Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-05-08
IIT RUTLAND HERALD.
TUESDAY, MAY 6, 1878
.,,,rrevs In the Legislature.

n
liam" During the last summer and
. l,', independent journalism" con-
.isted in being grossly and bitterly par
. 'i,o when a newspaper claimed to be
.Gndonepdent, we very well knew what
:, meant. 1t was to abuse the Republi-
can party, malign President Grant, talk
,hont the "fourth degree of affinity or
'snsonpuinity." and favor everything
5one or attempted to be done, by Dem
.orots or Liberal Republicans. It's new
,5osa as illustrated by the Springfield
peol6ljcan, is indiscriminate misrepre-
sentation and abuse of the Vermont Cen
,.ol railroad and its managers, in gene
rsI and the lawyers OF Vermont, in par
rcrIar. They illustrate one fact, that
tbaro Is vast difference between impair
rial and independent journalism, bat of
mi. we do not propose, at present, to
sneak. Thursday, we think it was, the
Psoy5lc1n contained an editorial on
,tbn Vermont Central Investigation,
which has been copied, apparently with
.noroval. by some of the self-styled Sin
journalism" newspapers of
Vermont and elsewhere. The article
,,,s IN effect, intended TO be a terrible
onslaught upon the attorneys Of Yer
,oont and claimed by implication, if not
IN words. that an attorney, who had
bspn or should be thereafter retained by
. railroad corporation, was, necessarily
a corrupt and dishonest legislator. With
.,onol force il might be claimed that an
attorney. who had been retained or en-
pIovcd in opposition to railroad com
many. was, tDSo .fgct0, dishonest and cor
runt. when, as ii legislator, he was cali
rd mon to act or vote with reference to
railroad questions We have in Yer
mont. probably, as able a bar as is to be
fonnd in any State of the Union. They
are. as a general rule, upright, honorable,
honest men, There are, of course, few
executions. 1t would be strange, indeed,
If there were not. Our towns, gener-
alIy, select their best men for represen-
talivcs, as do our counties for senators.
LAWYERS make excellent legislators In
fact. it is absolutely necessary, that
there should be more or less of their
number in every Legislature. Now
there is, probably, not an attorney in
Vermont. whether of eminenCe in his
profession or not. that has not, at some
time. been retained and employed for or
against railroad company. Let ms
take the matter right home to Rutland.
We have been represented, both in
the House and Senate, by rail
road attorneys and by those retain
cd in important suits against railroad
win any one dare or pre-
sumo to impugn the honesty and integ-
rDy. ~ legislators, of such men as John
Prout Robert Picrpoint, Charles Lins-
ley, Wheelock G.. Veazey, or William T..
Nichols 2 These men have all, to a
greater or less degree, been employed as
attorneys for railroad companies. Some,
hut not all, Of them were such attorneys
at the time OF their election and during
their entire term of service. We know
that Robert Pierpoint had a general re-
taiuer from a railroad company the last
time he represented Rutland in the Leg
stature Of Vermont. So it was with
John Prout and Charles Linsley. We
should like to see the man, who knew
them, who would dare to impugn their
integrity No one can. for an instant,
believe any such thing. 1t is sensation,
talsehood, independent journalism" t.
state the contrary. The voters of Rut.
land knew that they were pure, honest,
iucouuptiblc men when they elected
them. They know it and believe itnow.
Take some of the names of lawyers who
are charged by the inuepdo of the Re.
Ptjlicam with being bought for the paltry
sum Of fifty dollars and the others,
whom we omit, are of the same stamp
and we ask, is it reasonable or probable
that they were corrupt, dishonest legis'
lators ? II. II. Wheeler, now Judge
Of the Supreme Court of Vermont, p.
K. Gleed Of Morristown, Ex-Governor
John W. Stewart of Middlebury, Vince,
lock G. Veazey of Rutland, Charles K.
Field of Brattleboro, George N. Dale,
Roswell Farnham, Whitman G. Ferrin,
now Auditor of Accounts, George W.
Hendee, at present a member of Con
gress, William M. Pingry-but we neeC
not continue 1t may be independent
journalism to charge these men with
corruption, bat every impartial, sensible
man, at the same time, knows that it il
gross falsehood, silly balderdash and idle
sensation. We presume that since the
commencement of work on the severa
railroads in this State, there never ha,
been a session of the Legislature tina
lbs not numbered among its members
more or less of these attorneys retained
by a railroad corporation. We presume
that there never will be session with
out some of these attorneys in the Hous,
or Senate and, probably, in both. /
railroad companies have suits at law ant
other law business, which they neces
sarily have, they must also have attor
news. If the officers and managers ar
true to the interests of the companies
they will employ the best legal talent II
the State. The people, too, of the sew
eral towns, in seeking their own inter
ests-a proper influence in the Legisla
ture, and the best good of the people Q
the whole State-will probably continu
10 be represented. more or less, in ia
Senate and House by these very sam
attorneys. Independent journalism
has undertaken difficult task, when
attempts to convince the people of Yer
mont that her lawyers, as class, ar
dishonorable, dishonest, corrupt legisla
tors.
CiVII Rights in the south.