Page 4-The Journal Opinion-January 28, 1981
inll i
n r nil i i i
AST PUBLISHING COMPANY, Inc.
... Publisher of
Journal II Opinion
Weekly newspaper pvblllked in hedferd, Vermut. SvbKrlpflen rwtwt - Verment end New Hempskire - $9.00
er yeer; $6.00 fer six mentks; cut of stl - $12.00 per year end S7.00 fer six mentks; h#ler citizen
tscm# $I.00.
$eceml €iels peslle peid ut Imdferd, Vermont 05033. PwbUmd by Nerlheelt PvbRlhin I Cempeny, Inc.,
P,O. lies 371, Ilmdferd.
Robert F. Huminski
President & Publisher
pi ss
Bradford o
3' Woodsvitle
802-222-5281 603-747-20 i 6
An Independent Newspaper
u
I Editorials
d
Showing a
human face
Rules are rules, but sometimes they
have to give way to humanitarian
considerations.
That is why we applaud the
Newbury School Board's recent ac-
tion to extend the kindergarten bus
run nine-tenths of a mile to the home
of a child whose mother recently had
a new baby. "
The extension was based on the
hardshil to the mother in walking the
nearly one mile to meet her youngster
getting off the bus. She would have
had to either leave the infant at home
alone, or carried it with her in the
cold.
The motion to make the exception to
the bus schedule was made on the
grounds of "health and safety" to
mother and children.
This is the kind of consideration
that gives people confidence in their
elected and appointed officials, and
gives those officials an opportunity to
show a very human face.
Let us hope we never live in a
system so rigid that it can't make
exceptions to the rules when there is
good and sufficient reason. •
Free at last
At last the hostages are out of Iran captors.
and on their way home to welcoming
families and fellow Citizens, thanks to
Reagan's handling of the hostages
issue, in our opinion, scored him a
former
incoming President Ronald Reagan.
It showed that, unlike the present
government in Iran, ours is a process
of peaceful political government
where the losers and winners still
cooperate in matters of overriding
national importance, instead of
tearing their country apart in fac-
tional feuding.
If the Iranians could get over their
self-indulgent jeering at the United
States and the hapless hostages long
enough, they might take a lesson from
that, and from the quiet dignity with
which their captives endured 444 days
of illegal captivity--but we doubt they
will.
There is plenty of time for arguing
over whether we should have allowed
ourselves to be blackmailed into the
conditions of the hostages' release
and whether the conditions are bin.
ding under U.S. and international law,
but we think Presidents Carter and
Reagan acted in good faith and the
important thing is that our diplomats
are free of their twisted, tormenting
of President--he let it be known that
he wasn't about to negotiate with
those Iranian "barbarians," and thus
they had better not wait for him to
tackle the issue. Fearing they would
get a far worse deal under Reagan
than they had already extracted from
Carter, the Iranians finally did the
sensible thing and let our people go.
One final, thing: it has been
suggested by a number of newspapers
that after more than 14 months in the
world limelight of press and
television, we give the former
hostages and their families some
privacy to heal the wounds of their
long ordeal without a TV camera or a
news reporter parked at their door-
step day and night. We think that's a
good idea, too. They'll talk and write
about their experiences soon enough,
when they're ready.
To the hostages and their,families,
we join the rest of the nation in
saying, "Well done," under ex-
tremely trying circumstances, and
"welcome home."
Congressional Report
James M. Jeffords
In the final days before the release of the
American hostages in Iran. I had the
unique opportunity to view first hand a
side of the story which has not been widely
reported by the media. Fulfilling my
commitment as a Naval Reserve officer, I
spent the two weeks prior to the hostage
release aboard the USS Rangier. an air-
craft carrier in the trea of the Persian
Gulf.
America's military presence in the Gulf
consists of battle groups manned by
thousands of young Americans, including
many Vermonters They provided the
backdrop and the clout behind the
negotiations which ultimately succeeded
in freeing the hostages.
These young men, serving under the
most difficult of circumstances, are the
unsung heroes of the hostage drama. Many
had been aboard ship for more than 150
days, working t2-hour days, seven days a
week. The constant presence of military
planes and ships from the Soviet Union and
other nations serve as a constant reminder
that they are in the area of the greatest
international tension in the world today.
The average age of these men is 19, and
they have been working to the point of
exhaustion. My initial concern was with
their morale. I spokewith as many of them
as possible, including 22 Vermonters, and
am pleased to report that their morale is
exceptionally high. They recognize the
importance of their mission.
But many wondered if anybody really
cared. They wanted assurance that fellow
Americans knew they were there, and
why. I am contacting the families of the 22
Vermonters. and am releasing their
names to the news media. These men
deserve to be honored alongside the other
heroes of "the hostage crisis: the U.S.
negotiators, the "Algerian intermediaries,
and of course the hostages themselves.
