Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-02-20
- )" of the Windsor journal.

y =
experience to come.
&C. of the Windsor Journal.
We do not need to repeat what we said
week ago on the claim of " G. - in
the journal. that the legislature cannot
remove the seat Of government from
Montpelier without a violation of good faith,
or even djrcct breach Of contract. We
are sure that claim is an absurd one. The
particular act relied upon to sustain it. is
dead against II. Whoever will read the
entire act must see that it is. The repeated
action of the legislature on the subject of
the seat of government is abundant proof
that it has always been considered as sub
Iect entirely under legislative control
From the nature of the case it must be SO.
We do not believe there is n State in the
Union, where the doctrine would be admitted
for a moment, that the legislature is not free
at all times, to place the seat of government
wherever the public good requires, and to
change it whenever the public good calls
for it.
Co,,,,,o,, so,,,o d,,,orJ, ,,ot su,h 20
r,orl shorld not 10 ,ro,,osoJ an +riair,
,,ro,,,ds NOV do+orr,;,,d ino, ,,itLout full
and fair discussion. That full and fair dis
cussion we trust will be had by the legisa-
+,r, ,,o,, osso,,h,od We orn srro that il
will be.
Tho o,rrosno,dort If tbn Windsor .Tonrn-
n ,yhoso ort;cIo wa bovc rcfcrrod 70 already
makes in his orticIe Of this week the
f,IIowinc ro,o,rk
ST. -, ,,n,n,,,,,,. .onr,son.o, ood -. hc,ierc
it to be truc, that more than one town ii cndea-
yons to obtain tne seat OF gore,me"' T%' '"%o
such an effort be considered to be, but direct APP
peal to the supposed spirit cnp,9ity IN the mem
in the form Of bribery How will they then treat
the invitation to put up public institution at at
world upon it
lie follows with remarks about "the State
House being struck oil by vendue gong
to the" highest bidder &c.
We think all such remarks very unjust
to the legislature and to the people OF the
State. In 1893, the Legislature made it a
condition Of the erection Of building for
a State House in Montpelier, and the mak>
ing of that place the seat Of government, that
the building should he erected without cost
to the State. In 1881 the legislature ap-
/ pointed " a committee to receive proposals
from the different towns of the State for
the erection of new State lIouse.' and
the inhabitants Of several towns raised sub
scriptions, though only two, those Of Mont
policr and Burlington, were formally
brought before the legislature. Was the
legislature inri5ng brides, or the people Of
the State iend03ng them in either case
Both the one and the other would scorn the
imputation, and justly so.
Every man in the State knows the ground
On which the matter was placed. Wise or
unwise, the practice in Vermont has been
TO consider the incidental benefit which will
accrue to the people of neighborhood from
the location Of public buildings in their
midst reason why those to be so Lene-
fitted ought to do something towards re
lieying their fellow citizens throughout the
State, from taxation on that account. How
much is to be done, is left to be deter
mined by the circumstances of the case
This practice has prevailed, not for State
Houses only, but for County buildings and
many others-and it is u practice not likely
to be soon given up in State where al
public expenditures are dependent on direct
taxation. The action of the legislature anC
Of the people in the cases referred to, hat