The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-12-30
SHALL THERE BE A SPECIAL SESSION 7


The executive committee, appointed by
the governor to devise ways and means for
the proper representation of Vermont in
the international exposition by which the
centennial anniversary of American indie
pendence is to be commemorated, have
issued an address to the members of the
general assembly, which will be found in
another column. The manner in which ii
has been determined that the centennial
shall be celebrated meets with general ap-
prevail that Vermont shall be properly
represented in the exposition is conceded ;
that our honor as state is involved in the
matter we all feel; and the only question
has been how shall such a representation
of our industries, as will be creditable to
Vermont and the country, be obtained ?
Unfortunately, the people of the country,
especially of Vermont, were not sufficient
ly awakened to the Importance of the mat
ter year ago, and 30 our last session of
the legislature was allowed to pass without
the subject being called to its attention or
an appropriation being made to pay the
expenses. BY our system Of biennial SEES
sions, there was no meeting of the Se o., now
presents itself, whether there shall be a
special session or whether Vermont shall
be unrepresented, or, at the best, inadequate
ly represented, at that gathering of the ma
tons in honor of our independence.
We say unrepresented, or inadequately
represented, because it cannot be expected,
and it would be too much to ask, that in
divduals should be at the expense of pre-
pairing articles for exhibition, of transport
ing them to and from Philadelphia, and of
their care while there. The advantages
to be derived from such an exhibition
are not, in any sense, individual-all the
advantages and all the honor belongs and
will belong to the state, and to the state
alone. 1t is the state not the individuals
who will be represented. We will not in
suit the intelligence of our readers by the
endeavor to show this, as the history of all
similar exhibitions is to that effect. The
immediate or consequential" results, as
Mr.. Sumner would term it, have never
paid, will never pay, an individual exhibi.
tor 1.-THE of the expense he would be at to
make a proper representation of a given
article, while the pecuniary advantages to
the state from the combined exhibition
we are now speaking solely of the practi-
cal dollars-and-cents-argument, leaving out
of view the honor of the state which alone
ought to lie a sufficient inducement-will
be more than an hundred fold the expenses
annually. If we are correct in this, as we
believe we are, it is the duty of the state,
as state, to see to it that Vermont is pro-
perly represented in all of her varied in
dustrial interests.
We have reason to believe that the gene
raj assembly would have been convened in
special session to consider this matter ere
this, but for the question o expense. The
governor, 10 our judgment, has very prop.
erly taken this expense question into con-
sderation, but if the address of the execu-
tive committee meets with the response
that we expect it will, that objection will
be obviated special session of the legis-
lature will be convened and, if so, we
cannot permit ourself to doubt an appro-
priation of at least twenty thousand dollars
will be made for Vermont's appropriate
expenses at the centennial exposition. The
appropriation asked for is not for the gen
eral purposes of the centennial, but solely
that Vermont may be properly represented,
or as the committee aptly put it, that Yer
mont may not be dlsgraced in the eyes of
her sister states and the civilized world BY
failure to have our agricultural, mechanical
manufacturing and other industrial inter.
ests properly represented, and that Yer.
mont may 'maintain her true position
"among the other states.' The money
can only be appropriated by the genera
assembly, and to the members thereof ia
very properly left the determination of tht
question whether that body shall be called
together or not The simple question pre-
sented to each one of them is "Will yon
without charge, devote one day to thu
honor of Vermont ?" We cannot per
nit ourself to doubt what the answer will
be.