At the same time. it should be un-
derstood that there were two other factors
in the resolution of the crisis, factors which
have nothing to do with heroism. They are
the war between Iran and Iraq and the
deadline imposed by the inauguration in
the U.S.
The war obviously made Iran more
vulnerable to the economic sanctions by
the U.S. and to the implied threat of
limited military action. Beyond the well
publicized shortage of spare parts, Iran
has become increasingly dependent upon
shipping activity at its two open ports.
Vital supplies continue to come in from
other nations, including some which are
not overtly friendly to Iran's cause.
Meanwhile. Iran's economy is kept alive
by continued sale of approximately a
million barrels of oil per day off Kark
Island.
In that context, it has long been clear
that the U.S. had the option of setting a
deadline for release of the hostages, and
enforcing it by outlining specific actions
greatly increasing economic pressure. The
third, to be carried odt only if the hostages
were endangered, would be to undermine
the Iranian Air Force by knocking out
radar control st ations. Such actions would
be devastating to Iran. economically and
militarily in its war against Iraq, without
any U.S aggression against the people of
lran.
No American would want to carry out
such threats. But the knowledge that our
nation had the option of setting a deadline
and enforcing it. without direct aggression
against the Iranian people, provided the
only real clout we had at the bargaining
table.
Without such a deadline, the Iranians
clearly were prepared to drag out the
crisis interminably. They even bypassed
the deadline which could have been
worked to their greatest advantage
politically : the U.S. election.
The deadline ultimately accepted by the
Iranians was set by events, not by
initiatives of the Carter Administration.
The Iranians perceived that the new
Administration would be less reluctant to
use the threat of limited military action as
a bargaining chip, and that they could get
a better deal before that chip was laid on
the table than afterward. The deadline,
therefore, was the inauguration.
As it turned out, the role of the thousands
of young Americans manning the battle
groups in the Persian Gulf was only an
implied factor in the success of the
negotiations. But there is no question
about the importance of their mission, and
their contribution to" the success of the
negotiations. Without their dedicated
service to their nation under the most
difficult of circumstances, the hostages
would not have been freed.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Attached is a list of
Vermonters with whom Congressman
Jeffords met. It should be emphasized that
many other Vermonters are serving in the
Gulf area, on ships other than the three
which the congressman had the op
portunity to visit.
USS RANGER
Robert E. Jones
Richard Bowen
James Royer
Michael Gray
Clyde Cain
George Pritchard
Dennis Fnss
Bellows Falls. Vermont
Newbury, Vermont
St. Alhans, Vermont
Barre, Vermont
Wilmington, Vermont
Rutland, Vermont
St. Johnstmry, Vermont
USS INDEPENDENCE
William Bradley
Steven clokey
Brian McAviney
Richard Hughes
Kevin Blanchard
Ed Hayward
Chris tlame]
Tony Sykes
Dean Derby
Plainfield, Vermont
Fairfax, Vermont
Colchester, Vermont
Poultney, Vermont
Proctor. Vermont
Chester. Vermont
St. Albans. Vermont
Barre, Vermont
Grand Isle, Vermont
The first such action would most likely
have been mmmg of the harbor where
Iranian warships are parked, neutralizing
the Iranians' threat to mine the Oman
Straights. The second would likely have
been mining of the harbor where oil is sold,
Andrew Hurley Bennington, Vermont
Mike Poche Vermont
USS NIAGRA FALLS
Robert St. John Barre, Vermont
Frank Conover St. Johnsbury
Executive Councilor
Raymond S. Burton
This is my first report to you in my
second term as Councilor for our large
north country district. It is an honor to be
serving you as councilor. I know that we
will not always agree on everything
because the purpose of the council is to.
bring five additional elected voices with
votes to the executive branch of govern-
ment. However. I hope you will be in touch
with me from time to time about your
concerns, I plan to write this column and
send it to newspapers in the district each
week to attempt to keep .you informed of
some of the events that surround my role
as your councilor. I will also be asking
guest columnists to write for us about once
per month.
The first activity that took place on
January 8th the inaugural day was a coffee
hour in honor of persons who had run for
the council from our large district. Lyle
Hersom of Groveton and Robert Crowley
of Plymouth were in attendance along with
sbme tS0 other individuals from the north
country area. Official state ceremonies
took place in the State House and started
when my own Representative Nelson
Chamberlin of Bath (among others)
escorted the Council into the House of
Representatives. At this time I joined
Malcolm McLane of Concord, Dudley
Dudley of Durham, Louis Georgopolus of
Manchester, and Bernard Streeter of
Nashua in taking the oath of office. It is an
oath that I believe very, strongly in and
would like to share it with you -- "I
Raymond S. Burton, do solemnly swear,
that I will bear faith and true allegiance to
the United States of America and the State
of New Hampshire and will support the
constitution thereof, so Held me God. I
(please turn to page tO)
U.S. Senate Report
Gordon J. Humphrey
During the past few years, two of the
most over-worked words in the English
language -- right behind "I want" and
"'O.K." --- have been "'energy crisis." For
time. it seemed almost impossible to
pick up a newspaper or turn on the news
without learning of some new reason to
fear the worst. Certainly everyone should
agree that the United States has become
dangerously dependent on increasingly
expensive and insecure sources of energy.
