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Vermont Marble: America’s Monument Stone  

Class Schedule Week 1

18 Sep 12 Week 2

25 Sep 12 Week 3

02 Oct 12 Week 4

09 Oct 12 Week 5

16 Oct 12 Week 6

23 Oct 12 Week 7

30 Oct 12 Week 8

06 Nov 12 Reading   Marble  

Valley    (9-­‐38)  Proctor  (13-­‐20)  

Marble  Valley    (39-­‐70)  Proctor  (34-­‐53)  

FIELD  TRIP  TO  THE  VERMONT  MARBLE  VALLEY  

Marble  Valley    (71-­‐86)  Proctor  (54-­‐78)  

Marble  Valley    (87-­‐112)  Proctor  (79-­‐87)  

Marble  Valley    (113-­‐128)  Proctor  (88-­‐110)  

Marble  Valley    (129-­‐156)  Proctor  (111-­‐130)  

Proctor  (131-­‐158)  

Video   Vermont  Marble  Trail  

Vermont  Danby  Marble  &    Removing  a  Marble  Block  

Visit  the  Danby  Quarry,  Marble  Museum  &  InternaSonal    Carving  Studio  

The  Colorado  Yule  Quarry  

Cave  Diving  in  a  Rutland  Quarry  &  Abandoned  TV  Show  Clips  

Vermont:    This  Land  of  Ours  (1947)  

Discussion   Reading  Roundtable  

Course  IntroducSon  

Marble  vs.  Granite  

Reading  Roundtable  

Alice  Blount  presentaSon  on  the  geology  of  marble  

Reading  Roundtable  

Colorado  Yule  Marble  Co.  

Reading  Roundtable  

Linda  Goodspeed  in  class  

Reading  Roundtable  

Reading  Roundtable  

Mike  AusSn  in  class  

Reading  Roundtable  Wrap-­‐up  

Summary  CD  

Final  Thoughts  

23  October  2012  

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Word Press Internet Site  http://ilead12653.wordpress.com

Reading Discussion:

Hearings in the Vermont House of Representatives (November 1886)

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Petition to VT Legislature   September 1886, William

Dillingham filed petition on behave of Proctor to divide Rutland into three towns.

  Proctor trusted Dillingham as a brilliant young lawyer & flawless actor in court.

Governor William Dillingham - 1888

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Underlying Facts   Rutland chartered in 1751.   Area = 30 square miles, largest in

the state.   Population = 16,000, largest in

the state.   Town hall capacity = 1,500

people. Too small for population?

Division of Rutland Proposal - 1886

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Prior Testimony  Testimony before the legislature

leading up to the debate in the House of Representatives was mostly negative to Proctor’s position in favor of the division of Rutland.

Rutland Herald Opposition   Proctor blamed Seneca Dorr for

negative comments in Rutland Herald.

  Herald held position that Rutland was too small to divide into yet smaller pieces.

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Julia C. R. Dorr

Rutland Herald Opposition   Percy Clement’s editorials for the

Herald created a huge wave of sympathy for Hogan and the opposition.

  Editorials characterized the division of Rutland as a “blatant grab for power by a cheap political boss (Proctor)”

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Percival Clement

Effects of Rutland Herald Editorials

  The situation became irrationally emotional as the issue became associated in people’s mind with injustice of outside authority.

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Vermont Marble Company - 1886   Sales well over $1.0 million.   Branch offices in six major US

cities.   Immigrants made up most of the

1,200 man work force at VMC.   Several hundred more laborers in

the area worked for small marble mills under the influence of VMC.

Vermont Marble Company - 1886   Most workers could not speak,

read or write English.   Redfield Proctor was their only

benefactor controlling home, job, church, school, food, sickness, health, death, burial.

  The relationship was autocratic and patronizing.

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Vermont Marble Company - 1886   As long as they were not

organized, the employees could be counted on to vote with their employer.

  Proctor thus made Republicans out of voters who might be attracted to another party.

Political Climate - 1886   In 1884, the Democrats

attempted to organize the workers.

