Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1864-12-30
lFoT the Free Pres 3
CITY CHARTER.

CITY CHART = r.
Editors Free Prsss.
Permit au oli resident OF
Burlington to state a few facts which may aii
your readers in determining how to cast their
ballots upon the question of the adoption or re-
lection Of the City Charter
We are told by the opponents Of the Charter.
that IT, procurement wac the result Of private
entv-prise-an assertion denied however. ty it.
advocates. No~. although IT may be difficult
for men Of ordinary minds to discover ans ar
gumeut IN the assertion. be it true or false. vet
as the point is raisei, let Us examine it
briefly.
The idea entertained by a correspondent of
the Free Pre4s, signing himself Union. 90 that
any project conceived by a minority Of those in
interest, is a private enterprise, and should,
therefore be iiscorutcuancei, endorse heartily.
The aaciant idea that minority had rights dis
tnci and separate from the majority, or that a
minority should be permitted to originate or
move in any matter of public interest until it
had been submitted to and had received the en-
dorsement Of the majority, has long since been
exploded; in fact it never had An existence in
Burlington. In tine case under consideration.
am reliably informed. that less than three hun
dred persons signed the petition for the enact
ment Of the Charter. / admit that the list Of
petitioners comprises the names of a large ma
iority Of the business men Of Burlington, rep
resenting the bulk Of the capital invested here.
I admit thai these are the men who afford en-
rlcymeut and thus the means Of livelihood to
the masses Of the more humble and poorer clas-
ses in our miist-that they are always among
the foremost in all public measures which de-
pend upon private enterprise for satisfactory
results. that they are reliable, intelligent, en-
terprisiug citizens; but in all these admissions,
discover no argument in their favor. The un-
fortunate tact still exists that they comprise but
a minority Of those in interest. and stamps their
project a private enterprise. the tate Of which
'V, in the Times SO truthfuny prophesies.
believe that Burlingtoniaus are not yet so sim
pie as to permit a private enterprise, and worse
than that, an anonymous enterprise as SO for
chilly referred TO by the same ~ to come to
anything but grief at our hands | beg leave
to say here for the information Of those who
possibly might not see the difference, that an
anonymous enterprise and an anonymous COM
munication, are two entirely different things
an anonymous enterprise being without force or
value. while an anonymous com munication re-
tains the same force and value Of one signed by
a reliable party.
The two all important questions which sug
gest themselves for consideration in attempting
to arrive At a result with which We shall he sat
isfei in all time to CONT, ,are-what shall We gain
or lose in the adoption or rejection Of the Char
ter. and how much money viii it take TO foot
the bills These are difficult questions 20 an
swer within the reasonable limits Of paper in
tended for publication, and can only consider
a few Of the points, and these very briefly.
Suppose we adopt the Charter. By this act
We east from US as worthless thing. that dear
old town organization which our Fathers framed
and bestowed upon us as a rich legacy to be
zealously guarded, and by Us transmitted to our
posterity unimpaired. Why, sirs, its antiquity
alone should make it sacred thing, and We
should approach it reverentally, even regard
ing II as relic entrusted to US, never to be sur
rendered. AID If We with sacrilegious hands
dethrone our Idol, what do we substitute for it
\ cumbrous and costly organization which viii
fit US in about the same manner that a fathers
coat would ft his four year old boy. A little
insignificant extraordinarily known outside
its own limits, with nothing even transpiring in
or even about it, that cannot be better managed
by one man than by more; community indulg-
ing IN no aspirations for notoriety, only asking
to be "let alone" and permitted to ploi on to
the end of the journey, as it ha. been doing from
the commencement, quietly and unobtrusively-
with an organization and officer, as Union
forcibly remarks. like London or New York -
Shades of our fathers, forbid it
cannot state from my own knowledge, how
many officers we are blessei with now, but
think every mar in town will agree with me.
thar we need no more. and when to the present
number is addei, as "Union" again, with sin
gular significance and truthfulness remarks, 40
to 80 additional officials. as would be the case
with the adoption Of the City Charter, our set
tlement would resemble some men We have seen
or heard of,-all head and DO body Ard more
than this. the same thoughtful and investigating
"Union,' to whom feel deeply indebted for his
mastery exposition of the fallacies of the argu-
ments offered in favor Of the City Charter. and
who am sure IS an educated man aud a student
in natural history, has made an astounding dis
coverv: one which alone will seal the fate Of the
Charter.
refer to the form and shape Of ihy con-
tenplated city. rs says IT will -esemble a
nameless animal miles long Az Mis- Pepper
ON q certain occasion, eloquently remarked,