Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1880-10-06
IneIIiglbllity Of Postmasters.

y. i. Flfeld, Esq, resigned his Of
fee Of United States District Altor-
ney, before his election NJ Represent.
alive Of Montpelier in due regard to
the constitution OF Vermont, which
provides that no person holding Office
under the authority Of Congress shall
be eligible TO the Legislature. "ThiS,'
tho Free Press says, lis an example
to DO commended 10 postmasters'
clerks Of United States courts and
other Federal officials accepting cleo
tons to the Legislature The clerk
of the United States court has recent
" held seat in the House as Repre-
sentative from Burlington. two terms,
but this was because there was no dis
position to prevent it. 1t the case
had been brought TO the attention OF
the House. 1t would doubtless have
been decided against him, and this
would have left vacancy which our
State constitution aud laws afford no
provision for filing. The city Of
Burlington preferred to- represented
by Mr.. smalley rather than not at ALL
and therefore he was not disturbed.
But there is no question as to the in
eligibility Of postmasters and other
federal officials to seats in our Legls-
lature, In ls41 the Representative
from Moretowp and Senator
from Caledonia county vera postmas'-
ters at the time of their election
and their election was declared void
by their respective Houses and
the election of postmasters has uni
tormly been so declared when brought
to the attention of the Legislature.
In the case OF Mctiregor vs.. Balch,
18th VT, Judge Williams says there
| is no dopbt that the Office Of postmas-
ter is one of profit or trust under the
authority Of Congress, within the
meaning of our constitution Inc
l54th rule of the United States Pos
tai Guide, sent in January OF The
present year, Says"a member OF the
Legislature is Ineligible to appoint
meut as postmaster" The laws and
the presidents a,s both against post
masters holding seats in the Legis|a.
lature. This being SO, towns ought
to receive notice again that the Leg
,slature which makes laws vii respect
laws ALREADY made. We find on look
ING over the list Of memheia ELECT to
the Legislature and by reference to
Walton's Register, that eleven Repre-
sentatiyes and one Senator are post
masters. Addison County. which
gave us a postmaster tor Presidential
eleclor four years ago, sends three
postmasters to the House, Rutland
County two, Orleans County two and
Chitlerden, Lamoille, Wjndham and
. Windsor each olu, and Bennington
one Senator. 1t is possibly tue that
some of the members elect and per-
haps all of them resigned, as Mr..
Fifeld did, their appointment under
the authority Of Congress, before they
were elected to the Legislature, but if
they did not, there will be more post
masters in the Legislature than a
decent regard for the { I:!.ni!on OF
the State ought to tole.A LSt. Al
bans Messenger.
Members elect Of the L g.slature
for lSSO-S2, who are reported as
possmssters in Walton's Register tor
1880:
Bennington Coun'y-Sendtor.-G
H. Sykes, Dorset.
Experimentation Comfy
West Bridport, j. II. Wi'herell
Orwell Center. W. b. Wright Sails
bury, L. H. Waterhouse.
Chittenden County-Richnond, h
, II. Hodges.
LamoMe County.-Eden, Martin
Shattuck. ,
! Orlsnns Ce,lptv.-Albany, nj. b