But the news media went even further and
contributed to the hysteria that we are
actually running out of energy.
This is simply not true. In a.recent
report, seven members of the Senate
Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources concluded that the United
States has tremendous resources of
energy, but the federal government has
prevented all but a fraction of these from
being developed.
Consider. for starters, that the federal
governnent owns one-third of the nation's
lands, which contain 70 per cent of all
western coal resources. 85 per cent of the
total oil resources. 85 per cent of all high-
grade tar sands. 80 per cent of domestic oil
shale resources, 40 per cent of natural gas
supplies and a significant portion of our
uranium and geothermal resource base.
Unfortunately, most of these public
lands have simply been locked up, so no
development is taking place. The
Department of Interior, for example.
estimates U.S. reserves of coal at more
than 430 billion short tons. an amount
sufficient to last several hundred years.
even at accelerated rates of utilization.
But less than one per cent of all federal
coal lands are currently under lease, and
leasing has been at a virtual standstill
since 1971.
Similarly, a Library of Congress study
printed by the Energy Committee notes
that the oil shale reserves located in just
three Western states "contain the
equivalent of 600 billion barrels of oil. an
amount that approximates the
known world reserves of oil."
government's total program for
leasing to date consists of devel
just two tracts.
Well, you might be wondering,
development of these lands, even
ducted in a responsible way,
threaten our environment? Not
realize that what the Carter
ministration locked up amounts
than 200 million acres above and
all the beautiful scenic
wilderness areas already set
protection and preservation by
It's also worth noting that only
cent of the U.S. Outer Continental
currently under oil lease, but
numscule portion provides more
per cent of domestic oil
nearly 26 per cent of natural
production
Finally, if the United States
running out of energy, it is curious
U.S. oil industry is drilling
precedented rates, and, most im
finding large new reserves of
This surge in drilling results
incentives provided by partial
crude oil and natural gas. and it is
expected to intensify in the
bottom line, according to the
members, is that: "These additions
and gas reserves have
decline in total reserves, and by thee
1985 we believe that the United
well see additions to reserves
consumption.'"
So just think: if we can accom
this with most of our energy still
just imagine what we can do
government actually begins
production again. Thankfully, the
works and some of the leading
have stopped ignoring these
their reporting of late is much
balanced It's becoming
again to emphasize the positive.
Vermont Senate
Notebook
Scudder H. Parker
What is black and white, about one foot
tall, and weighs about 15 pounds? Why, of
course, it is the stack o! reports a "new
legislator has to read in order to get some
kind of grasp on what all the different
agencies, standing committees, and other
officials are doing in state government. It
is tempting to slip into a lecture about too
much paper being generated with wordy
reports, but that wouldn't be entirely fair.
There is a great deal of learning for us to
do.
sidered and did not consider when they
made their recommendations for shifting
out of the highway fund and into the
general fund "certain functions not
directly related to highway construction,
maintenance . . " that is, programs
having to do with'other means of tran-
sportation, public safety, driver education,
and a number of others. It is also helpful to
know how different members of the
committee disagreed with the recom-
mendations and what alternatives they
propose.
Do you remember what the first few
weeks of high school were like? Well. there
is a lot of similarityn being a "freshman"
legislator, as the term implies. First. the
level of study is higher. There are subjects
you don't know much about. While
everyone else in (for instance) the Senate
Education Committee (which I am on)
seems to know what EGL (Equalized
Grand List) ADM (Average. Daily.
Membership), District Multiplier (for
which I still don't have a ono-line
definition) mean, I am in the situation of
asking the "dumb" questions, like "Would
you stop and explain that please?"
It is comforting to learn, though, that
when you do ask the questions, others will
often listen pretty carefully to the an-
swers. I guess we all need a refresher
course once in a while, and maybe "fresh-
men" can help provide it.
Another level on which you feel like a
"freshman" has to do with the personal
and social relations--with all the un-
written things you have to
believe me. the stack, of
things to learn is as high as the
written reports. My first day,
the Education Committee, I
the Legislative Council office tw
actually get drafted,
work gets done)
had taken off my
mittee room. and when I asked the
to xerox the bill she said "OK
you'd better put this
are_
office." It took me
realize what she meant, and
Soule, the head of the Education
mittee pointed out that it is an
rule that Senators always wear a
coat. So if you are in a sweater, you
be an aide !
