The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-05-15
tisedI for discussion or action are called.

N'artlcieS IN Inc warrant. .f1f
4 All these articles" must come up,
and no other subject can be acted np-
on than those named therein. % IF no
action or discussion is deemed dssf-s
rable on any article bya majority of
the meeting, that article is ''passed,"
which is the equivalent of being ta-
bled. The warrant for town-meeting
in many of the towns is sent to every i
mouse within the town limits, and in
every town must be so conspicuous1y
and widely posted that every voter iI
town may see it. The results of this 4
plan are several and important. The
questions which will arise in town
meeting are previously discussed by
all the people, at home, at church, at ?
the mill, at the pOstofice, and at the
store, and when time comes for action
they are prepared to act intelligently.
The discussions ill town-meeting are
carried on by the humble farmer and
the distinguished member of Con-
gress, the iOrmer not unfrequently
proving the more effective debater.-'i
Nowhere in civil affairs are men on
such terms of equality, and nowhere
do the people, the source of power,
come SO near to the administration OF
it. In these little nations the people "a
both make and administer the laws.
They assess and collect the taxes Of
the town and collect the county and
state taxes. They appoint all the off,
GERS of towns, selectmen, assessors,
collectors, cORstables, town clerk,
highway surveyors, overseers of the
Door, school committee, timber meas d
urers, fence viewers, ,sealers of weights
and measures, ETC., ETC., through the
list of twenty offices. All these Off
GERS are paid, not by salary, but forot
what they do, which issthe key-notel
to all rational movements looking 10 :
the reform of the relations between
labor and capital. Those officers
work by the piece,and the accouDts,i !
asithey are presented in town-meeting,
are audited, by all the people. Ii is
the people that do, or order, every
thing. Ii q board of school commit
teemen have appointedCa superintend-' }
ent of schools who is not liked, the
people may compel his removal II
anything goes wrong, it is directly the
fault OF the people, and the people
have the power TO forthwith set it
right. *. ..l f..4..- ..,;,,... --...
De Tocquevilie, the keenest-eyed
foreigner that ever visited our shores,
found this town-meeting one of the {
most Interesting of American pecu-l Il
liarities. Proi. Joel Parker called the
towns, with their varied powers, the
arterial system of New England.E %
There can be no doubt that the town.
meeting lies at the foundation of the q
Republic. 1t was this which made,
the Revolutionary War a success
One hundred years ago, as now, the
toWn-me citing meant organizations
The "Minutc Men" of the Revolution
were town-meeting men, and gave us
Lexington, and Bunker Hill, and In o
dependence, by making impossible q
prompt aud formidable resistance to
the Declaration of Independence, for
scores and scores of these meetings
had over and over again passed simi-
lar resolutions. Whateyero of strength,
and excellence exists in the State or
in the Union of States had previously
and for the first time, existed in the
town. And whatever of weakness (
exists in the State or in the Republic
lies in those features which are not
copied from this unique, sImpIe, natu- 7
raj, perfect little Democracy, this
State without a king o. ruler. 1t
had been school OF statesnlanship a !
hundred and CITY years, else we would
Revolutionary War. The frequent
meetings to discuss public affairs
taught the people the art of govern
ment not ouly, but taught them a love
for the public interest. In the early
colonial days, it was not only the right
but the duty of men to attend these
meetings, and voters were fined two
sllilIings if they were not present
when the r. Westinghouse bell had
ceased changing at eight o'clock in the
morning. An equal fine was imposed
for absence for more than fifteen min
utes during the deliberations. At first
in three of the colonies only church
members were permitted to vote in
these meetings. Several of these GUS
toms long ago passed away but il
may be well doubted whether in tw0a
fiftyyears anything in hu-,
man affairs has changed so little as the
institution which reduces the distance
between the citizen and the Govern
ment to minimum. Interest and af-
fectio bind the citizen to it. Ia lila or
The bell in the Westinghouse steer
pie still filings it's magic spell from the
highest hill in New England town in
early March Or April, summoning the
voters from every corner of the town
ship to the annual town meeting.
The boys still play. ball on the COM
mon. There are the same friendly
greetings at the door, the same sup
pressed hum of discussion, and the "
same quaint, practical, straightfor'
ward eloquence within as in the days
Of Carver and Bradford and Win
,hrop, two centuries aud 3 half ago.
Ii the American Republic should fall
o pieces, the town, hich was q hum
ired and fifty wears old when the Res
lublic was born, would be saved from
he wreck. - =" W.