Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-08-05
last, though minor, is by no means an
unimportant consideration.

At the same time, whenever thc P",
good requires it, the Assembly can DC
convened the same as now. either ZOE a0
iourned sessions or upon call OF 'iie Wv
ernor. The effect of the ameno"ent re-
commended would not be to deprive the
State of any needed sessions pu. oniy "
give us the power to dispense Win such
as are found to be unnecessary.
Another consideration to be regarded IN
this connection is the effect OF the propos-
ed change upon the character OF the OIL
GERS to be elected. In this respect your
committee are of opinion that the propos-
ed change will not materially modify the
present state of affairs. Under the pres
emit system it is almost the universal prac-
tice to give a second election, and so prac-
tically we now select our officers for terms
of two years. If it should result that I'M
der the change, officers should then be re-
elected, so giving four years term OF
office where we now have but two, the
effect would of course be to lessen the
number of men holding offices in the
State, and this if it produced any differ
ence would improve the character and
qualifications of the officers, for as gene
raj rule more care is had i'll the selection
of few than of many.
1t is no valid ground of objection that
officers will act more carefully and with
better judgment when they know their
actions are to be subjected to the scrutiny
of their constituents on their reelection.
| Such views are libels on our officers and
people. A Judge who should vary his
! judgments for the sake of influencing his
reelection, would be doing wrong and
deserve impeachment. a legislator who
has no higher motive for good conduct
than the hope of n reelection is unfit for
| his place. Such would be unworthy mo-
4 tives to influence their action. Ii would
/ then be a strangely inconsistent course OF
reasoning that should claim that the con-
duct of men in official positions would be
1 improved by seeking to give them unwor-
thy inducements. 1t would be as If some
one should recommend that every sutton
having the right of case should bride
the Jury to further justice.
Our experience is an abundant refuta-
ton of this objection. We uniformly
elect our officers twice 1t is generally
expected that all our officers will have
one reelection, and as generally under
stood that they are not to have another.
! Now if there were force in the objection.
we HnDufu 1lHd IuhJ did DSsbSA "a
their first than in their second years Of
office. This is not so. Your committee
submit that the observation OF every IN
telligent citizen will confirm the statement
that if there be any difference it is IN fav-
or Of the second year, on account OF the
increased knowledge and experience given
by the first years experience.
Another objection to the proposed
change il that long term Of office lays
open to the incumbents, and more cspe-
ciully the members Of the General As
sembly, To improper influences before the
sessions, and that we ought not TO have Il
long time intervene between their election
and their active service, on the same prin-
cple that jurymcn are selected but n
short time before the terms Of the Court
to which they are returned.
This objection is answered practically
/ by the same facts we have just been con-
| siderinR.
In theory there would be force in the
/ objection if all our members were venal
! They are not such, and although rare in
stances are found of individual shortcom-
! ings, our General Assemblies never have
| been carried by corrupt means, and with
our present basis of representation there
is little fear they ever will be. The great
majority Of our members are honest men,
and we may safely expect they will con-
/ tinue such.
| Now if a biennial election gives greater
| opportunities to approach the one venal
member, it must at the same time give the
ten or twenty honest members to be found
for every corrupt one a better opportunity
for honest study and careful information
as to the official duties, and give more
wisdom to them, which is the controlling
action of these assemblies.
Another very important consideration
is the expense Of annual elections We
have, say forty to fifty thousand votes cast
at every State election The t;---e - each
of these voters in attending the election
is Just as much tax on the community
as if each voter We're assessed the value of
that time, and the money paid over to
some tax gather. Add to this the time
| spent in attending primary meeting, eau
cuses, and conventions, and IN canvaslng
and soliciting votes, anu it Is safe To say
that every election costs the State III least
as much as a full days work Of each voter,
or 100000. For this we get no return,
unless we get it in the benefit of the cleo
ton.
We have already seen that most of our
officers serve two years. Probably not
five in every hundred fail of their re-elec-
ton. The result then Is III effect that
every other year we have the expense OF
a general election to change five per cent.
of our officers. The difference in value
between the services OF the five per cent.
who are not reelected and of those who
take their places is very poor return for
t his expense.
But the pecuniary cost of our election
is by far the least of its expense. Our
elections, accompanied as they are by To-
cal contests, the intrigues of cliques and
and the struggle of hungry aspirants,
have in them much that is demoralzing.
Not to mention the corrupt appliances
which unscrupulous men bring to bear
more or less in every close contest, there
are influences which cannot be stigma
tiled as immoral which have yet an I'M
healthy tendency. Our frequent cleo
tions bring about an eagerness for place
and a constant counting of popularity
that works evil in our society. Our lead
ing men in such conditions, instead of
being manly and outspoken III their con-
victions, become timid in rebulsing evil
and cautious III sustaining the right. In
stead OF beng public teachers, advocating
wise counsels and and combining preju-
dices and striving TO turn public thought
into higher and better courses, our pub
lie leaders flatter the vanity and stimu-
late the preiudices of the multitude, and
follow wherever the passions or interests
of the many may lead them. Instead OF
big statesmen they become demagogues.
So, too, this eageFness for place brings
about an unhealthy ambition. Men for
sake stations of greater credit and useful
ness for the glittering allurements of Of
fee. 1t is very poor bargain for the
State to change useful private citizen
into hungry ofiice-seeker.
These, to be sure, are necessary evils
the legitimate results of our form of gov
eminent, but in the judgment of your
committee are aggravated by the fre-
quency of our elections. While they are
no sufficient reasons for doing away