Getting to know people is just
portant as getting to know all the
This does not mean that "who
is more mportant than "what
but it is a reality of the political
that good ideas do not just pop
form of effective laws. A majority
180 lawmakers have to support
and more importantly, at many
points along the way, one or
dividuals will have
over the direction of a
legislation. It s corn
basically, I think, right that a
be .hammered, bent, di
added to by lots d
experience and
becoming law. with
few months to see if I still think so!
The other committee I serve on
Senate Energy and Natural
committee, which deals
game issues in addition to
its title. It is chaired by Senator
of Windsor. and is a very exciting
mittee to he on. I am
cerned that the issues relating to
efficiency and conservation
such a profound impact on this
(please turn to page 10)
Hostages
We are glad to have our people back
From their weird stay in hell
T will be nice to see them on the street
And know they are doing well.
Let there be no rage against this land
From which great blessings flow
The very words which Jesus spoke
On a mountain long ago.
Came from this ancient land
To his home in Galilee
Where he told it straight and told it well
For all the world to see.
When boiling sap to make syrup
The filth will rise in scum
The tender then must skim it off
If he would have good syrup come.
The people of this sorry land areon the boil
And have been for some time.
There is no one yet to skim the filth
They are still trapped beneath the slime.
Or a second hand chamber pot
With a bad crack in the handle.
Dmald Darling
More gro
Hosmer Brothers hed i
Ryegate
Granite has been the
major industry in Ryegate for
many years. In early times,
probably beginning in the
1790"s, Blue Mountain was .a
great source of granite, bdh
for home use and as a "cash
crop".
Around 1800, Vermont
officials proposed building the
state prison in Ryeate, so
that the prisoners could work
at quarrying, bt there was
some degree of local oP-
position, so the prison was
located in Windsor -- and the
prisoners did their quarrying
on Mount Ascutney.. Never-
tbeless, the prison was built
with granite from Ryegate,
which gave considerable
employment to the Scottish
settlers, many of whom were
experienced stonecutters.
When the church in
Barnet Center was built in
1829, they used great slabs of
granite from Blue Mountain
for the steps 40 feet long, 8
inches wide, and S inches
thick. For transporting, they
each had to be cut into three
pieces, then fitted back
together in front of the church,
where they still stand today,
solid asever.
The Ryegate granite
industry was greatly in-
creased by the demand for
monuments and gravestones
after the Civil War -- then
increased further when the
Montpelier & Wells River
Railroad was built through
town. Ever since that time,
there have been stonesheds
next to the railroad track in
South Ryegate (although the
track has since been taken
up),
Around 1900 there were
over 300 men employed in
Ryegatets quarries and
stenesheds.
Miller and Wells' History
of Ryegate has a detailed
account of several quarries in
the town of Ryegate and their
history of ownership. The
largest operation was that of
Martin Gibson. who also
owned at various times a large
stoneshed, a paper mill, a
brickyard, a gristmill, and a
hotel. Mr. Gibson bought his
first quarry in 1891, soon
added another, and eventually
was shipping granite to nearly
every state in the Union. He
was the first in Ryegate to use
steam equipment at his
quarries.
Recollections
Orman Benton, a native of
South Ryegate, remembers
that when he was a child only
four years old. the blacksmith the east side of the
shop was right over the brow It was ver
of the hill from his house, up new quarries,
Whenever he got a chance he enough to get to
would head down there, go in stuff", and
the back door, and climb up equipment
into the loft. From there he derricks,
could look down and see the. houses.
huge teams of horses wild for keeping
Western horses -- and the
wagon wls which were six
feet tall;-with great wide iron
tires
He recalls that sometime
later. Martin Gibson bought
"Big Brute" a huge Mack
truck with hard rubber tires
and chain drive. Big Brute
made everything else ob-
solete. It went up the moun-
tain and brought down great
loads of stone. Leonard
Mitchell used to drive it,
The road from
Ryegate up to the quarries is
still called the Stone Rod.
There used to be hoarding
camps up at the quarries, but
they are all gone now. Most of
the quarry workers used to
live there.
Orman Benton says his
family was in the quarry
business,during the 1920's, up
on Blue Mountain, not far
from Martin Gibson's quarry.
The Beatons had several
smaller quarries, including
one that had been Rosas', on
repaired and
business went
the Depression,
started
the Babbitt
alloy )
carrying
they
the BeatOns
business and sold
remaining
junk. Great
blocks were left
stood, there being no
South 'for them, and
there.
Eventually the
quarry, went out of
too. It was sold.
regained the
early 1900's. It
much to get
the ground
mountain, and
could
the deeper quarries
All we can see
tumbledown
buildings, the
(please
Page 4-The Journal Opinion-January 28, 1981
inll i
n r nil i i i
AST PUBLISHING COMPANY, Inc.
