The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-11-04
Congressional Districts.

ence from the Capital to the Rutland Herald, the
following very clever criticism upon the change
proposed in Congressional Districts by Senator
Peck's BILL This bill, it will be remembered,
divides the State as follows:
LIST Observation-Disclosures Addison, Rutland,
and Bennington Counties.
2nd Observation-Disclosures Orange, Windsor
and Windham Counties.
Sd District-Grand Isle, franklin, Lamoe,
Orleans, Essex and Caledonia Countits
In State so broken and mountainous as YER
mont, it is somewhat difficult to so divide it into
Congressional Districts as to render it altogether
convenient and easy for the people to assemble
in Convention. But it must be conceded that
ms argument has weight, and is entitled to con.
alteration. The question then arises, whether
the proposed bill is an Improvement upon the
present arrangement of the Districts? If it is,
and the ratio of population is preserved by it,
there can be no serious reasons urged against its
passage. That the first and second Districts fall
more naturally together, in the geographical
view, may be conceded. But it strikes me that
the third District, as proposed in Senator Peck 8
bill, would be worse convened, than the present
first District, which is made the matter of COM
paint The north part OF the State is split by
Two ridges Of mountains instead of one, as in the
south part and the conjunction of Essex with
Grand Isle, and Caledonia with Franklin, is about
as unnatural and arbitrary as could be made, tax
ing into consideration the channels of ordinary
communication. | am not disposed to doubt
that the argument alb inconueniendi, made by
Washington County in her own behalf, is sincerely
put forth. She is at the angle opposite the by
pothenuse, (Which is tho right angle fer her Of
course) and must travel round the triangle in or.
der to reach the centre. But if my recollection
serves me correctly, when the location of the
State House was under consideration, it was jeal-
ously claimed by Montpelier, backed by the whole
of Washington County, that Montpelier was the
most convenient point 10 the State in which to
convene the Legislature, and the facilities which
the west part OF the State enjoyed in that par,ic-
ular, were pointed out and dwelt upon. Now, to
reverse the argument which was then used if it is
easy to get from Bennington, Rutland and Add
son Counties to Washington by the ordinary chan.
nes of communication, and it is not to be de-
MED as the various roads are now run--is it not
equally as easy for Washington 20 pay flying
visit to her sister Counties in the present Con-
gresslonal locket?
am little fearful that the peope-,or rather
the poIiticans--o Washington County do not
travel sufficiently to become acquainted with the
roads to the homes and the hearts Of their geog-
laphical friends! This geographical complaint,
urged by Washington Comfy as if she considered
herself the eXGresceHcc--or q sort Of iungous ap-
p-ndage, or cauda aPpendase to jhe body Of the
district, is unworthy o! her. Ii i, the foot rebel
ling against the hand, or the stomach against the
head. And surely she Al urge no other reason
for wishing 20 yet out .! bed with her sister Coun
lies. They have certainly been generous towards
her. If geographically she lies on the outside,
politically she has been in the middle for more
than halt the time since the formation OF the dis
tlict
On the W ole, thi, seems to be case to which
he adase may be applied with great proPrety,-
: Let well enough alone" There was something
81 good sense, though accompanied with his usual
1ooriShness and profanity, in the reply Of Lord
Ihurlow, as related by Lord Campbell, to a body
IF Presbyterians, who called upon him shortly
after he assembled the woo-sack, to ask his assist.
lnce ia repeating certain statutes which dsquali
fed them form holding civil Offices. Thur!ow
received the depuation with grea. civIily, and,
having heard them out, said, Gentlemen, I'll be
perfectly frank with you. Gentlemen, | am
lsainst you and for the Established Church. Not
hat like the Established Church better than
your Church, but because it is established. And
whenever you can get your ID religion estab
ished, III be for that, too. Good morning to
,ou !"
We think most of the points made in the above
communication oln be satisfactorily met. The
conjunction of Grand Isle and Essex cannot be
valid in the writer's mind, for those counties are
together now. Caledonia, with railroad to Bar
ton, and soon to Newport, can be as easily con-
yened in convention with that district, as Chtten-
den County, which has no railroad beyond Essex
Junction toward the heart of the district. And
he fact that Montpelier is central point for the
whole State, does not make it, in ourjudgment,the
centre of the southwest portion of the State. On
he whole, we are not surprised that the writer
should at last have fallen back upon Lord Thur
ows dictum in support of his opinion that the
present arrangement should not be disturbed, as
p,obAbly no better argument occurred to him.
-------- ~.~-s---------
The annexed item, from the Irasburgh Standard
contrasts strongly with articles Of the Freeman an
he same subject; 60 strangely different does the
anne thing seem to different persons:
"Senator Fotts late speech before the legisla-
ure Of the State, was reported bya photographer
or Walton's Journal at 10 o'clock p. NJ, and al.
hough it was long and one of the best he ever
delivered. appeared in the Journal at six the next
morning, Not typo "bobbcd an eye" till the
peech was up verblin. -LdsJurgh Standard. |
Udtchm1n.
We don't remember that we ever said that
ELL.L-u IN ln.n @ AnhA II IN nrDD Lnfnrn N q |