The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-04-04
FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 1919.
LITTLE REPUTATION.

In Vermont we have just passed
through the biennial legislative farce
of repudiating the political promises by |
the wholesale, by discarding pledged
public Improvements in host of diree- |
tons. Among other things we are toll
ride on the same old roads after this |
legislature adjourns. We are to go on
duplicating service and paying double |
expenses for public service in various
directions to pander to local politics.
The one great step taken by the legis-
lature to improve transportation and
get cheaper freight rates was the pas
sage of the barge terminal. Because
Lieutenant Governor Stone took his po-
litical life in his hand and voted for a
measure of progress in keeping with his
long public service for Vermont S de-
velopment, some little minds who do
nothing but play politics year in and
year out rise up and shout "polities. ;"
The Burlington Free Press.
In the sweeping charge of bad faith
against the members of the legislature
who have consistently stood against
unnecessary expenses by the state and
an unbearable direct state tax, the
Free Press has passed the limit of truth
and made unjust charges. 1t would be
difficult for the Free Press or anybody
else to specify any repudiating the
political promises by the wholesale. =
The Free Press attempts to specify one
reputation by saying, Among other
things we are to ride on the same old
roads after the legislature adjourns. -
Where was the pledge to make new
roads for Vermont before the legisla-
ture adjoprns?
The only proposal to change the high
way policy of the state was the bill in
troduced at the request of the Patrol
Committee. The only definite act it
proposed was the appropriation of $780,
600 for survey of the highways of
| Vermont. The legislature refused to
authorize such an expenditure, not on
the roads, but on individuals who could
only recommend continuation of the
construction of gravel roads in the
main or the construction of roads cost
ing more than $50, 900 mile. To re-
build the selected highways of the
state, less than third of the state S
total highway mileage by this expen'
sive method would have cost the state
more than $l3o,O00,0 00-an impossible
proposition on the face of it,
There is prospect of more road con
struction in Vermont the coming season
than ever before, the expenditure OF
sum of money far in excess of what
has been expended in any previous year
There is every reason to expect Yer
mont will have far more good roads
two, years from now than it has today
There has been no reputation of high
] way improvement, simply the rejection
of prohibitively expensive plan OF
roads in Vermont
The Free Press describes the passage
of the barge terminal bill as s'the ont
great step to improve transportation
and get cheaper freight rates. Al
| the barge terminal bill does is to ere
I ate an opportunity for the city of Bur
lington to unload an unused piece o.
property that has cost it more thai
100000 onto the state; to construc
| terminal for barges that do not exis
and for which there is as yet no chan
mel whereby big barges can reach th
terminal Opposition to the creation
of 100000 bonded indebtedness of TIL
state is termed by the Free Press a
'fpolities. ? We submit the prophec.
that within two years this Opposition
will be recognized as ''good business
and, if Governor Clement vetoes tn