Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-11-24

IA llf
counties In the State. II was tbon.S,
that small number would RENDER ,ho
board more efficient.
Mr. Ward of Westminster opposed the
amendment because it would break
down one of the principles on which
the bill was drawn, namely, that OF hay-
ing The counties equally represented i'm
the bill.
Mr. Human of Holland saw no obiec-
ton to the amendment and hoped n
would be adoted.
Mr. Fisher OF Cabot concurred In this
opinion.
Mr. Ferrln OF Montpelier said the de.
sign OF the bill was that this board
OF trustees should locate the col.
lese' lie saw no reason then for grant
ing greater power TO some of the coun-
ties, He had no objection to charging
the board provided the gentlemen adj.
ded are to have no vote i'm the mat.
ter of location.
Mr.. Daniels of Grafton hoped the
amendment would not prevail. How
ever high minded the gentlemen named
might be- there We're valid objections to
inserting any additional names.
The House refused TO amend the bin
as proposed.
Mr.. Ward of Westminster offered an
amendment striking out all the names of
the corporators and providing that the
Governor of Vermont and fourteen per-
sons, elected from the several counties
in the state in the same manner az
county commissioners are now elected,
shall constitute the corporatlon,--th
to hold office six years, one third To be
elected biennially He urged in favor Of
this amendment that trustees elected
for life did not always keep pace with
the progress of the community. Ii was
delicate and difficult duty TO remove
trustee when from age or other cause he
became incompetent or inefficient, if he
had been elected for life, To place this
whole matter in the hands of the people
was the safest way. 1t would insure
the services of live men, who were in
sympathy with the spirit OF the times.
1t would also cause the people 10 feel
their responsibility for the support and
advancement Of the institution.
Mr.. Stewart OF Middlebury admitted
that there was something plausible in
the appeal that had been made 10 favor
of placing this institution under popu-
lar control. He would state, however,
that if he desired TO kill the bill utterly,
he should favor this proposition to al
low the institution to be controlled by
town meetings. The bill proposed to
place this control III the hands OF the
Legislature, in the hands OF the direct
representatives Of the people, in the
hands of those deemed most competent
to deliberate upon matters of impor-
lance to the state The Office OF trus-
tee was ia no sense q political office; il
was trust ana those TO whom IL WAS
to be Confided should be selected by no
political party, but by the men who
could calmly deliberate and would have
regard chiefly TO the educational inter
est OF the state. 1t was better not to
throw the matter into the arena OF
town politics but leave it in the hands
of the representatives Of the people.
Mr.. Ward of Westminster demanded
the yeas and nays, which were taken
and resulted yeas 81, nays 1872.
Mr. Ward then moved 70 amend so
that the trustees shall hold their Office
for six years only, one-third of their
number being elected by the legislature
every two years; agreed 70.
Mr. Fisher of Cabot moved 10 amend
so as to allow money raised by sub
scription to be used for Other necessa-
ry purposes" as well as to construct
buildings ;sagreed to.
Mr.. Nicholson of Wallingford moved
to amend by providing that elections in
future to board of trustees shall be with
special reference to preventing prepon-
derance of any religious denomina-
ton.
Mr.. Stewart Of Middlebury thought
the idea of the amendment was well
enough, but that to put it in the bill
would be of no avail 1t would have
no controlling effect upon future legis-
latureS. -. .l. ..... ..-.
Mr.. Abbott Of Windsor believed the
people of the state demanded some such
provision. He had no preference about
1t personally, but he had been approached
upon the subject by persons OF all de-
nominations in the state. The tendency
of all such institutions was TO come un-
der the control and patronage of a de-
nomination. 1t was well TO have denomi-
udtlOubi eCnoOls, duu lnc more VI
them the better; but a state institu-
ton, one in which all of the
people felt deep interest, should be
guarded against the possibility OF COM
ing under such control. He referred to
the University of Vermont, Harvard Uni
versity, and several other institutions,
as instances to show the liability of such
institutions to come under predominant
ing UNCONVENTIONAL control. -
Mr. Stewart of Middlebury, thought
the proposed amendment wholly unnec.
essary. The institutions cited as instan.
ces by the gentleman from Windsor,
(Abbott) were not constituted as it was.
to constitute this The cor
porators of Vermont University them
selves elected men TO FIJI vacancies, while
this bill provides for elections by the.
All denominac1onal mat
tiers, and the word denomination was ex-
cluded from the bill. ra F OFF. a.
Mr. Nicholson Of ,Wallingford, was
aware that the word denomination did
not occur in the bill. That was the
very thing objected to. No guard wasie
thrown around the institution to pro-
.ect it from coming under denomination
II control .-. . -.. --..