... Publisher of
Journal II Opinion
Weekly newspaper pvblllked in hedferd, Vermut. SvbKrlpflen rwtwt - Verment end New Hempskire - $9.00
er yeer; $6.00 fer six mentks; cut of stl - $12.00 per year end S7.00 fer six mentks; h#ler citizen
tscm# $I.00.
$eceml €iels peslle peid ut Imdferd, Vermont 05033. PwbUmd by Nerlheelt PvbRlhin I Cempeny, Inc.,
P,O. lies 371, Ilmdferd.
Robert F. Huminski
President & Publisher
pi ss
Bradford o
3' Woodsvitle
802-222-5281 603-747-20 i 6
An Independent Newspaper
u
I Editorials
d
Showing a
human face
Rules are rules, but sometimes they
have to give way to humanitarian
considerations.
That is why we applaud the
Newbury School Board's recent ac-
tion to extend the kindergarten bus
run nine-tenths of a mile to the home
of a child whose mother recently had
a new baby. "
The extension was based on the
hardshil to the mother in walking the
nearly one mile to meet her youngster
getting off the bus. She would have
had to either leave the infant at home
alone, or carried it with her in the
cold.
The motion to make the exception to
the bus schedule was made on the
grounds of "health and safety" to
mother and children.
This is the kind of consideration
that gives people confidence in their
elected and appointed officials, and
gives those officials an opportunity to
show a very human face.
Let us hope we never live in a
system so rigid that it can't make
exceptions to the rules when there is
good and sufficient reason. •
Free at last
At last the hostages are out of Iran captors.
and on their way home to welcoming
families and fellow Citizens, thanks to
Reagan's handling of the hostages
issue, in our opinion, scored him a
former
incoming President Ronald Reagan.
It showed that, unlike the present
government in Iran, ours is a process
of peaceful political government
where the losers and winners still
cooperate in matters of overriding
national importance, instead of
tearing their country apart in fac-
tional feuding.
If the Iranians could get over their
self-indulgent jeering at the United
States and the hapless hostages long
enough, they might take a lesson from
that, and from the quiet dignity with
which their captives endured 444 days
of illegal captivity--but we doubt they
will.
There is plenty of time for arguing
over whether we should have allowed
ourselves to be blackmailed into the
conditions of the hostages' release
and whether the conditions are bin.
ding under U.S. and international law,
but we think Presidents Carter and
Reagan acted in good faith and the
important thing is that our diplomats
are free of their twisted, tormenting
of President--he let it be known that
he wasn't about to negotiate with
those Iranian "barbarians," and thus
they had better not wait for him to
tackle the issue. Fearing they would
get a far worse deal under Reagan
than they had already extracted from
Carter, the Iranians finally did the
sensible thing and let our people go.
One final, thing: it has been
suggested by a number of newspapers
that after more than 14 months in the
world limelight of press and
television, we give the former
hostages and their families some
privacy to heal the wounds of their
long ordeal without a TV camera or a
news reporter parked at their door-
step day and night. We think that's a
good idea, too. They'll talk and write
about their experiences soon enough,
when they're ready.
To the hostages and their,families,
we join the rest of the nation in
saying, "Well done," under ex-
tremely trying circumstances, and
"welcome home."
Congressional Report
James M. Jeffords
In the final days before the release of the
American hostages in Iran. I had the
unique opportunity to view first hand a
side of the story which has not been widely
reported by the media. Fulfilling my
commitment as a Naval Reserve officer, I
spent the two weeks prior to the hostage
release aboard the USS Rangier. an air-
craft carrier in the trea of the Persian
Gulf.
America's military presence in the Gulf
consists of battle groups manned by
thousands of young Americans, including
many Vermonters They provided the
backdrop and the clout behind the
negotiations which ultimately succeeded
in freeing the hostages.
These young men, serving under the
most difficult of circumstances, are the
unsung heroes of the hostage drama. Many
had been aboard ship for more than 150
days, working t2-hour days, seven days a
week. The constant presence of military
planes and ships from the Soviet Union and
other nations serve as a constant reminder
that they are in the area of the greatest
international tension in the world today.
The average age of these men is 19, and
they have been working to the point of
exhaustion. My initial concern was with
their morale. I spokewith as many of them
as possible, including 22 Vermonters, and
am pleased to report that their morale is
exceptionally high. They recognize the
importance of their mission.
But many wondered if anybody really
cared. They wanted assurance that fellow
Americans knew they were there, and
why. I am contacting the families of the 22
Vermonters. and am releasing their
names to the news media. These men
deserve to be honored alongside the other
heroes of "the hostage crisis: the U.S.
negotiators, the "Algerian intermediaries,
and of course the hostages themselves.
