Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1853-11-11
UccItIn free Dress.
BURLINGTON. FRIDAY, NOV. il. 1883.
The Governors .MesSngC.

The Message Of the Governor attracts more
than ordinary -oticc both from the novelty
in this State of Governor elected from the
political party to which he belongs. and
because in some measure he owes his present
position to his supposed views on one subject
not Of 4 party character, which has excited
much interest in this State during the past
year
1t comes not at all within our view of what
is due to the officer or the man, that We should
resort to verbal criticism, or should carp
at any we'll meant expressions, although
left in some cases, probably from the
necessary haste Of composition, with their
meaning less clearly brought out than we
should look for under other circumstances.
So far as there is any obscurity in it, we pre-
sumo it to bc unintcntional.
The Introduction Of the message and Of him
self to the representatives, Of the people is
substantially i'll good taste. and the whole
tone of the message is gcntlcmanly, and indi
may differ from him in their political rcla
tons.
The chief topic Of the message is the
Liquor law passed last session, We have
read that portion over many times, and yet
feel not quite sure Of the entire aim of the
writer and we do not altogether wonder at IA
rumor which we heard at Montpelier, that
persons of Numerically opposite views, to
whom that part had been submitted before
hand, profcsscd themselves to be quite salts
fled with its positions. Among tine many
gcncraitcs scattered over the subject, Il
friend of the law ms it stands-a friend of it,
provided some objectionable features Gould be
remoycd-and an enemy Of it and Of all that
belongs to it, could hardly fail to find some
thing to meet their minds Sevcrally; and as
they would he prcdisposcd to like the message
Of their own party governor, the conclusion
that it was about right on that subject would
be reached without any close scrutiny.
The Governor suggests that "sevcral Of the
provisions Of the law are of doubtful consu
tutionality and cxpcdicncy he doe
not undertake to show them to be 81. or even
to specify plainly which one he considers I'm
constitutional and which barely incXpcdicut
His language is such that whoever has bee
accustomed to charge upon the law,citheraS
wholcor in any Of its details a violation Of tn
constitution, will be likely to suppos
that the Governor goes strongly again
the law as an unconstitutional one-and tina
therefore it ought to be repealed. Such IL on
will he quite taken with the quotation Intro
duced hy his cxccllcncy that " our legislator
are not apprizcd Of the rightlul limits of the
power and that their true Office is to declar
and enforce only our natural rights and DIT
ties,-to take none Of them from us,
That is one of those smart remarks whcI
from their construction, are very taking
the ears of those who do not stop to cnqun
what the words mean; and who do 10, ;
that in one sense Of them the saying is trt
and in other false.
1t may be. in one sense, natural riSdt
man to go naked, and in some parts of Il
world the practice is quite allowable; BIT
civilized law-giyers will hardly think thcr
selves to be over stepping their powers whit
they restrain any attempt on the part OF q
dviduals to adopt the practice openly in
ciety. If, too, the inference from all that
said by the Governor is 50 be. that man HI