  William Hogan suddenly came to power and got his candidate elected to the the Vermont House of Representatives over Redfield Proctor’s candidate.

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Political Climate - 1886   Organizing laborers began to change

the political landscape.   Each town in the state had one

representative in the Vermont House of Representatives.

  The Democrats could take away Proctor’s control over Sutherland Falls by organizing labor against him.

Political Climate - 1886   By dividing the town into

Rutland, West Rutland & Proctor, Redfield Proctor was sure he could control the two new towns because all of the people in those towns were VMC employees.

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Proctor’s Interesting Deal   Willliam Young Warren Ripley

had inherited half of his father’s marble fortune.

  The other half belonged to his brother, General Edward Ripley.

  A third brother, Ned, aligned with William when he considered selling the marble business.

William Y.W. Ripley - 1861

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Edward Ripley - 1861

Proctor’s Interesting Deal   Ripley met with Redfield Proctor

to discuss getting some cash for his business.

  Proctor wanted him to support the proposal to divide Rutland.

  Proctor made an interesting proposition to Ripley.

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Proctor’s Proposal   Ripley didn’t have enough capital to

make investment in desperately needed equipment.

  Ripley had seriously neglected maintenance to the operation.

  Ripley lost an important building contract in Boston to VMC’s really low bid, so he had a problem getting a loan without collateral.

Proctor’s Proposal   Proctor offered $275,000

contingent on Ripley testifying in favor of the division of Rutland.

  Ripley turned him down, but Proctor was sure Ripley would agree in the end.

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The Plan   Redfield Proctor came up with a

winning strategy on the proposal.   First, they would retain every

lawyer in the county for their position, so their would be no legal representation for the opposition.

The Plan   Next, Dillingham was to get a ruling

striking out all opposition testimony on the grounds that it was not rebutting in its character.

  Then, Frank Partridge would draw up the purchase contract for Ripley and a note for $275,000 to be hand delivered to Ripley the next day.

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Vote   After heated debate, the proposal

to incorporate Proctor passed in the House & Senate on 16 November 1886.

  West Rutland’s incorporation was passed the next day.

  The division was complete.

Result   The division destroyed what had

been the largest and richest town in the state, because no taxable marble deposits were left in Rutland.

  Of the 2,163 acres of land in Proctor, valued at $6,773, all but $462 worth of the town belonged to VMC.

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Result   The political power of Redfield

Proctor and his fellow Republicans was greatly enhanced.

  West Rutland & Proctor each received one seat in the House of Representatives.

Result   Proctor was elected unopposed to

the Proctor seat in the House.   His close allies were elected to

the West Rutland and Rutland seats.

  The three towns were now solidly Republican Proctor supporters.

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Proctor’s Rise in National Power   Proctor served as delegate-at-

large to the Republican National Convention in 1888.

  Vermont was the only state to support Benjamin Harrison, Proctor’s candidate, on every ballot.

Benjamin Harrison

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Proctor’s Rise in National Power   When Harrison was elected

President of the US, he rewarded Proctor by naming him Secretary of War.

  Proctor resigned as President of VMC and moved to Washington DC, naming Fletcher as the new president.

Secretary of War Proctor

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Fletcher Proctor

Secretary of War Proctor   Proctor’s administration was one of

the ablest in the history of the department.

  They improved pay & welfare of the enlisted men.

  They reformed the harsh military justice system, cutting the desertion rate by more than half.

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Secretary of War Proctor   They streamlined the pension

process.   They improved the

professionalism of the officers including a more just promotion system.

Senator Proctor   Vermont senator George Edmunds

was convinced to step down early in 1891, and Governor Page appointed Proctor to fill out his unexpired term.

  Proctor was elected to full term in 1892, and reelected in 1898 & 1904.

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Senator Proctor

Senator Proctor   In 1898, he visited Cuba to

investigate alleged Spanish atrocities in their rule.

  He gave one of the most memorable & influential speeches on the senate floor.

  His speech made a huge impression on the nation, & the US entered the war with Spain a month later.

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Senator Proctor   Redfield was so successful at

promoting his business interests in Washington that marble became the standard construction material for government buildings and monuments.

