The Rutland weekly globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-11-10
ENDEAvoRING TO VOTE UNDER Diff
CULTIES.

of Rutlandl
ENDEAvoRING TO VOTE UNDER Diff
CULTIEs.
The people of Vermont are to le con-
graduated that their senators and repre-
sentatives in the general assembly, elected
to make their laws for them, have, at last,
seemingly the undoubted legal right to
vote, to-day, for electors of president and
vice-president of the Unite States. To SC
cure this right beyond question and beyond
cavil has been a labor of much difficulty. Ii
has furnished problem with which our
LEGISLATORS have constantly and persislently
wrestled from the very inception of theii
terms of office. This persistent wrestling
has not been without its fruits. The prob
lem has apparently been solved tue legal
objections have teen thrown ard If the
victory is anything more than apparent no
one will be foolhardy enough TO question
their right of sufTlaye under their own
vines aud fig trees-if SO be they have any.
When these 'persoLs most noted for
" wisdom and yirtue"-Heaven save the
mark first went to Montpelier, it seemed
to the common and uniformed mind that
the right of these noted persons to vote at
Montpelier, at Burlington, at RutlaLd, at
home, anywhere in the state, was unques-
toued and uuquestionable. 1t had been
the law from the time whereof the memory
of man runneth not to tie contrary, that
citizen and legal voter Of the state could
exercise the right of suffrage q, preeiden'
tial elections anywhere in the state. 1t
had been made IA Y socn after the ad-
mission Of Vermont into the Union, and
had been re-enacted with becoming regu
larity every time there had been general
revision of the statutes. When it became
necessary, or was thought to be necessary,
in order to preserve the purity of the ballot
box, to provide for a registration of voters
and the use of a check list at elections, the
whole law was practically nullifed by the
insertion of provision securing TO thes,
"persons most noted for wisdom and yir.
" tue and others similarly situated-noi
similarly situated for wisdom and virtue,
for the like of those noted persons it might,
perhaps, be impossible to find without their
own number but similarly situated in re-
spect to absence from home-the right to
vote for electors of president or vice-presi-
dent anywhere and everywhere in the state
except at hcme, even if they were not prop
erly registered-always providing they
voted only once. And this provision, too,
has been re-enacted we don't know how
many times.
Such was the situation on the first Wed
nesday of October. On that day the gen
eral assembly convened, and, the next day
our most excellent governor, addressed tc
that body, in Joint assembly convened
some profound and strikingly original re-
marks on-or, as our very erudite neighboi
around the corner would put 1t, "made g
brief, original and sensible reference to-
the evils of unnecessary and hasty legis
lation. So profound and striking" were
these remarks, or reference to-" that thu
house was moved to resolve that they wert
highly important and appreciated by thil
body'-and the members have repeated
ly shown how "highly important" they re
gard, and how much they appreciate
them. We know not how it was, whcthe
they actually were in the situation that til,
"most noble Festus" jokingly faid Pau
was-too much learning made them mad
but they certainly, soon after gathering
themselves together, proceeded to enact
special law authorizing them TO vote TO
electors OF president and vice-presdent o
the United States at Montpelier instead o
at their several homes. In effect and il
fact, they passed SPECIAL statute author
izing them to do that which at least tw,
general laws of the ttate then, ard now
and for years had authorized them to do
If this was not showing their "appreci
" alton" of unnecessary legislation, it wa
because they thought they actually were
what the constitution so sarcastically de
clareS they should be-'persons mos
" noted for wisdom and viitue'-and henc
too good to associate and vote with tn
common herd.
Daniel Webster used to doprecate 81 il
re-enactng the law of God;" but DAME
was wrong, not only because it is some
times difficult to ascertain exactly what tn
law of God is, but because the general as
sembly of Vermont, in their superior wiz
dom and viltue, see the necessity of re
enacting that human legislation which i
capable of only one construction and ca
mean but one thing. But yet the genera
assembly was not happy. 1t had gray
doubts, not only about the validity of ii
own legislation, but of the efficacy of a
the laws passed by its predecessors an
so, Friday, they adjourned over until lat
Wednesday afternoon, for the avowed oil
ject of allowing senators and represents
tives to vote unchallenged under their ow
vines and fig trees.
But, alas for human calculations! Burns
we believe 1t was, said something abou
the best laid plans of mice and men-yo
know the rest-and 30 our astute lepislt
tors found 1t. They adjourned, as we hav
said, and came home with the fond aniic
patton OF voting-to say nothing about ths