The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-03-02
THE MARCH MEETING.

To-day occurs the annual March
meeting for the election of town officers
and transaction of town business. 1t
is the only election we have during the
year and 1t will of course, be the vent
for overloaded orators, and the oppor-
tunity for ambitious politicians to
manipulate the wires. This election
is always a popular one. 1t comes
much nearer to the people than the
state and county elections. 1t furnishes
en- opening for asplrants for office who
could not hope to secure place upon
the ticket to be elected at the fall
election. Besides, 1t becomes a matter
of dollars and cents. If economy Is
practiced in the administration of town
affairs the taxes are diminished. Close
scrutiny and sharp criticism often
make officers more careful of public
expenditures than they otherwise
would be. Then there are other
interests at stake. Changes arr proposed
in district lines, matters of public
policy are discussed and determined by
the aggregate opinion of the citizens.
School questions, the treatment of the
poor, the location and construction of
roads and bridges, health provisions
and various other matters come up for
consideration.
Considering the great number of
important questions coming up, it is
safe to assume that these annual March
elections arc no less important than
the biennial state and county elections.
The responsibilities of these less
prominent offices are not considered
equally weighty with those which rest
upon men called TO administer state
county and national affairs. Perhaps
they are not: But we must not fail to
appreciate the importance of securing
faithful and efficient mon to fill any
and all public positions. We cannot
afford to have any public matter, how
ever small, mismanaged, on its own
account. But when we come to look
at these petty offices as the training
schools for more responsible positions,
the matter assumes tremendous pro-
portions. Every person should be held
to strict accountability, and any
negligence or mal-administration how
ever trifling and seemingly insignifi-
cant, should meet with the rebukc of
dropping at the next election, If
no severer punishment is meted out to
them.
Some of these offices require quite as
much tact, sound judgment and in
tegrity as those offices ranked higher
In the scale of honor and responsibility.
1t is true different order of talent is
requisite for the efficient discharge of
these duties than is required in legisla-
tive or judicial offices; but in their own
order it should be no less.
BY our ballot we are expressing an
opinion upon the grave questions OF
integrity and fitness in office. By our
vote we educate public sentiment,
upward or downward The nomina-
tion of any person to an office, and his
election by those having the RESPONSE
bilities of citizenship upon them,
because "a good joke" is seen in it, is
puerile and unworthy sober candid
men, unfortunate in its effects upon
the voters and may be disastrous to the
best interests of the community.
1t is unworthy of us that we allow
any political or partisan bias to in
fuence our action in these elections
1t matters little whether a selectman,
lister, auditor, fence viewer, overseer
of the poor or any other town officer,
Is Republican or Democrat or in favor
of high or low tariff, or has any other
shade of opinions upon national
questions, provided always that he is
honest and capable.
Let our citizens, then, 90 to the polls,
with sense of the importance of
candid action upon all matters. Right
and justice to all men and in all
measures, and the highest good to the
community, should be the motto of
every voter as he goes to the meeting
to-day.