At the same time. it should be un-
derstood that there were two other factors
in the resolution of the crisis, factors which
have nothing to do with heroism. They are
the war between Iran and Iraq and the
deadline imposed by the inauguration in
the U.S.
The war obviously made Iran more
vulnerable to the economic sanctions by
the U.S. and to the implied threat of
limited military action. Beyond the well
publicized shortage of spare parts, Iran
has become increasingly dependent upon
shipping activity at its two open ports.
Vital supplies continue to come in from
other nations, including some which are
not overtly friendly to Iran's cause.
Meanwhile. Iran's economy is kept alive
by continued sale of approximately a
million barrels of oil per day off Kark
Island.
In that context, it has long been clear
that the U.S. had the option of setting a
deadline for release of the hostages, and
enforcing it by outlining specific actions
greatly increasing economic pressure. The
third, to be carried odt only if the hostages
were endangered, would be to undermine
the Iranian Air Force by knocking out
radar control st ations. Such actions would
be devastating to Iran. economically and
militarily in its war against Iraq, without
any U.S aggression against the people of
lran.
No American would want to carry out
such threats. But the knowledge that our
nation had the option of setting a deadline
and enforcing it. without direct aggression
against the Iranian people, provided the
only real clout we had at the bargaining
table.
Without such a deadline, the Iranians
clearly were prepared to drag out the
crisis interminably. They even bypassed
the deadline which could have been
worked to their greatest advantage
politically : the U.S. election.
The deadline ultimately accepted by the
Iranians was set by events, not by
initiatives of the Carter Administration.
The Iranians perceived that the new
Administration would be less reluctant to
use the threat of limited military action as
a bargaining chip, and that they could get
a better deal before that chip was laid on
the table than afterward. The deadline,
therefore, was the inauguration.
As it turned out, the role of the thousands
of young Americans manning the battle
groups in the Persian Gulf was only an
implied factor in the success of the
negotiations. But there is no question
about the importance of their mission, and
their contribution to" the success of the
negotiations. Without their dedicated
service to their nation under the most
difficult of circumstances, the hostages
would not have been freed.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Attached is a list of
Vermonters with whom Congressman
Jeffords met. It should be emphasized that
many other Vermonters are serving in the
Gulf area, on ships other than the three
which the congressman had the op
portunity to visit.
USS RANGER
Robert E. Jones
Richard Bowen
James Royer
Michael Gray
Clyde Cain
George Pritchard
Dennis Fnss
Bellows Falls. Vermont
Newbury, Vermont
St. Alhans, Vermont
Barre, Vermont
Wilmington, Vermont
Rutland, Vermont
St. Johnstmry, Vermont
USS INDEPENDENCE
William Bradley
Steven clokey
Brian McAviney
Richard Hughes
Kevin Blanchard
Ed Hayward
Chris tlame]
Tony Sykes
Dean Derby
Plainfield, Vermont
Fairfax, Vermont
Colchester, Vermont
Poultney, Vermont
Proctor. Vermont
Chester. Vermont
St. Albans. Vermont
Barre, Vermont
Grand Isle, Vermont
The first such action would most likely
have been mmmg of the harbor where
Iranian warships are parked, neutralizing
the Iranians' threat to mine the Oman
Straights. The second would likely have
been mining of the harbor where oil is sold,
Andrew Hurley Bennington, Vermont
Mike Poche Vermont
USS NIAGRA FALLS
Robert St. John Barre, Vermont
Frank Conover St. Johnsbury
Executive Councilor
Raymond S. Burton
This is my first report to you in my
second term as Councilor for our large
north country district. It is an honor to be
serving you as councilor. I know that we
will not always agree on everything
because the purpose of the council is to.
bring five additional elected voices with
votes to the executive branch of govern-
ment. However. I hope you will be in touch
with me from time to time about your
concerns, I plan to write this column and
send it to newspapers in the district each
week to attempt to keep .you informed of
some of the events that surround my role
as your councilor. I will also be asking
guest columnists to write for us about once
per month.
The first activity that took place on
January 8th the inaugural day was a coffee
hour in honor of persons who had run for
the council from our large district. Lyle
Hersom of Groveton and Robert Crowley
of Plymouth were in attendance along with
sbme tS0 other individuals from the north
country area. Official state ceremonies
took place in the State House and started
when my own Representative Nelson
Chamberlin of Bath (among others)
escorted the Council into the House of
Representatives. At this time I joined
Malcolm McLane of Concord, Dudley
Dudley of Durham, Louis Georgopolus of
Manchester, and Bernard Streeter of
Nashua in taking the oath of office. It is an
oath that I believe very, strongly in and
would like to share it with you -- "I
Raymond S. Burton, do solemnly swear,
that I will bear faith and true allegiance to
the United States of America and the State
of New Hampshire and will support the
constitution thereof, so Held me God. I
(please turn to page tO)
U.S. Senate Report
Gordon J. Humphrey
During the past few years, two of the
most over-worked words in the English
language -- right behind "I want" and
"'O.K." --- have been "'energy crisis." For
time. it seemed almost impossible to
pick up a newspaper or turn on the news
without learning of some new reason to
fear the worst. Certainly everyone should
agree that the United States has become
dangerously dependent on increasingly
expensive and insecure sources of energy.
