Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1883-02-28
Town Meeting.

Town Meeting.
The result of next Tuesdays election in
Vermont will not be telegraphed over the
country, nor placarded on the bulletin boards
Of the city newspapers, nor form the sub
iect of highly-spiced congratulatory mes
sages between political leaders. The cleo
ton will, nevertheless, have quite as direct
bearing upon the general welfare OF the
state as the more noisy political elections in
which the freemen are led up to the ballot
box preceded by the bang of brass bands
and the glare of campaign torches. The
town being the unit in the political system
and every citizen being stakeholder in
this political corporation, each has per-
manent interest in the financial showing
which the town officers will make in March
meeting, in the measures which will be un-
dertaken or proposed aud in the officers
which will be elected 10 administer the GUS
tomary affairs Of the town. The welfare Of
the people, the advancement of the cause Of
education, of temperance and of all moral
as well as material interests, under the laws
Of the state depend upon a full, conscien-
tious and intelligent discharge of the duty
of each individual voter on the day of the
annual business meeting Of the town. These
local officers should be chosen on business
principles. No man should be intrusted
with the affairs Of the town in any depart
a.. tko ,,I; nj ,,,Nta
not intrust private interests of similar inn
portant character. Political partisanship
especially should be put in the background
in the choice of these officers, and in the
management of town affairs. A good and
true man, capable and experienced, should
not be discarded simply by reason Of his
politics. Nor need the same reason foist
upon the town in any of its officers an incom-
petent and unworthy person. These may
be hackneyed considerations but it is never
theless important that citizens should re-
member them and that they should influence
their votes on the day of the annual town
meeting. They lose none Of their impor
lance by reason Of having become common
place. According as they are faithfully OBJ
served the town prospers, and the aggregate
prosperity aud character of the towns is the
prosperity and character of the state.
While none of the town offices are unim-
portant and while that of seectman, the
chief administrative office, should be filed
with the greatest care, circumstances have
Of late attached to the office of lister con-
spicuous responsibility which has quite
eclipsed the attention paid TO selectman,
overseer of the poor, constable, grand juror
or superintendent of schools. The new sys-
tenn of listing adopted by the legislature Of
1880 was not only sustained by the legisla.
ture OF 1882 with substantial unanimity, but
every loophole of evasion which two years
of experience had disclosed was carefully
plugged up in revised, consolidated and
amended listing act. Tax reform seems to
have passed successfully the first stage Of
experiment, but it is not yet entirely out Of
the wilderness and on the open plain Of
well established fact. Eternal vigilance in
the choice of listers will still have decisive
influence in the successful administration
of the amended and perfected law. Men Of
tact, of sound judgment, of firm resolution
and answering honesty must still be chosen
for the office of lister if the progress made
is to be maintained and the work of tax
reformation successfully prosecuted in the
future. Look well to the choice of listers.
The condition of the schools has been the
subject of considerable agitation during
the past two years. 1t is settled that for
two years longer at least the present sys
tenn will remain unchanged. The efficiency
of the schools in each town, to an unwar-
rantable extent we believe, depends upon
the town superintendent. The specific legal
requirements Of this office are not very
sharply defined, nor are they enforced upon
the superintendent with the exemplary
rigor with which the law follows some other
town officers in the discharge of their du-
ties. In a sort of general way it seems to
be understood that the superintendent is
kind of legal expedient by means of which
SohhhieeoOo uoy ooi'o tho Paioiuony VI
school districts in maintaining the fewest
number of weeks of school that will entitle
them to their share of the "public money"
and in hiring at low wages the half iedged
boys or girls to whom the superintendent's
easy conscience or good nature or consider
alton for the feelings of friends or neighbors
may have induced him to grant certificate
to teach. Some incorporating superin-
tendents who have had higher ideal of
the duties of their office have lost their
official heads when the reckoning day in
March came round, and others qualified for
their duties and competent to Judge of the
real merits of schools have propitiated the
good will of voters by CLOSING over glazing
defects, by easy examinations of teachers
and by unjusti6able granting of certificates.
Let all the towns elect thoroughly compe-
tent, conscientious and resolute superintend.
ents, those who will with good judgment
firmly and fearlessly discharge the duties
the law evidently intended to impose upon
them, and when they have done this let
the voters protect and sustain them in town
meeting and there will be less clamor for
the town system among the friends of better
schools.