Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1872-06-14
RESOLUTIONS.

RESOLUTIONS.
Resolced, LIST. That we regard secret associa-
tons prolific source OF corruption and
fraud foreign and unAmerican in their origin
narrow, selfish, and unrepublican in their tenden-
denotes not created by the people nor operated
for the benefit of all, but are in their very nature
exclusive, oblIgarchcal, and as irresponsible as
they are secret, standing in the way of those re
forms which have become the leading political ne
cessity of the day,
I'd. That the recent action at Cincinnati in IA
vor of reform we consider defective, inasmuch as
opposition to secret societies was not adopted as
the principal article of the platform for without
this measure of reform all Others must prove in
effectual.
3D. That sezing upon the interests of the COM
munity as secret societies do, for their own adj
vantage, claiming to bestow particular benefits
upon their members in war, in religion, in travel
ing in social standing, in politics, tits reasonable
to presume that they would not scruple to seize
upon our time honored institutions of law and
iustice-the jury and the bench-for similar par
tal, selfish and corrupt purposes, and it is the
right and duty of every citizen of the republic to
see that these institutions are kept pure and I'M
perverted, as instruments for securing justice to
all, instead of providing immunites for few.
4th. mot adopted That in order TO secure
equal rights and privileges before the law to ALL
not in mere political pretence only but also in fact
and a means of destroying the illegitimate
power of secret rings, secret caucuses. and secret
associations of all kinds, we are in favor of max
ing it an individual right and imposing it as an
obligation by law that every voter shall originate
write, seal, and cast his own ballot in the box.
9TH. mot adopted That as the operation of
our laws of taxation has become derapged, owing
partly 70 AN exemption by federal authority of
vast amount of personal property from taxation,
and partly to other causes, and is hence verv un.
nd HIN hIiur,
generally the rich and powerfully to escape paying
their proper amount of taxes, while others are
compelled thereby to bear additional burdens,
thus acting as a premium upon seliishness, cum
ming, fraud concealment and all those vices which
fostered by the lodge, in opposition to honest
fair dealing, openness, frankness, patriotic deyo-
ton to equal laws, ETC., recommend TO the peo-
Pile of the State revision of our tax laws, and
to examine the question whether the confinement
of taxation 10 real estate alone would not be
equabe and just less demoralizlng TO the COM
munity, and more conducive TO a careful and eco
nomical administration of the government.
9th. That in the anti-masonic party should
omit, on any occasion TO nominate State town or
county officers, we will seek to avoid voting for
such nomn ees as may appear 10 have been pre-
sciribed for us by the so called Grand Lodge of
Vermont at its usual June meetings, or under its
influence, and as possible choice of evils, we
will cast our vote if ALL for that candi-
date who, so far we are enabled to judge, is
not an adhering member of any secret society.
9TH. That with respect to the ensuing presiden-
tal election, we receive with particular satlsfac-
ton the nomination to the Vice Presidency, of
Henry Wilson of Massachusetts, the man who, at
a time when Masonry seemed to have become the
main spring of the republican party, was willing
to present our first petition to congress against
that Dissertation Of republican legislation, which
chartered Masonic Hall Association at the seat
Of ourf pderai frf9y arnfu bnf with IN
the nomination OF Gen. Grant for the presidency,
we can have but little confidence in the principles
of man who while opposing one secret society,"
viz. the Ku-klux at the south, is lending especial
favor to another secret society, Masonry at the
north.
sth. That the officers of this society be re-
quested to get up and circulate printed copies of
petition to the legislature of the State, for
law to render members of secret associations in
competent to sit on iures, on the challenge of
either party III the case to be tried,
A committee on nominations being
duly appointed they retired and finally
made the following report: That the
committee did not recommend the nomi-
nation of county officers at this meeting,
but that the officers of the society be
empowered at their discretion, to call a
mass meeting of the county for this pur-
pose at some later period of the season,
which report was adopted as the sense of
the meeting.
The committee was com posed OF Messrs
Muzzy of Jamaica, Ward of Newfane,
Lazelle of Dover, Harris of Townshend
Weld of Brattleboro and Wellman of
Brookline.
DR.. Joel Holton of Jamaica, propos-
ed that the constitution of the society
should be altered, changing its annual
meeting day from Saturday to some 9TH
er day, in order to meet the views of the
Seventh Day Baptists of the county,
which proposal may be regarded as suffi-
cient notice to act upon the said pro-
vision of the constitution at the next an
nual meeting.
1t was then resolved by the meeting
that copies of these proceedings should
be furnished to the papers of the county
for publication. The meeting then ad-
journed, sine die.
The venerable LIST Vice President of
the Association, Hon. Austin Orchard.
now eighty years of age, veteran lead
er in the anti-masonic campaign of 1881,
was present on the stand, and though
too deaf to hear readily yet not bind to
the wants of the times, contributed
largely to give the meeting some of the
needed inspiration of the Vermont of
former days.
The petition alluded to in these pro-
ceedings will be prepared and circulated
at an cary day. Give us a long roll
and let the friends of freedom be ON the
alert.
The BosToN JoURNAL-The Boston
journal has recently been much en-
larged and its price reduced to IS year
for the Daily The JournaI Ia pot 81