Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1868-11-12

the town, Meeting Houses were puA''
altered and repaired, and the money for
that purpose was raised by the town.
The inhabitants in town meeting made all
the necessary arrangements for the settle
ment, ordination, and dismission OF oler-
gymen, and the payment OF their salaries
The money for these, and all other rehg'
ious purposes, was raised by tax on the
Grand List, in the same manner as all
other town expenses,
The greater part of the early settlers
in most of the towns OF the state
were Congregatinnalists, and OF
course, the money raised by these town.
for building Westinghouse, pssias the
salaries of ministers. and for other re-
ligious purposes enured TO their oeneh''
and all the tax payers of the town, wheth-
or their religious belief conceded with
that Of the majority or not, were com
PEELED 10 bear and pay their full proper
ton for the support Of the kind OF preach
ing desired by the majority. This was,
of course, felt TO be, and was great
hardship--and application was made to
the Legislature for remedy.
The first act of the state regulating the
support Of the Gospel, was passed, by the
Legislature, October 10, l7s7 BY this
act it was provided, in substance, that
( the inhabitants 'of each town or parish
should be Of, and contribute TO the sup
port of the leading religious dcnomina
tion of the parish; or should have record
ed with the town clerk of the town in
which he resided, acertifcate, to the effect
that he did not agree in religion with the
majority OF the inhabitants, or that he
contributed to the support Of the gospel
elsewhere. The records of nearly all o'
our towns contain certificates similar to
the following, which we have copied, 81
random. from the records 81 the sub
soriber do hereby certify that DO not
agree with the Congregational order, Sc
called, in Religious principles" Evei
this, in some towns did not serve as
protection.
Such was the law at the meeting Of th
Legislature in 1907, although strenuou
efforts had been made at former session
to procure i,s repeal. This year the ef
forts Of Mr., Leland, Mr.. Butler au'
others were successful, and the law wa
repealed. Since that time, all laws regu
lating the support of the Gospel, hay
/ been abolished and every person, u
Vermont, IL now ut liberty to support, o
Q withhold his support from, the preachin
e Of the gospel. and each denomination
. left to be sustained by its own particuia
friends and adherents
He was. in 1903, elected one of the a:
sistant judges of the Windsor Count
Court and was reelected, with the cNtcl
ton of 1917, each year down to, and il
Guiding the year 1921, thus recciyiu
eighteen annual elections to this office.
In lsls, he was elected C5uneillo
and was annually reelected until lS2:
> when. upon the declination Of Williar
Cahoon to be candidate. he Wa. eltctc
Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, an
was reelected in 1923, 1924, 1925, an
1896. During this period the Gubern'
,, torial chair was filed by Richard Skinnc,
Cornelius ?, Van Ness, and Ezra Butle
., During the political year from Octobe'
4 tS26, to October, 1897, the two hi9he.
, offices in the gift of the people Of Nel
4 mont, Governor and Lieutenant Goycrno
were filled by Baptist Clergymon-an il
stance, we apprehend without parable
in the political history. of this country.
lie was a Member of the Constitutions
Convention Of 1914 as a delegate from ii
town of Chester, and in 1920 was one
: the eight electors of President and Vic
President, who cast the vote of Vernon
for James Monroe for President, and Dal
: iel D. Tompkins, of New York, for Vic,
- President
The honorary degree Of Master Of ar
n was conferred on him, in 1914, by Middl
! bury College, and in 1915, by Brown Tn
g versity.
Is Governor Leland died at Chester, A.
T. gust 25th, 1882, in the seventy-fourth ye'
J. of his age, and is buried in the old CEN
e terry adjoining the Baptist Church in th
Ii town.
IS Governor Leland had three wive
Is namely, Joanna, who died July 2St
II 1887, in the twenty-fourth year of h
q age; Euaice, who died October 10th, l79
i in the forty-frst year of her age, al
L Sarah, who survived him, and died in
le Sth, 1888, in the sixty-second year Of h
+ age, all of whom died in Chester, and a