Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-05-19
From the Burlington Free Press,
The Governor Question.

! The question, who shall be the next
Governor when settled for one year in
our State is commonly, by long usage,
settled for two. This year, by the sad
dealt of Governor Washburn, it is unex-
peotedly brought up afresh, and the time
approaches fast when the Republicans OF
Vermont must give to it serious consider
alton.
The subject is embarrassed somewhat
by the usage, quite as we'll settled as that
to which we have alluded, which
takes our Governors alternately from
the opposite sides of the State.
This custom, however absurd ab.
stractly considered, and however little
consequence may be attached to it by some
is one which always asserts itself with con-
siderable force in the nominating conven-
tions, and which pratical men must con-
slider in advance. Exactly how that usage
should bear in the existing circumstances
is, however, question. Ought the east
side of the State to have the governor fol
the remainder of the customary term
Or, the east side having had it last
| Governor Hendee's short interregnum
involving hardly any official duties, being
practically of no aocount) ought the
! IROVeTDOESulp
These are questions which we do not
undertake to answer. 1t seems to us
however, with such consideration as we
have given to the subject, that the latter
is really the more sensible view. We
should favor it, because, If the office is te
be retained on the east side for the re-
mainder of what would have been Gov
ernor Washburns term of office had be
lived, it will involve some sort of stop-gap
arrangement for single year, which we
do not like, for the reason that man who
is good enough to be Governor for 011t
year is good enough to be Governor for
ta00, and we would not take man for one
year who we would not be willing to have
hold office for two years.
The only precedent, also, if it is one,
for the present contingency, points in the
same direction. When Governor Fair
banks in 1858, was removed, so to speak,
by kind of political decease, that is by
the election of democratic governor, at
the end of one year of service, the east
side did not have the privilege of filling
out the term; but the Office reverted in
1854 to the west side, in the election OF
Gov. Hiland Hall. On the whole, in this
uncertainty, the case seems to be one
when, if ever the usage can be prudently
and rightfully held in allegiance, and the
State be allowed to take the fittest man
irrespective of locality.
Who are the candidates, then, and who
should be the manP These questions we
will consider hereafter.
From the Woodstock Standard
We apprehend that the Free Press in
an article copied elsewhere, states correct
ly the position in which Mr.. Billings
stands with regard to the Governorship.
But whatever may be the result of the
canvass the west side cannot expect that
the friends of Mr.. Billings, or Mr.. Con-
verse, or any other good and worthy man,
will consent to go into it with the ex-
pectation of accepting less than the usual
term of two years. Rather than favor
such an arrangement we should prefer the
of Mr.. Stewart at this time.
We say Mr.. Stewart because we believe
if he is in the field there will be little OPP
position to him.