The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-05-17

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mended. Maj. Valentine at that time
and for year previous was a most &C
tive opponent of the Weir-Phelps de-
sign, He was aggressive against it, as
he usually is against anything he OPP
poses. AT one of these meetings, a large
| one, he procured the adoption of reso-
luton calling on the directors to report
a design to the association for Their
adoption, in about two weeks. l wrote
the resolution for him and as he wanted
it written; another member offered it,
for he was a director and did not wish
to offer it himself, and he secured its
passage by the meeting. Mr.. Geo w.
Robinson and | opposed it as being hasty
action and as not treating the directors
with proper courtesy.
In compliance with the vote of the
meeting the following printed notice
was sent to all the members of the asso-
ton:
Bennington, VT, Sept. Goth, 1884.
SIR--Notice is hereby given in accord
ance with vote of the Bennington
Battle Monument Association, at meet
ing holden at Bennington on the 9th
inst, that meeting will be held at Ben
nington on Monday Oct. 18th, at 2
o'clock P. NJ, to consider the adoption
ION the part of Association of design
for the Monument.
Signed CHARLES NJ, BLISS.
Corresponding Secretary.
1t was expected, at this time that the
association, whenever it could get a
chance to vote on design, would adopt
with notifications" the big tower"
now hanging i'll the office of the County
Clerk, and which Maj, Valentine was
well known, is much more massive than
the structure now going up, but two
weeks notice was much too short a time
in which to bring the directors to report
a design, had their committee on design
been in favor of this one. As they were
not, they opposed the meeting of the
Association called for the 18th OF Octo-
Der, and 1t was not held. On the I'd day
of December following the directors
adopted the Weir-Phelps design, all
during that month, giving their assent,
to it, Maj. Valentine included. Then he
exerted himself to the utmost to get it
adopted by the association at the annual
meeting on the 18th of January follow
ing. The failure of that meeting to do
this is well known, but an attempt was
made to wipe out all this record of the
previous five months. A point was made
that no quorum was present at one par
ticular meeting, but this was abandoned
as it was showh that, if 80 its validity
would not have been impaired on that
account, as the point of no quorum was
not raised at the meeting. 1t was there
fore TOO late to raise it afterwards. There
was, however, valid objection to some
of the business done, and this was that
q bylaw obnoxious to the Weir-Phelps
party, though adopted in good faith as
a safe guard against any hasty action Of
anybody, was not adopted in accordance
with the by laws of the association. On
this account the record of this meeting
was stricken from the files. A better
way would have been to declare the by
law null and void by reason OF irregu.
larity and then let the record stand. 1t
was not, however, suggested at the time
by anybody nor is it of any consequence
now. The Weir-Phelps design was
killed at that meeting and that was the
main thing, and everybody was and is
glad of it. The failure of the attempt OF
a few men to bring into our quiet com
few other men with titled
names and extended regulations, no
matter how excellent their character, to |
override the will of the people is "the
never to be forgotten lesson" of that
meeting.
Maj. Valentine, GA. B. w insists in
his letter of May Sd, that the "protest of |
one of the members of the Historical
Society meeting of the 18th of April, il |
not made, as it was not, was represented |
to him by such member as having been |
made and that therefore he, CA. b. VOL
not having been present is relieved |
from all responsibility in the matter"
He says that his article of April 10, his |
first attack on me, in this matter, was
read over to that member before he pub |
lished it, and that member pronounced
it correct" Why does he not say, what
is the fact, that that member told him
before he published his article of the
Sd inst, that he did not notice that part
of his letter which speaks of the PRO.
test" and that il he had he should have
at once pronounced it incorrect? He
prefers, however, to leave that mem
Der hung up, as incorporating another
man, rather than tell the whole truth
just as it i5
By doing as he has. he is put in this
position. He publishes an incorrect
statement in the BANNER of the 10Th OF
April in regard to the Historical Society
meeting of the / lth, being misled, as he
says, by member present. That mem
Der sets him right as soon as his atten-
ton is called to il. On the Sd of May he
attempted to "relieve himself of all re-
sponsiblity," by Sinking it off on to
this member, and emitting to say that
this member has set him right on the
question of protest. He prefers to leave
that member hung up as misrepresent-
ing another member, rather than admit
the truth just as it is. There is no 500
pending in this case, as the Major had
made no promise to pay if he were
proved wrong.
But the gist Of this whole controversy,
If controversy it can be called, where
simply groundless. uuwarantable, and
venomous attack is made on a man in
the public press,-is over the amount OF
money the association shall pay me in
reimbursement for my expenses in its
behalf, The animus of the Majors at
tack is, as is well known. to get
rid Of me by the payment of o
small sum of money in comparison
with that which have expended. As
it is in keeping with the constant
warfare he has made on me for
years, l am not at all surprised at it,