St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1915-12-29
SHIT AGAINST NEW HAMPSHIRE
Vermont's Claims In Its Bill OF
Equity.


The Evening Monitor of Concord, N.
H SAYS: Copies of the bill in equity
brought by the State of Vermont
against the State of New Hampshire
in the United States Supreme Court
to determine the boundary line pc
tween the two States have been filed
at the Office of the encouragement at
the State House, together with an or
der of the court requiring New Hamp-
shire TO make answer to the bill on or
before March 10, 1916.
The controversy between the two
States has existed since the year 11Sz,
and, has now become acute by the &C
ton Of the New Hampshire boundary
line commission which reported to the
last Legislature fixing the boundary al
high water mark on the west bank OF
the Connecticut river, which would
bring much valuable property now
having taxes in Vermont into New
Hampshire.
The contention of the State of Yer
mont is, as amplified in the bill, that
the line is the western edge OF the
waters of the Connecticut river at It's
average and mean stage during the
year, without reference to extraor-
binary freshets or extreme droughts'
and that such line lies to the east IN
some places a few feet and in some
places several rods of the location now
claimed by New Hampshire.
Within the limits described there
are many large and valuable manufac-
turing plants, according to the bill,
and large amounts of other valuable
taxable property which lies partly
within and partly without the disput-
ed territory.
The bill alleges that the right to tax
Droperty within the disputed territory
| has been claimed and exercised by the
State of Vermont and the mun1c1pah-
ties in that State for many years, or
since 1777.
Continuing, the bill says the right
to tax property within the disputed
territory on the Vermont side of the
| river is now claimed by the State OF
| New Hampshire and the municipalities
therein have lately assessed and are
now attempting to collect by suits al
law in the courts of New Hampshire
and by threatened sales of the land,
taxes on property within the disputed
territory wherein for many years the
owners have paid taxes in Vermon1.
Neither the State of New Hampshire.
nor any municipality therein, so far
as the encouragement of Vermont,
prosecuting the suit, has learned, has
ever taxed any property on the land
west of the waters of the Connecticut
until the year 1909.
The bill asks a decree from the
court fixing the boundary line as the
thread of the channel of the Connect
| cut river as it ran in the period of the
years 1850 to 1775, and to cause such
boundary to be permanently located
| by monuments, and that the State OF
New Hampshire and it's citizens be
perpetually enjoined from disputing
the sovereignty and ownership of the
| State of Vermont in the land and wat
er west of the thread of the stream.
Papers will be served in the case OF
/ Governor Spaulding and Attorney
general Tuttle commanding them t.
appear in court on day to be late,
named.
| Just how the suit will be handled a
this end is not known as yet, but it il
probable that the answer due Oh
March 1 will be handled by Deputy
Matthews and the Office force. It
expected that the litigation will be
long and costly to both parties, anC
that 1t will be some years before a de-
cision is reached.