, for be it
said to the credit of Vermont that few
men on the committee in each branch
stood for what was right and just, and
it cannot be charged that they were
under the railroad pressure ofinauencc.
Neither can it be charged that the
Speaker Of the House or the appointing
power in the Senate knew that the rail |
road committee Of their respective |
branches were packed. Now then, after
four months of close observation we can |
arrive at no other conclusion than that |
the railroads are in politics, and that |
they look after their interests while |
others sleep. For instance, the day be-
fore the vote was taken in the Senate an |
official of the B. & NJ r. r. served notice |
on a Senator that unless he stood by |
that railroad his interests would be in |
jeopardy. That Senator however, voted |
according to his convictions and within |
ten hours thereafter friends of the B. & |
do TO ~. |
appointment to a position he has since
received. Another respected attorney |
who was at Montpelier working in the
interests of the Central Vermont was
threatened with political disaster if he
did not withdraw from the opposition
forces.
Both sides in the fight have maintained
an extensive lobby during the past two
weeks and Senators have been besieged
on all sides. No intimat ton has been
made that either side used money to
purchase the needed votes and the only
charge against their method of lobbying
has been that their forces encountered
the State House. Senators have been
buttonholed, threatened, besought and
bewildered until the wonder is that none
of them broke down under the strain.
1t. is quite generally believed that
the zeal with which the B. & NJ. road
secured a place for its friends on the
Senate Committee on railroads was the
most potent factor in its defeat The
was headed by Senator who
is the cashier in the bank of which w. B.
c. Stickney is president. Mr.. Stickney
is well known as the Attorney of the
railroads, and long before this fight
reached the Senate it was we'll known
how the committee would stand on the
matter. The Senate therefore took the
matter into its own hands and referred
the bill to a joint committee consisting
of the Judiciary committee sitting with
the Railroad committee. This plainly
showed the Senate's lack of confidence in