But the news media went even further and
contributed to the hysteria that we are
actually running out of energy.
This is simply not true. In a.recent
report, seven members of the Senate
Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources concluded that the United
States has tremendous resources of
energy, but the federal government has
prevented all but a fraction of these from
being developed.
Consider. for starters, that the federal
governnent owns one-third of the nation's
lands, which contain 70 per cent of all
western coal resources. 85 per cent of the
total oil resources. 85 per cent of all high-
grade tar sands. 80 per cent of domestic oil
shale resources, 40 per cent of natural gas
supplies and a significant portion of our
uranium and geothermal resource base.
Unfortunately, most of these public
lands have simply been locked up, so no
development is taking place. The
Department of Interior, for example.
estimates U.S. reserves of coal at more
than 430 billion short tons. an amount
sufficient to last several hundred years.
even at accelerated rates of utilization.
But less than one per cent of all federal
coal lands are currently under lease, and
leasing has been at a virtual standstill
since 1971.
Similarly, a Library of Congress study
printed by the Energy Committee notes
that the oil shale reserves located in just
three Western states "contain the
equivalent of 600 billion barrels of oil. an
amount that approximates the
known world reserves of oil."
government's total program for
leasing to date consists of devel
just two tracts.
Well, you might be wondering,
development of these lands, even
ducted in a responsible way,
threaten our environment? Not
realize that what the Carter
ministration locked up amounts
than 200 million acres above and
all the beautiful scenic
wilderness areas already set
protection and preservation by
It's also worth noting that only
cent of the U.S. Outer Continental
currently under oil lease, but
numscule portion provides more
per cent of domestic oil
nearly 26 per cent of natural
production
Finally, if the United States
running out of energy, it is curious
U.S. oil industry is drilling
precedented rates, and, most im
finding large new reserves of
This surge in drilling results
incentives provided by partial
crude oil and natural gas. and it is
expected to intensify in the
bottom line, according to the
members, is that: "These additions
and gas reserves have
decline in total reserves, and by thee
1985 we believe that the United
well see additions to reserves
consumption.'"
So just think: if we can accom
this with most of our energy still
just imagine what we can do
government actually begins
production again. Thankfully, the
works and some of the leading
have stopped ignoring these
their reporting of late is much
balanced It's becoming
again to emphasize the positive.
Vermont Senate
Notebook
Scudder H. Parker
What is black and white, about one foot
tall, and weighs about 15 pounds? Why, of
course, it is the stack o! reports a "new
legislator has to read in order to get some
kind of grasp on what all the different
agencies, standing committees, and other
officials are doing in state government. It
is tempting to slip into a lecture about too
much paper being generated with wordy
reports, but that wouldn't be entirely fair.
There is a great deal of learning for us to
do.
sidered and did not consider when they
made their recommendations for shifting
out of the highway fund and into the
general fund "certain functions not
directly related to highway construction,
maintenance . . " that is, programs
having to do with'other means of tran-
sportation, public safety, driver education,
and a number of others. It is also helpful to
know how different members of the
committee disagreed with the recom-
mendations and what alternatives they
propose.
Do you remember what the first few
weeks of high school were like? Well. there
is a lot of similarityn being a "freshman"
legislator, as the term implies. First. the
level of study is higher. There are subjects
you don't know much about. While
everyone else in (for instance) the Senate
Education Committee (which I am on)
seems to know what EGL (Equalized
Grand List) ADM (Average. Daily.
Membership), District Multiplier (for
which I still don't have a ono-line
definition) mean, I am in the situation of
asking the "dumb" questions, like "Would
you stop and explain that please?"
It is comforting to learn, though, that
when you do ask the questions, others will
often listen pretty carefully to the an-
swers. I guess we all need a refresher
course once in a while, and maybe "fresh-
men" can help provide it.
Another level on which you feel like a
"freshman" has to do with the personal
and social relations--with all the un-
written things you have to
believe me. the stack, of
things to learn is as high as the
written reports. My first day,
the Education Committee, I
the Legislative Council office tw
actually get drafted,
work gets done)
had taken off my
mittee room. and when I asked the
to xerox the bill she said "OK
you'd better put this
are_
office." It took me
realize what she meant, and
Soule, the head of the Education
mittee pointed out that it is an
rule that Senators always wear a
coat. So if you are in a sweater, you
be an aide !
