The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1856-03-08
From iha North Star
THE SHIRE QUESTION ... LETTER
FROM JUDGE POLAND.
10 tLe Pecp'e of CIlcYypi1 CCuy1fu.

10 Wc I'eOpC ~ LuiCI0nt1 tOuHIv:
During a short adjourned session Of the
County Court holden at D,nvilIe the present
! week. the Judge. Of the Court we're waited
upon hv a committee arr rrinted Nv a public
meetin. holden at D.nvilIe On the sOth uIt..
| and nv said committee were presented with
the official proceedings of that meeting s.nJ
,, also with petitions signed bv considerable
! number Of citizens Of this county. PRAYING
! The Judges to suspend al! action toward the
erection of county buildings. under the at
Of the last legislature removing the shire
from Danvi'le to st, John>burt.
| Inasmuch a. We cannot comply With the
request of these petitioners, and Of this r,seA'-
ing. il seems rroprr that we should in some
way make public the reasons whv we t-..i
hound to refuse. and "a these do.-mpnts we're
handed tn us at a late ,wr;,s9 IN c,,r term and
in private manner. so that no opportunity
vas then afforded for public reply. wc ha,.
chosen to make oar answer through the ,n,l ,.
lie press. We learn from tffe pros.tcsf,n-.
of this meeting. that Hon Theron Roward
of Dsnviil. real An address lsrtnre the uy-..t
ing. whi.h vas nv vote ordered to b- putt.
lished, AMI this I'ubl,c address VIZ hive as,
seen, AMI it nav d,itiD.>< be- regarded q. a.
lopted BY and expressing the sentiments OF
the meeting.
/ The act providing for the removal Of the
shire among uthrr things provides "that the
Judges OF the Caledonia County Court shall.
upon being certified If the loration nv the
committee. 'mm, dia'ely proceed to erect conn
~ buildings" &r. The avowed purpose and
object of this meeting was to stav the prec-
ton of any county buildings at St,.yohr-burt.
t,y the Judges. under thi. law; or in plain
language. in s0ue WV TO defeat and over
ride All express act OF the Legislature of the
State
The united AMI concentrated wisdom of
this large tnrei:hg >se,n- ~ have been un .tie
~ devi.e anv other ,-tirablr mode of ar-
rompli>hinc TINS dr>i.n. .x' r,,t thai of rmdu-
cling fhe Judges who ar.. expressly charged
! with the dntv "f rr.r,,n. ,l,. r-w i.,.:..,,cs.
and that ippn,l'n'eiy l.. d'>r"p,ri aud vio-
! late the Law. The pr,,-r -. f',...e ,~'ifinns
is to th,s oif c.. aud n,," ., ~. resolutions
of the meeting extends to u- their IN ,niaous
request that >h.,n'h take upon ,.s fhe
modest intv o. nni,f, IN. the law ~, this
subject Another %. these resolutions de-
rlares that thrs. l'.i't,on>. 81 nunerouslY
signed. are rnri,lrh 10 weight and roI,>iicra-
! tion hut the writer at the resolution, who
ever h. NAV bp. seems To have felt such z
sense Of tn" inVroi.ri"'v of fhr request. that
he omitted to say tha, wc ou:lt. 10 comply
with it.
! In relation 10 the right of m.rr excru,ite
off ore taking i: upon Themselves tn decide
: sh"ther they w'll or will t ex cate a pub-
! lie law of t'r State. according fo their own
views. or tho<r "i oihrr I~oplr. AS 10 the ,,ro-
prietv and wisdom "f the law itself. | snail
have 4 few worl> to s1v hereafter; but fo-
, The present. waving DEMONSTRATION. and
granting that We NAV properly go behind ih.
Iaw itself to find reasons tor d>Ot,e,ins ii, 4
will proceed to consider shortly some q. NJ.
grounds NJ on VIM h this NEE in. and these
petitioners j l>titv rhemse. We, and Y mld leave
us Z" stsmi. in rr'u, ins to execute this Law.
! II vas resided by this meeting that .r"-
act Of removal. and the subsequent a,-.,nu
thereon. was an outrage upon the views and
wishes Of large m, ,iority of the legal v.',-r~
of the county. upon what ground. aud t,r
what reason. they have not seen fit 10 INFORM
MS. They give no reason. why the act va.
not right and Just in itself nor do they al,
!fcc that there was ANYTHING inlprcper in the
manner of its procurement. 1t is rer;ainl~
pretty bold ground IN assume that the Act VA.
.,a>srd contrary to the views and wishes ot a
great mai"ri'v ct the people Of fhe rcrn,-.
when il is known that bo,h Of the senat ~
from this county and eleven ont of fourt..,
Of the Representatives OF ,fe county voted
4, 81. n
sons vino ro'nl">''i this meeting a.-um.
understand the virss and wishes Of the ca :,
>tfuents ot these gentlemen. t~ttrr Than ,t,..,
did themselves? Or will they rlaim IN 4,
any of these gentlemen I'nrr,o>-ly violated
the wishes Of 'h"ir constituents on this snt-
jrct, Either OF these sn;s,,>,,ion> is no. serv
complimentary To the intelligence and int-c-
rlty vt these representatives. or 10 the mol
r>ty ot the meeting. Il NAV be inferred
from the Language Of one of the r.SolusiorS
Of this meeting thar th-v did rot consi::s.
that this subject was t"iriy determined hv
the legislature last Fall As they .s.. the,
wish an opportunity to have it furry heard
and acted upon next Fall This same idea
Is souhewhat more fully developed in Mr.
Towards address. and although not dire,tv
ALLEGED sill the inference is carried That the
atttmit 10 procure the act Of removal vas not
generally known i'm the county 50 a. to give
\ tair opportunity to those who desired tc
oppose II. to- no 50.
II this sd!rcs. had nos assumed sorne I'M
portanre bv ta-ins prtli>h-d bv vnte of The
meeting. | should make n, allusion Ia II. f.r
l understand that It's manifnld ciarr.., aud
false statements IN relation to unt~.r.-s. -
the trieids Of the removal. wcf-. IN rna
main. rorrrrt.-i AZ the time. D., Mr.. Davis al
! Dan,ll!e. wll" had AZ least equal n-ars of
knowing the truth. ard muc, better .iis,s-
Si,ion TO tell II. In relation 70 all former al
trmIts 10 remove the shire from Dan.i,i,
prior 10 this Of last Fall. have no personal
knowledge. ant. caa aniy saw that II this al
dress is not more truthful rs to those. than i,
is in relation to the occurrences last Fail, it
rs a very fahul"u. piece Of historr.
But is u true that this act of removal ~as
passed. either 90 secretly or hss,ilv. that ait
who desired to Oppose - did mot have a fair
and ample oPPortunifr :" d. SO: A >hn.
reference TO the history of the act of last s'sli
will H:st answer this charge. In the frs-
place. notice was dnlv published in each .f
the newspapers ct the roun,y ~eeks before
the session Of the legislature. that ,u-h hill
would be presented. The hill for removal
was introduced into both branches Of III. l-c-
,sla,ure within the first three davs OF the .-s-
sion. and noticed in the puhlsf..,' tfnrerd-
lngs OF the legislature i'm Al! the newspapers
OF the State. The North Star IN its next is
>ue. published the iil; at length, and NJ the
same time took csrs 70 swakpn ih- a,t.pf,on
oi its readers 10 the 'ar, 'hsi IN. ',.ll .,,,,m<
I'd 10 raise u tax "a erect he hnr r',nr~ u il
! t~camp a law. The next week .h+ C..r-
! DOMAIN a'>O published the ac, ALL :. aTt,-