Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-05-04

4
Ird skinner, Cornelius p. Van Ness, Charles
(. Williams, Titus Hutchinson, John Mat
ocks, Stephen Royce, Samuel ). Phelps,
Jacob Collamer, and in later times the names
Of Red6eld, Poland, AldiF, Peck and Pier
point They will point you to the thirty or
forty volumes of Vermont Reports as evil
ience of learning, ability and exhaustive re-
search not excelled in any State IN the Union
What other system of election can produce
better results than this g? Let the people |
who have SO long realized its benefits decide |
V. But the greatest objection to this mode
of appointment-an objection that by its
magnitude, dwarGs all others-remaIns yet
to be stated. Until within a recent period
the interests and pursuits OF the people OF
Vermont have been mainly agricultural.
Quiet, frugal and industrious in our habits,
as our history shows, there was no disturb
ing element, no combination OF interests, no
oyershadowing power that threatened the
purity of elections, sought to control and
make subservient to its behests the great
masses of voters, endangering our free in
situations, and laying seige to the very cit
adel of liberty itself.
All this is now changed. Great corpora
tions encircle and permeate the State with
railroads. Other corporations, armed with
dangerous powers and mOnOpOlies conferred
upon them by special acts of the Legislature,
combine with these greater corporations IN
one general concerted system efforts to con-
troll all nominations to office TO control the
elections-and, finally, to gorerR the STATE.
Humiliating as it may be TO our State pride
and boasted freedom and equality before the
law, vet it is our duty to look the matter
square in the face, and bow to the authority
of stubborn facts. What are the facts for
nothing is gained and much lost BY suppress
ing them. They have been too long sup
pressed already.
Can any one doubt that combination of
these great interests will control the cleo
tions. unless all good citizens unite and com
bine in self-defense? In the absence of Wig
orous and combined opposition on the part
of the people, is it not in the power OF the
railroad corporations to elect the Governor
and majority of the Senate every year ?
Have they not done it for the last seven
wears? Can there be a doubt on this point ?
Now let us pause for moment and see
what bearing these facts have upon the sub
iect under discussion. Ii is well known that
these corporations frequently have great
litigations in the Courts. They are full Of
lawsuits and many a time resist an honest
claim for years rather than create what they
term a. a bad precedent = by paying it. One
of these railroad corporations (by its trus-
teeS) has been fighting huge lawsuit IN the
five or six years. Ii has employed troop Of
lawyers embracing the best legal talent in
the State Ii has paid out immense sums of
money taken from the earnings of the road
And all this has been done, we now learn by
the final decision of the Court, TO resist an
honest claim of several hundred thousand
dollars secured by first mortgage on the
road Bear in mind that during four of
these six years we had a railroad President
for Governor, and for the other two years
we had Governor supposed TO be in the IN
terests of and fully committed to railroad
management Still further, remember that,
during two of these eventful years, we had d
railroad President for Governor who was the
actual party in this railroad suit, resisting, by
all the means in his power, the collection OF
an honest debt.
/ Here then comes the final point at issue
and the main issue in the case TO be deter
mined by the people. Surprising this amend
ment to the constitution had been adopted
seven years ago, giving the nomination of the
Judges of the Supreme Court Saying moth
I ing of their appOintment) to the Governor
/ The Governor then makes the Court, for no
man can be Judge unless his name is en-
dorsed by the governor. Is any one so blind
and infatuated as not to see that no man
would stand chance to be elected Judge
who was not right on railroad questions ana
railroad management both in and out of the
Court? Ii is said that " Corporations have
no souls" Certain it is they never do thing;
. by halves. They never stop to higgle about
means when they have an end IN view. liz
all their schemings and undertakings the ont
great, central idea and object is-SUcoEss
the decisions oI Courts in their favor. AnC
in order TO do this they must pack and con
troll caueuses-they must make the nomina
tions and control the election. 1t Is indis
pensable that they have the Governor,
majority Of the Senate, and as many mem
bers of the House as possible. But tn,
Supreme Court Here Is the rub. Thi
is the - MOrdecai in the Kings gate
that 50 troubles these corporation mOnoPo
lies-changing their JOY into grief. Wha
can be done A bright idea presents itsel
and dazzles the vision with a long panOram;
of brilliant victories. A grand scheme en-.
titled " constitutional amendment thai
no man shall he Judge without the consent
of railroad Governor The " decree " hat
gone forth aud Hannah Is already rejoicing
with his friends. But holy writ assures u:
that the final triumph was to Mordeeai-
and has people.