Getting to know people is just
portant as getting to know all the
This does not mean that "who
is more mportant than "what
but it is a reality of the political
that good ideas do not just pop
form of effective laws. A majority
180 lawmakers have to support
and more importantly, at many
points along the way, one or
dividuals will have
over the direction of a
legislation. It s corn
basically, I think, right that a
be .hammered, bent, di
added to by lots d
experience and
becoming law. with
few months to see if I still think so!
The other committee I serve on
Senate Energy and Natural
committee, which deals
game issues in addition to
its title. It is chaired by Senator
of Windsor. and is a very exciting
mittee to he on. I am
cerned that the issues relating to
efficiency and conservation
such a profound impact on this
(please turn to page 10)
Hostages
We are glad to have our people back
From their weird stay in hell
T will be nice to see them on the street
And know they are doing well.
Let there be no rage against this land
From which great blessings flow
The very words which Jesus spoke
On a mountain long ago.
Came from this ancient land
To his home in Galilee
Where he told it straight and told it well
For all the world to see.
When boiling sap to make syrup
The filth will rise in scum
The tender then must skim it off
If he would have good syrup come.
The people of this sorry land areon the boil
And have been for some time.
There is no one yet to skim the filth
They are still trapped beneath the slime.
Or a second hand chamber pot
With a bad crack in the handle.
Dmald Darling
More gro
Hosmer Brothers hed i
Ryegate
Granite has been the
major industry in Ryegate for
many years. In early times,
probably beginning in the
1790"s, Blue Mountain was .a
great source of granite, bdh
for home use and as a "cash
crop".
Around 1800, Vermont
officials proposed building the
state prison in Ryeate, so
that the prisoners could work
at quarrying, bt there was
some degree of local oP-
position, so the prison was
located in Windsor -- and the
prisoners did their quarrying
on Mount Ascutney.. Never-
tbeless, the prison was built
with granite from Ryegate,
which gave considerable
employment to the Scottish
settlers, many of whom were
experienced stonecutters.
When the church in
Barnet Center was built in
1829, they used great slabs of
granite from Blue Mountain
for the steps 40 feet long, 8
inches wide, and S inches
thick. For transporting, they
each had to be cut into three
pieces, then fitted back
together in front of the church,
where they still stand today,
solid asever.
The Ryegate granite
industry was greatly in-
creased by the demand for
monuments and gravestones
after the Civil War -- then
increased further when the
Montpelier & Wells River
Railroad was built through
town. Ever since that time,
there have been stonesheds
next to the railroad track in
South Ryegate (although the
track has since been taken
up),
Around 1900 there were
over 300 men employed in
Ryegatets quarries and
stenesheds.
Miller and Wells' History
of Ryegate has a detailed
account of several quarries in
the town of Ryegate and their
history of ownership. The
largest operation was that of
Martin Gibson. who also
owned at various times a large
stoneshed, a paper mill, a
brickyard, a gristmill, and a
hotel. Mr. Gibson bought his
first quarry in 1891, soon
added another, and eventually
was shipping granite to nearly
every state in the Union. He
was the first in Ryegate to use
steam equipment at his
quarries.
Recollections
Orman Benton, a native of
South Ryegate, remembers
that when he was a child only
four years old. the blacksmith the east side of the
shop was right over the brow It was ver
of the hill from his house, up new quarries,
Whenever he got a chance he enough to get to
would head down there, go in stuff", and
the back door, and climb up equipment
into the loft. From there he derricks,
could look down and see the. houses.
huge teams of horses wild for keeping
Western horses -- and the
wagon wls which were six
feet tall;-with great wide iron
tires
He recalls that sometime
later. Martin Gibson bought
"Big Brute" a huge Mack
truck with hard rubber tires
and chain drive. Big Brute
made everything else ob-
solete. It went up the moun-
tain and brought down great
loads of stone. Leonard
Mitchell used to drive it,
The road from
Ryegate up to the quarries is
still called the Stone Rod.
There used to be hoarding
camps up at the quarries, but
they are all gone now. Most of
the quarry workers used to
live there.
Orman Benton says his
family was in the quarry
business,during the 1920's, up
on Blue Mountain, not far
from Martin Gibson's quarry.
The Beatons had several
smaller quarries, including
one that had been Rosas', on
repaired and
business went
the Depression,
started
the Babbitt
alloy )
carrying
they
the BeatOns
business and sold
remaining
junk. Great
blocks were left
stood, there being no
South 'for them, and
there.
Eventually the
quarry, went out of
too. It was sold.
regained the
early 1900's. It
much to get
the ground
mountain, and
could
the deeper quarries
All we can see
tumbledown
buildings, the
(please
