Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1921-11-30
SUBSCRIPTIONS
DISARMAMENT

DISA RMAMEN1
The disarmament conference now
in session in Washington has pecu-
liar interest to the people Of Orleans
county if we but let cur minds go
back a hundred years ,r more and
study local history in connection with
the war of 1912 and the agreement
entered into by the United States
and Great Britain immediately fol-
lowing that war.
Crockett's new history of Vermont
says of this territory at that time:
The towns along the Canadian bor-
der had been settled only short time
and the inhabitants were compare
lively few. Even before war was ac-
tually declared there was co1sterna-
ton in these exposed townships. A
special town meeting was called in
Troy, May IL, 1912, to see what &C
ton should be taken toward furnish
ing the local militia with arms and
ammunition; and the selectmen were
authorized to borrow 20 muskets and
bayonets on the credit of the town,
and to purchase rs pounds of powder
and one hundred weight of lead if it
could be secured on six months cred
it.
As soon as war was declared the
selectmen of Barnet, Cabot, Canaan.
Craftsbury, Danville, Glover, Green's
boro, Hardwick, Irasburg, Lowell,
Lyndon, Morrisville, Peacham, Rye
Walden and Wheelock, furnished and
supported small number of men
as guards in the frontier towns Of
Canaan, Derby and Troy, and spies
were sent into Canada. Later the
state assumed the cost Of this SER
vice. Palisades were erected at Troy
and Westfield. A storehouse was
built on North hill in Bloomington,
in which a stock of ammunition was
placed. Barracks and a guardhouse
were built at Derby. A fort was
ed. Families in Highgate assembled
for safety when rumors were circu-
lated that Indians were approaching,
but no Indian came. A veritable
panic seems to have seized upon the
inhabitants Of several of the towns of
Orleans county, an Indian raid being
expected, and the residents fled, aban-
oning houses and farms. Orleans
county did not recover from the eff
fects of this war for many years.
Some of those who left never return
ed and others who came back suffer-
ed long from poverty and discourage
meY1t.
At the close of the war of 1912
there were then forts of some de-
scription in Troy, Westfeh and Low
ell and an ammunition storehouse
IN Bloomington, built for defense
against attack from Canada. I'm
mediately following the war the Unit
ed States and Great Britain creed
to disarm and disband every war pre-
paration between this nation and
Canada, except one small boat main
tanned by each nation on the great
lakes, each boat to contain one gun
of limited SIZE.
This agreement for limitati m of
armament meant the destruction of
these little forts and for more than
100 years we have lived peaceably
with our neighbors on the north. Who
knows what might have taken place
If these forts had been maintained,
enlarged and strengthened and Cana
da at the same time had armed.
When the international trouble
came up over the raising of the water
In Memphremagog because of dam
at Magog made by Canadian on Ca
madam territory but settling the wa
ter back in Coventry and doing thou
sands Of dollars worth of damage
to land in the United States, would
not such grievance have been rea-
son for excitement and the possible
exercise of our war equipment
Wars have been started over mat
tiers as trivial as this, but not be.
tween unarmed nations.
But for limitation of armament
agreement more than 100 years ago
Orleans county might today be the
scene of forts and soldiers and mil
itarism We had the nucleus for such {
thing but national limitation of arma
ment wiped out all semblance of wal
and Orleans county has not though
or known of war within it's border.
since
Some will say the point is far
fetched, but no great strength o
imagination is needed to see situa
ton fraught with dangers in fortify
ing our Canadian border following
the war of 1872. Except for tn
agreement to limit armament be
tween Canada and the United State
This would have been done, in al
probability.
Limitation of armament between
nations will prove of great value TO
peace in the world