  This continued until the 1920s.

Effects on VMC   During the 1890s and early 1900s,

annual sales at VMC grew to more than $3 million and the work force grew to more than 5,000 workers

  Fletcher presided over a period of great growth for VMC, thanks to his father’s influence in Washington.

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Proctor Family & Friends - 1886

Proctor Family & Friends - 1886 Left to right: Emily Proctor (Redfield’s Wife) Frank Partridge Emily D. Proctor (Daughter) Redfield Proctor, Jr. Fletcher Proctor Arabella Proctor (Daughter) David Bixler Mrs. Charles Partridge (Frank’s Mother)

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Diving in a Marble Quarry

Marble Valley

Struggle for Control 1888 - 1900

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Political Leaders   Most political leaders in

Vermont, Democrat & Republican, traveled in a small social circle, belonging to the same churches, lodges, etc.

  Redfield Proctor was the most powerful members of the ruling elite.

New Industry in Rutland   The Howe Scale Company moved

from Brandon to Rutland in 1888.   The Vermont School Seat

Company was founded.   Mosely and Stoddard, a cheese &

butter manufacturer moved from Poultney to Rutland in 1890.

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New Industry in Rutland   The F.R. Patch Company, a maker of

cutting & finishing equipment was established.

  The Marble City Electric Co. challenged the Rutland Gas Co. for supplying power in the city.

  By 1890 Rutland was touted as being on the cutting edge of progress.

“Undesirable Foreigners”   The owners & managers of these

enterprises saw danger in the success of worker politics, especially the newer quarry & mill workers

  From 1888-1890, Governor Dillingham led the campaign against increasing number of undesirable and potentially radical immigrants.

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“Undesirable Foreigners”   Dillingham continued his

campaign when he became a Senator from Vermont in 1900.

  He felt that southern and eastern Europeans were inferior and Scandinavians were the purest type of immigrant.

Rutland City   In 1892, Rutland’s old guard

leaders got the Vermont legislature to incorporate Rutland as a city.

  The new form of government distanced itself from the workers, becoming more representative and less controlled by the citizens.

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Depression   Just as Rutland was entering a

new era as a city with a sense of optimism, the nation was plunged into a depression.

  From 1894 to 1898, nationwide unemployment stayed at over 10%.

Depression Politics   The Workingman’s party fell

apart.   The radical workers formed the

Socialist Labor Club, which became politically active against the incumbent Democrats and Republicans.

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Depression Politics   The United Workingman party

fell apart in 1892.   The radical workers formed the

Socialist Labor Club, which became politically active against the incumbent Democrats and Republicans.

Labor Politics   A socialist party, called the

Workingmen’s Party was formed in 1893.

  It aligned nationally with the Omaha Platform which wanted to change the existing system to be more in favor of the workers.

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Labor Politics   The Workingmen’s Party urged

workers to unite against the elite in the 1894 election. The Republicans swept the ballot.

  The severe depression continued in 1894 & 1895, and in 1896 Thomas R. Browne, a Democrat sympathetic to labor, was elected city mayor.

Labor Politics   However, the Republicans still

controlled the city council and worked against the new mayor.

  The Moon Brook sewer project in 1897 highlighted the division between Mayor and council, as the council approved much of the project, going around the mayor.

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Labor Politics   The Mayor kept vetoing

legislation proposed by the council.

  The business elite successfully worked together and backed Percival Clement for mayor.

Labor Politics   Control of Rutland shifted back

and forth in the next decade among Republicans, Democrats and Labor.

  William Y.W. Ripley was elected mayor in 1899.

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C.J.’s Slide Show

Moving  Marble  Block  

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Vermont Marble Quarry – c1935

Vermont Marble Quarry

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Dorset Quarry

Traveling to Work at Danby Quarry

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Tomb of Unknown Soldier at Proctor Shop

Marble Blocks Ready for Shipment

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West Rutland Marble Yard

Rochester Quarry

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Rochester Quarry

Next Week’s Guest:

Mike Austin, author of Stories From Vermont’s Marble Valley

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Vermont Marble: America’s Monument Stone