Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1848-05-26
VERMONT PHOENIX.
BrattleborO, Friday, May 20, IS4S.
The Constitution of yermont

This State first adopted a Constitution ON III
4th day of July, 1898, which provided for tn
election septennially of thirteen Censors. Who's
first duty it is TO inquire into any violation of tb
Constitution or Laws, into the conduct of the lie
gislature and Executive, into the equality of tn
assessment and collection Of taxes, and how tn
public money has been disposed Of And the,
have power to call for persons and papers, at
pass public censures, to order mpcachments, an,
to recommend the repeal of such laws as nppen
to them to be repugnant to the principles Of III,
Constitution" These provisions comprise III,
first duties of the Council Of Censors," and III,
further power is given them, TO recommend sucl
amendments or additions 10 the Constitution a
they deem absolutely necessary for the prescrva
ton of the rights and happiness Of the people
which are to be submitted to a Convention, with
in two years after their sitting.
This provision clothes the Ccnsors with vcr,
important powcrs--thc principal of which, in til,
view of the original trainers of il, evidently are
to see &c the Constitution and Laws are defective
or have been duly observed, and the public bur
dcns equally borne by the people, and to bin,
the guilty to trial by public censure or mpeach
ment From this duty of the Censors they dc
rive their name. Yet it is one probably of tn,
least practical utility.
The Constitution Of the Slutc has been twic,
amended--onco in 1928, and the last time il
1886, when the Senate as it now exists was sub
sttuted for the Executive Council" which ex
isled previously.
The basis OF representation, should natural,
first engage the attention of the CensoIs, as i
lays at the foundation Of equal and fair lcgisla
ton. In the Senate, tho Counties arr intended
to be particularly represented, each county being
entitled to one, without regard to its numlcr d
electors, and any additional members being pro
Portioned somewhat to the population.
The House Of Representatives seems at pre-
sent to represent the To,cas in their corporal,
eaI,ssi'''. Zach town slectins one representative
whatever the nunber of inhabitants.
Il Is a principle adopted in mos, Of the States
and in our opinion necessary one, to a pure
republican government, that one branch OF the
Legislative department should, as near us NAV
be, represent the electors Themselves, indiyid.
ually and equally. All recognize the principle
that the will of the majority Of tie people, clearly
expressed, should govern and II so, there should
be some way in which the voice of the majority
could be heard. The House of Representative.
is usually regarded as the particular representa-.
tive of the people, but such is not its character
in this State. We would not lessen the number
Of representatives in the House, but we would
make them the representatives of the electors.
and not Of the tosens We would make the
House represent, as nearly AS possible, the ma
jority of electors of the State In the single dis
trict system, there would be fractions, of course
but they can be made to approximate, ON the
average, with sufficient accuracy, to an equality.
Unless there is in one branch an equality of rep
resenta,ion, there will be no fair exponent of the
opinions Of the people, aud when 20 votes in one
town are made equal TO 700 in another, there
will be just ground of complain, that the equal.
ity of representation is destroyed.
We think, then, that in this respect, the Con-
stitution should lie amended. We should not be
sorry even to see the number of representatives
increased, for this State is happily of such limited
extent, that the districts may be made small with
out creating an unweldy mass, and all the in
convenience of large body is more than eoun-
terbalanccd by making so many of the substantial
yeomanry of the country familiar with lesisla-
ton, and by the greater opportunities Of inform
alton it affords. But we would apportion mem
bers OF the House in districts, with reference first
to equality of voters, keeping in view, as far a,
may be, the integrity of towns. Then we should
have Legislature, in which the counties were
represented in their corporate and the elector,
in their individual capacity. Every district
would exercise just and equal influence, and
the popular branch of the Legislature would
fairly reflect the popular will.