St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-12-08
Election of State Officers.

From the Rutland Herald
Ii has become the established custom
of "rr Legislature t" postpone the cleo
ton If state officers till near the close
ut the session. and then, if Il new man
Is to he chosen to any state office, to
elect some member of the Senate or
House of Representatives,. This Gus
tom has bccomc notorious. Any one
Who has watched the course of the leg
i>laturc foi the last ten Years knows
how it j.. The members appear t" re
solve themselves into Il mutual admlIa-
ton society at the beginning of the Se>-
sion. the pipes ale laid, and the office
seekers shape their actions. as lcgl>la-
tors. with view. constantly, to their
own election. The influence which
mrmher> acquire durin" the session.
through the understanding they have
with each other in the Organization of
the House and the making mp of the
committees. and the various comhua-
tiui> of circumstances they are able Ia
bring about. makes ii almost Impossible
ion an outsider to bc elected to any
office This l. 81 we'll understood that
it has hccomr the custom for candidates
for thc>, offices to go to the Legislature,
in order To secure them. Now this Is
all wrong. Mr.. Bailey, of Fairhavem,
hi, the nail on the head when he ohjcc-
ted to the election of Mr.. Ladd to the
office of State Auditor because, a> he
SAID. he wished to eXplcS> his condem
nation of this custom. There ought Ia
he al amendment to the state cOnStItu-
ton making the members of the Gencr-
I'll Assembly ineligible to these offices.
This j. he rule of Congress. 1t should
br the rule of this state. In the mean
time. " hilr waiting for this amendment,
the General Assembly should fix the
day of election very early III the SEES
sion, before the aSplrants for office can
have time to arrange things for their
own election. Then IN outsider would
stand some chance. We object to this
custom. not because of its had taste nor
hccau>c it allows members to use THEN
position as public representatives tn
advance their private Interests, alone,
but because it gives such an advantage
to an unfit candidate who happens tn
he Il member of the Assembly. over Il
better candidate who is not Il member.
No one. foI example. SuppoSeS that Mr..
Ladd could have been elected Auditor
last week il he had not been member
of the House. He had by various
means. got almost the whole House.
from the Speaker down, fixed so that
nothing except Il tidal wave of good
SENSE recurring to the minds of the
members could have prevented his cleo
ton. Two yeaIs ago Judge Powers
WAS elected from the Speakers chair to
the supreme Cout. In fact nearly all
the offices are captured 10y members OF
the legislature. This custom offers IL
premium To intrigue and SelfSeeking.
1t affords I'M opportunity t" members OF
the legislature Ia undermine state Off
GERS and get the places for themselves,
and is altogether Il most disreputahle
custom. We speak plainly on this sub
icct. but not more 50 than some mem
beers of the Legislature have spoken ia
uS about it. Wcar confident that the
>elf-rr>pccting men in that body would
rejoice il the state constitution made it,
members ineligible to offices which
they have to fill.