The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-05-03
VILLAGE; MEETINGS.

Every kind Of business requires dellhcr-
ton. of which time is an essential element
Two men rarely trade upon the first prop
ositun or at the first meeting. AT least one
sleep i, usually preferred upon even so
small matter as II swap of scrub horses
To ascend ut once from the lowest to the
highest some churches have II system of
assemblies with appeals from lower to
higher 10 gain the wisdom that comes with
time and discussion. 1t is with the same
view that the machinery of courts is con
trivcd The attorney for each party is
bound by sclf-intcrcst and the nature of his
contract to make the best showing his side
will bear II the case is important, there
will he adjournmcnts from day to day. dur
ing which the judge, the attorneys and the
Jury deliberate. If errors are supposed to
have been made, resort is had to a superior
court, and this commonly compels delay
of weeks or months, during which the at
torncys have an opportunity to deliberate
and prepare to throw new and better light
on the subject when it is again heard.
So it is in IL legislature congress, or II
parliament. Bills are introduced, read by
their titles and ordered printed, to afford
members an opportunity to inquire, 20 read
and to reflect. A bill is also referred to
committee to examine critically, with II
view to recommending that it he rejected
or accepted, or amended or that something
else he substituted in its place. After days
or weeks the committees report comes in,
and members are supplied with new infor-
nation or fresh points of view. If the bill
seems good it is read Il second time, and
then in some States by constitutional pro-
vision at least day must capsc before
reading Il third time, when, if much care
appears to be required, each paragraph is
read, discussed and voted on separately.
The bill next goes to the other house, with
some of the advantages of an appeal in
courts of law. Conversations are held be-
tween members of the two houses, constt-
ucnts are heard from and newspaper com
ments considered. The house receiving
the bill begins with these advantages, and
repeats the same legislative formulas.
These parliamentary forms for securing
delay and cautious thought are adopted in
cities having extensive and complicated in
terests, city councils being local legisla-
lures with two branches.
Village affairs are few and simple and do
not require this machinery. What we have
described are representative or republican
forms of government. A village can be
better governed as pure democracy,
without the intervention of representatives.
When the people can legslate directly for
themselves they have an absolute assurance
of honesty, an immense advantage which
ought not to he given away except upon
positive necessity. But it is possible in
Rutland TO secure the advantages of both
systems. Odd Fellows, Temperance and
other societies, and even debating clubs,
generally require that Il proposition to
change the bylaws shall De read to one
meeting and voted ON at the next. 1t
hardly seems for the best that the village
in mass meeting assembled should he
Obliged to decide instantly upon matters of
the gravcst importance thrust forward
without previous notice
1t is true there was II general understand
ing among the people previous to the last
meeting, In somcih ng must be dc ne about
taxes and the village debt, but ideas were
vague, conflicting, flying at loose ends,
with no opportunity to bring them together
for comparison and making up correct
Judgment If swarm of bees is to settle
it must first have something to settle ON.
If to some previous village meeting had
been presented for consideration and dis
cussion the definite propositions to levy a
tax of fifty, of seyenty-iive, of hundred,
of II hundred and fifty cents ON the dollar,
opinions might have had week or two in
which to crystalze around one of these
sums, and the expenses of lighting the city,
employing watchmen and sustaining the
fire department, would not have been for
gotten. A tax of seventy-five cents or a
dollar would have been laid, and the village
would have avoided the error of piecing out
the debt at one end while cutting it off at
the other As the matter stands now, the
prime necessities just mentioned must he
obtained on credit for the current year,
Perhaps little more deliberation would
have relieved us of the unpleasant duty of
complaining that the graded schools will
he deprived, after July list, of the services
of a very excellent music teacher. We are
also sorry to have TO state that after
the same date the village will be obliged to
dispense with first rate teacher of one of
the unclassified public schools. A tax of
fifty cents was imposed, but fifteen or
twenty cents being appropriated to pay
debt, there was not enough left for current
school expenses.
There would be some inconvenience and
outlay of valuable time in holding two VII
lage meetings so near together and If it
should be thought the advantages would