Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-02-22

and take such measures as to them may seem
necessary to promote their safety and happi-
ness " Guided by this principle, that all power
of government rests and abides with the people,
=" the representatives Of the freemen of Vermont
met, in general convention, and established the
declaration of rights and the form of govern
ment to be the Constitution of this Common.
wealth, and to remain in force therein foreuer,
unsltered, except in such articles as shall here
after, on experience, be found to require i'm
provement."
At the time of the adoption of the. Coustitu-
ton, the State was only partially settled. There
were to be new Counties and new towns organ
lied, as the lands became sufficiently occupied.
The second section of the frame of government
provides that i" the supreme Legislative power
shall be vested in house of representatives of
the freemen of the Commonwealth or State of
Vermont" The seventh section ordains that,
" in order that the freemen of this State might
enjoy the benefits of elections, as equpHy as may
be-, each toon within this State, that consists OF
eighty taxable inhabitants within one septenary,
or seven years next after the establishing OF this
Constitution, may hold elections therein, and
choose, each, two representatives.; and each
other inhabited town in this State may, in like
manner, hold such election, and choose one rep
resentative forever thereafter" In 1856 the
Constitution was revised, by the first Council of
Censors, and again in 1892, and was adopted, in
its present form, by a convention assembled at
Windsor, on the 9th of Jaly, 1898. In 1886
the Constitution was amended, so as to dispense
with the Executive Council, and Senate was
established in its stead, as coordinate branch
of the Legislature go that the legislative power
is, now, vested in Senate of thirty members,
chosen by counties, based upon population and
a House of Representatives, consisting of one
member from each organized town, all chosen an
nually.
1t will be seen that the policy of the State,
at, and since, the formation of its government,
has been to foster and encourage the settlement
of all the towns, lying within its borders. The
people, collectively are not now, nor never were,
represented according to population. Both
branches of the legislature are composed of
members representing county and to,on corpora
tons-the Senate coming nearest to;the' popular
representation. Some Of the larger towns in
the State complain that they do not have voice
and influence with the smaller ones hence, they
say, injustice is done them-the constitu ton, as
it now stands, is not democratic-the popular
will not represented. Our fathers did not take
this contracted view of the subject, although
the Constitution was established in 1893 by del
egates of the freemen representing, mostly, the
large towns; neither has it been so considered
by majority Of the freemen of the State from
the period of the adoption of the Constitution
to the present time, and trust will never DO SO
viewed by them.
Vermont has always been, and, from its posi-
ton, always must be, an agricultural State The
great amount Of her wealth is drawn from her
soil, and very large proportion of this wealth
is produced from what are generally termed the
small towns. The large towns rely more upon
their commerce and manu- featuring. The small
ones are mainly the producers; the larger ones
the consumers know there are some excep-
tons to this rule; but we seldom hear from
wealthy farming town that they are net justly
and properly represented. This complaint comes
from those towns which are more restless, igno-
rant and excitabls than the independent hus-
bandman. The one feels that he has nothing to
gain by change, the other that he has nothing
to lose. The inhabitants as general thing, are
more industrious, virtuous, stable and intelli-
gent, in farminy than in a commercial and
manufacturing community. l admit, you will
find more men of the higher order of talents in
commercial and manufacturing than you will
in rural community. Where the carcass is,
there the eagles will gather together; SO will
the ravens and the crows Professional men,
especially lawyers, locate in commercial and
manufacturing towns, from the fact that their
professional ingenuity is more required in such
q community. Merchants und manufacturers
are, for the most part, liberal and intelligent
class Their business relations necessarily make
them 80. But in such community you will
find large class of Che most ignorant and Vi
cious men, and even women too, who would sell
themselves for much less than thirty pieces of
silver 1t is not 80 in the agricultural districts.
If you find there more simplicity, you will find
more virtue, more honesty. Bargain of both
soul and body is not SO well understood in such
a community. Look at the population located
on our great thoroughfares, the Railroads for
instance. In many of the towns the foreign
voters can and do control the elections. Law
and order is a mere by-word. Were it not for
the stability, virtue and patriotism of the tilers
of the soil, there would be no hope for the Re-
public. The safety and perpetuity of our free
institutions are in the keeping OF the farmers
of the State. They are our guards and sentnels
So long as we preserve and maintain our liberty
and government, just SO long will the agricul-
tural influence preponderate and control the
State legislation. This can only be cone under
our present system of equal corporate represen-
tation.
submit, that the large commercial towns
now have more than their just influence in the
House of Representatives. They are generally
represented by their most talented men. In ad-
dition, there is most commonly an industrious
and powerful delegation of what is generally
termed the Third House members. The specu-
lative legislation is engrossed by the large COM
mercial towns. They are constantly asking for