Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-11-15

members of the Legislature. were employees
/ bv he Central Road. and received nifty dol
! lars each for their services These lawyers
are all well known and honorable men.
! Would the FREE Pass. for a single moment,
/ entertain or express the nOilon thai tney
were bought BY the Vermont central IN
! their legislative capacity, or ONCE,
/ for the sum Of fifty dollars eaehT Is not
such charge, on its lace, supremely ridlea-
! lOus? Does the FREE PRESS ieei under
/ rbe necessity 10 wait for explanations from
! fbess gentlemcn before 1t can profess mer-
I TED contempt for it? Suppose the editor OF
] me FRrF Pass sat through two sessions OF
/ the LEGISLATURE IN the Vermont Senate with
/ q railroad pass IN his pocket for himself ana
/ family. would that have prevented nm, IN
any respect. from wisely and fairly repre-
( sentinr the people in all legislative matters
/ can he supnose that Governor Hendee IN ms
mace in the chair. would have been Warpel
/ III his legitimate fees rs counsel for the cor
noration any more than he. as Senator, was
/ biased IN his PASS as editor2 When law
Z ye- riveS an equivalent for his fees IN his
I leaaI caparirv. cannot be act fairy as a leg
( isat0r in a legislative capacity
In fact the very items that the IrareiT
publishes. and the mode IN winch they We're
circulated. show that there was no bribery
o- corruption that the payments were
made for leral services and not for leglsla-
tive services If the Vermont Central m
Tended 10 bride the Legislature. It would
nry more thau ffry dollars each TO i've
Ia,ryers There would have been other pro-
f--sIep- REPRESENTED ON It's list, and other
men Than lawvers. Bat there were none
and when the IrgUsier charges that the
Vermont Legislature is bought by the
counsel ices Of five attorneys, who happen
10 have been elected t0 the General As
sembly. whether is it best a. treat the
charge with q Sc Pooh pooh. or with
the 0wl-like wisdom and Importantly OF
the FRFF Press We wish 10 ask the
FRFr Pass. in return fer It's lecture on
our holiness in this matter, whether II Is
uot possible 70 treat O SANDER, as this e1l-
IDENTIFY is. with too much courtesy ana re-
sDect2 Ii Mr.. Pngrey or Goy- hendee We're
bribed for fifty dollars each by the YER
mont Central as members OF the Leglsla-
ture. then they certainly would deserve the
censure of every honest man 1her price,
also was very cheap They might nave nao
ten time. fftv times that SUN. They were
foolish as well as dishonest. But Il they re-
ceiyed the sum alleged As counsel tees, II Is
Bebodv's business They have a. much
right To sell their services 70 the Central a.
had Governor Stewart Or Colonel Yea
zev. who were not members OF the
legislature After Its attempt 70 be- wise
ana impartia. and judicial, We think
the FREE Pass Will come 10 the CONCLUSION
that IL would have been quite as well u Dee
% little more c0nsiderate and charitable q
the gentlemen whom its article really lmpA-
GATES If the FREE Press believes these
gentlemen 10 be corrupt. it had better
saw So. fit does not. it had better pooh
pooh the ISLANDERS Of the IrGretler. as we
did.
Some of these questions are quite on one
side Of the point at issue The FREE Press
has never endorsed or credited any charge Of
the Trarelirrr. thar the vermont Legisla
ture was bought like sheep. In fact We
have seen no such charge in the Irarelsr.
The TrarrHsrs original assertion was that
the railroad managers had only 20 engage
few leading members Iof the Legislature
ami tine rest either unable 20 see through the
wool. or NOT daring To oppose. havefoliowet
ike sheep And the reply of the Journal,
was. that .-there are NOT ten lawyers in the
State who could on any question pull the
wool over the eyes Of the Legislature Of
Vermont As 20 that. we do not agree en-
tirelv with tie Journal We believe oar
legislature % be honest and Intelligent. 80
legislative body b. more So. and long may
that be the ease. Bur we think that ten
able iawyers. working In concert. supposed
TO be talking and acting solely on pablic
grounds. and without suspicion that they
had private ana personal motives for their
course. could NOT fail Co lave very great IN
huence ON legislation. ID any legislature We
ever saw assembled Our suggestions III the
matter. however. have hitherto bad sole rei-
erence 10 the conduct of certain individual
members. and not 10 the Legislature as O.
whole.
The Jaar7iars aIiusian 10 editorial
passes Is equally irrelevant As our Mont
pelier contemporary seems 10 think il has
made q line point on that. however. we may
say that the editor Of the FEEE Pass never
held a pass which had moi been already
paid for. by advertising or discounts from
our regular rates on the regular advertising
bills Of the railroad. There never wasa day
when the proprietors Of this paper would
not have been glad TO pay cash for al their
railroad riding. if they could receive cash
for the equivalent they Lad already rem
dered. There is DO need. then. that we
should assume any especial virtue in the
matter Never having felt under any par
ticular obligation to tie road in that re
gard. our independence as an editor. or
legislator, mas never been in danger from
that source.
There Is also DO question about the pro
priety Of a railroad'- employing counsel. .
Retainers and counsel fees may be as iegiti-
mate an expenditure AZ wood bills. In
its talk on these points the Journal is simply
dust into the air.
The real question at issue. Is simply /
whether It Is honorable and proper for le- |
gal gentlemen. who are members Of the leg /
islature. TO hold secret retainers as counsel for
4 railroad. paid to them in whole or In part I
for their influence on legislation affecting /.
the road The Journal appears to think it I
to be all right We beg leave to differ |
with the Journal on that point The Con !
stitution Of the State forbids it, and for OBJ /
yious and good reasons.
" have not charged that any member
has done this. But we have seen the names /
of certain gentlemen IN list Of lawyers /
retained during the session of the legisla- I
ture. and voucher, whose authenticity is /
not as vet denied, in which the agent Of the /
railroad managers declares that those re- /
tainers We're % expenses al M0ntpeiIer, Ses- I
sion Of 1868. IN resisting adrerse legislation.
We have said we think this calls for
explanation. A livery simple one would an
swer. The gentlemen named have only to
iay that the voucher Is false, TO be believed.
The matter does not CONS up IN the shape of
/ flying rumor, which may be made Of too
much Importance by notice. 1t is in a shape
that seems To Us TO demand attention from
he gentlemen affected by it, We charge no
nan with bribery We do not assume that
my man Is corrupt But having long held
several Of these gentlemen in high respect,
We are anxious that they should relieve
themselves from injurious imputations, and
We think we show much timer regard for
heir fair fame than our Montpelier eontem-
'orary.
NORTHERN PACIFIC LAND pRoDucrs. The
Elmira Advertiser thus speak Of the display
# Northern Pacific Land products at the
state Fair recently held At Elmira